The use and costs of same-day surgery versus overnight admission for total thyroidectomy: A multi-state, all-payer analysis.

Background: Outpatient thyroidectomy is increasingly favored, given evidence of safety and convenience for selected patients. However, the prevalence of same-day discharge is unclear. We aimed to evaluate temporal trends, hospital characteristics, and costs associated with same-day discharge after total thyroidectomy in an all-payer, multi-state cohort.

Development of a Machine Learning Model to Identify Colorectal Cancer Stage in Medicare Claims.

Purpose: Staging information is essential for colorectal cancer research. Medicare claims are an important source of population-level data but currently lack oncologic stage. We aimed to develop a claims-based model to identify stage at diagnosis in patients with colorectal cancer.

Impact of Medicaid expansion on outcomes after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Objective: Lack of insurance has been independently associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, possibly due to worse control of comorbidities and delays in diagnosis and treatment. Medicaid expansion has improved insurance rates and access to care, potentially benefiting these patients. We sought to assess the association between Medicaid expansion and outcomes after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Open-Globe Injury Repairs in the American Academy of Ophthalmology IRIS® Registry 2014 - 2018: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Visual Outcomes.

Purpose: To estimate incidence and evaluate demographic risk factors and visual acuity (VA) outcomes of open-globe injuries requiring surgical repair in the IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Participants: Patients with open-globe injury repairs (OGRs) were identified by Current Procedural Terminology codes (65275, 65280, 65285, 65286, 65235, 65260, and 65265) from 2014 through 2018 in the IRIS Registry.

Clinical outcomes in children and adolescents referred for increased cup:disk ratio at a tertiary referral center.

Purpose: To report clinical outcomes and risk factors for glaucoma in children and adolescents referred for increased cup:disk ratios (CDRs) to a tertiary referral center.

Methods: This retrospective, single-center study examined all pediatric patients evaluated for increased CDR at Wills Eye Hospital. Patients who had previous known ocular disease were excluded.

The visual consequences of virtual school: acute eye symptoms in healthy children.

Purpose: To investigate acute eye symptoms in healthy children after a typical day of virtual school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The study population included 110 healthy children 10-17 years of age who were enrolled in full-time or hybrid virtual school. Children with a history of central nervous system or ocular pathology, recent concussions, reported poor vision, convergence insufficiency, history of orthoptic therapy, strabismus, amblyopia, or learning disorders were excluded.

Effect of Taping Face Masks on Quantitative Particle Counts Near the Eye: Implications for Intravitreal Injections in the COVID-19 Era.

Purpose: To determine the effect of taping the top of face masks on air particle counts directed toward the eye during simulated intravitreal injections.

Design: Prospective observational crossover study.

Methods: Thirteen healthy subjects were recruited.

Validation of the Newly Proposed World Health Organization Classification System for Conjunctival Melanocytic Intraepithelial Lesions: A Comparison with the C-MIN and PAM Classification Schemes.

Purpose: We sought to compare the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and interobserver agreement of the two most commonly used classification systems for conjunctival melanocytic intraepithelial lesions with the new World Health Organization (WHO) classification.

Design: Retrospective case series and evaluation of classification systems.

Methods: We reviewed the pathology and medical records of all patients who underwent a primary biopsy procedure for conjunctival primary acquired melanosis (PAM) at Wills Eye Hospital between 1974 and 2002 who had ≥36 months of follow-up.

Impact of Dependent Coverage Provision of the Affordable Care Act on Insurance Continuity for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer.

Purpose: The 2010 Dependent Coverage Provision (DCP) of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed enrollees to remain on their parents' health insurance until 26 years of age. We compared rates of insurance disenrollment among patients with cancer who were DCP-eligible at age 19 to those who were not eligible at age 19.

Methods: Using OptumLabs Data Warehouse, which contains longitudinal, real-world, de-identified administrative claims for commercial enrollees, we examined patients born between 1982 and 1993 and diagnosed with cancer between 2000 and 2015.

Outcomes among pediatric patients with cancer who are treated on trial versus off trial: A matched cohort study.

Background: Approximately 50% of children with cancer in the United States who are aged <15 years receive primary treatment on a therapeutic clinical trial. To the authors' knowledge, it remains unknown whether trial enrollment has a clinical benefit compared with the best alternative standard therapy and/or off trial (ie, clinical trial effect). The authors conducted a retrospective matched cohort study to compare the morbidity and mortality of pediatric patients with cancer who are treated on a phase 3 clinical trial compared with those receiving standard therapy and/or off trial.

Comparing Resource Use in Medical Admissions of Children With Complex Chronic Conditions.

Background: Children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) utilize a disproportionate share of hospital resources.

Objective: We asked whether some hospitals display a significantly different pattern of resource utilization than others when caring for similar children with CCCs admitted for medical diagnoses.

Research Design: Using Pediatric Health Information System data from 2009 to 2013, we constructed an inpatient Template of 300 children with CCCs, matching these to 300 patients at each hospital, thereby performing a type of direct standardization.

A National Comparison of Operative Outcomes of New and Experienced Surgeons.

Objective: To determine whether outcomes achieved by new surgeons are attributable to inexperience or to differences in the context in which care is delivered and patient complexity.

Background: Although prior studies suggest that new surgeon outcomes are worse than those of experienced surgeons, factors that underlie these phenomena are poorly understood.

Methods: A nationwide observational tapered matching study of outcomes of Medicare patients treated by new and experienced surgeons in 1221 US hospitals (2009-2013).