Preoperative Care Intensity and Cost for Renal Colic: Implications for Surgical Value-Based Reforms.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to identify preoperative patient/facility factors associated with postoperative and total episode-related costs using renal colic as a model surgical condition to improve value-based payment models.

Methods: Using state Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data, we performed a retrospective cohort study examining perioperative costs for individuals presenting to an emergency department for renal colic and who ultimately underwent definitive surgical management. We estimated multivariable ordered and binary logistic regressions to examine the association between preoperative and operative cost quartiles on the probability of specific postoperative cost quartiles after accounting for hospital and individual factors.

Selection of X-ray Tube Settings for Relative Bone Density Quantification in the Knee Joint of Cats Using Computed Digital Absorptiometry.

Bone mineral density (BMD) varies with aging and both systemic and local diseases; however, such evidence is lacking in feline medicine. This may be due to the need for general anesthesia in cats for direct BMD measurements using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or quantitative computed tomography (QCT). In this study, computed digital absorptiometry (CDA), an indirect relative BMD-measuring method, was optimized to select an X-ray tube setting for the quantitative assessment of the feline knee joint.

Relationship between Feline Knee Joint Osteoarthritis and Bone Mineral Density Quantified Using Computed Tomography and Computed Digital Absorptiometry.

Osteoarthritis (OA), including knee joint OA, is a common chronic condition in cats. In both cats and humans, knee joint OA is characterized radiographically by the presence of osteophytes, enthesiophytes, subchondral sclerosis, and joint space narrowing. However, only in humans have these radiographic signs been reported to increase bone mineral density (BMD).

Pre-pandemic preventable hospitalization is associated with increased telemedicine use in safety-net settings.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a major expansion in telemedicine use. The continued use of telemedicine post-pandemic has the potential to enhance healthcare use for people at risk for sub-optimal healthcare access and utilization, such as patients with previous preventable hospitalization. This study analyzed the association between pre-pandemic preventable hospitalizations (PPHs) and telemedicine use during the pandemic.

Radiological properties of nano-hydroxyapatite compared to natural equine hydroxyapatite quantified using dual-energy CT and high-field MR.

In equine medicine, assisted bone regeneration, including use of biomaterial substitutes like hydroxyapatite (HAP), is crucial for addressing bone defects. To follow-up on the outcome of HAP-based bone defect treatment, the advancement in quantified diagnostic imaging protocols is needed. This study aimed to quantify and compare the radiological properties of the HAP graft and natural equine bone using Magnetic Resonance (MR) and Computed Tomography (CT), both Single (SECT) and Dual Energy (DECT).