Predicting and analyzing the COVID-19 epidemic in China: Based on SEIRD, LSTM and GWR models.

In December 2019, the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The epidemic quickly broke out and spread throughout the country. Now it becomes a pandemic that affects the whole world.

Evaluation of rescue medication use and medication adherence receiving umeclidinium/vilanterol versus tiotropium bromide/olodaterol.

Background: This was the first real-world head-to-head study comparing inhaled long-acting muscarinic antagonist/long-acting β-agonist fixed-dose combination treatments as maintenance therapy.

Methods: Retrospective observational study including commercial, Medicare Advantage with Part D or Part D-only enrollees aged ≥40 years from the Optum Research Database. Patients initiated umeclidinium/vilanterol (UMEC/VI) or tiotropium bromide/olodaterol (TIO/OLO) between June 1, 2015 and November 30, 2016 (index date) with 12 months of pre- and post-index continuous enrollment.

Real-world effectiveness of umeclidinium/vilanterol versus fluticasone propionate/salmeterol as initial maintenance therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a retrospective cohort study.

Background And Objective: Retrospective claims data in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) initiating maintenance therapy with inhaled fixed-dose combinations of long-acting muscarinic antagonist/long-acting β-agonist (LAMA/LABA) versus inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)/LABA have not been reported.

Methods: Retrospective observational study in a COPD-diagnosed population of commercial and Medicare Advantage with Part D (MAPD) enrollees aged ≥40 years from a US health insurer database. Patients initiated umeclidinium/vilanterol (UMEC/VI [62.

Epidemiology and disease burden of pertussis in the United States among individuals aged 0-64 over a 10-year period (2006-2015).

Pertussis incidence has increased in recent decades despite childhood vaccination programs and high vaccination rates. To quantify the burden of pertussis, incidence, healthcare resource utilization, and costs among pertussis patients were estimated in a US managed care setting. Patients aged 0-64 years with evidence of pertussis (ICD-9-CM codes 033.

A Retrospective Claims Analysis of Dual Bronchodilator Fixed-Dose Combination Versus Bronchodilator Monotherapy in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Introduction: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increasingly receive combination bronchodilator therapies. Real world evidence for the benefits of combination therapy compared to monotherapy is lacking.

Methods: COPD patients aged ≥ 40 years initiating monotherapy (MT) with either a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) or long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) or dual therapy (DT) with a LAMA/LABA fixed dose combination (FDC) between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016 were identified from a large U.

Patient-reported outcomes of dual bronchodilator fixed-dose combination versus bronchodilator monotherapy in individuals with COPD.

This study compared real-world patient-reported outcomes (PROs) measured by the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), the London Chest Activities of Daily Living (LCADL) scale, and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire between individuals with COPD initiating LAMA/LABA fixed-dose combination (FDC) dual therapy versus either long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) or long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) monotherapy. Individuals with COPD aged ≥40 years initiating a LAMA/LABA FDC dual therapy or a LAMA or LABA monotherapy (index date = first prescription date) between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016 were identified from a large US administrative claims database. Individuals were excluded if they were prescribed an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) or ICS/LABA two months prior to the index date or were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or asthma.

Using electronic health records to estimate the prevalence of agitation in Alzheimer disease/dementia.

Background: Agitation is a common neuropsychiatric symptom of Alzheimer disease (AD). Data are scarce regarding agitation prevalence among community-dwelling patients with AD.

Objective: To estimate agitation prevalence in a sample of US patients with AD/dementia overall and by AD/dementia disease severity, using data from electronic health records (EHR).

The role of nurse practitioners in primary healthcare.

Objectives: The employment of more nurse practitioners (NPs) is one of the most promising ways to expand the capacity of medical group practices. The objective of this study was to determine the association of NPs with patient-level cost and quality of care.

Study Design: Eighty-five primary care medical group practices were matched with 315,000 Medicare patients.

The relationships of physician practice characteristics to quality of care and costs.

Background: Medical group practices are central to many of the proposals for health care reform, but little is known about the relationship between practice-level characteristics and the quality and cost of care.

Methods: Practice characteristics from a 2009 national survey of 211 group practices were linked to Medicare claims data for beneficiaries attributed to the practices. Multivariate regression was used to examine the relationship between practice characteristics and claims-computable measures of screening and monitoring, avoidable utilization, risk-adjusted per-beneficiary per-year (PBPY) costs, and the practice's net revenue.

Do integrated health care systems provide lower-cost, higher-quality care?

A study Looking at quality and cost issues for integrated vs. non integrated physician practices yields some interesting findings.

Medical group practice characteristics influencing inappropriate emergency department and avoidable hospitalization rates.

The inappropriate use of emergency departments (EDs) and ambulatory care sensitive hospital admission rates by patients attributed to a national sample of 212 medical group practices is documented, and the characteristics of practices that influence these rates are identified. Hospital-owned practices have higher nonemergent and emergent primary care treatable ED rates and higher ambulatory care sensitive hospitalization rates. Practices with electronic health records have lower inappropriate ED rates but those in rural areas have significantly higher rates.