Implications of Cross-System Use Among US Veterans With Advanced Kidney Disease in the Era of the MISSION Act: A Qualitative Study of Health Care Records.

Importance: Since 2014, when Congress passed the Veterans Access Choice and Accountability (Choice) Act (replaced in 2018 with the more comprehensive Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks [MISSION] Act), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been paying for US veterans to receive increasing amounts of care in the private sector (non-VA care or VA community care). However, little is known about the implications of these legislative changes for the VA system.

Objective: To describe the implications for the VA system of recent increases in VA-financed non-VA care.

Can Mozart Improve Weight Gain and Development of Feeding Skills in Premature Infants? A Randomized Trial.

Objective: The study aimed to assess in a prospective randomized study the effect of Mozart's music on time to regain birth weight (BW) and development of oral feeding skills in babies born between 28 and 31 weeks of gestation.

Study Design: Healthy premature infants born between 28 and 31 completed weeks of gestation were randomized within 3 days of birth to either music or no music exposure. Infants in the music group were exposed to Mozart's double piano sonata twice per day for 14 days.

Determination of colonoscopy indication from administrative claims data.

Background: Colonoscopy outcomes, such as polyp detection or complication rates, may differ by procedure indication.

Objectives: To develop methods to classify colonoscopy indications from administrative data, facilitating study of colonoscopy quality and outcomes.

Research Design: We linked 14,844 colonoscopy reports from the Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative, a national repository of endoscopic reports, to the corresponding Medicare Carrier and Outpatient File claims.

Accuracy of Medicare claims for identifying findings and procedures performed during colonoscopy.

Background: Administrative claims data are frequently used for quality measurement.

Objective: To examine the accuracy of administrative claims for potential colonoscopy quality measures, including findings (polyp or tumor detection), procedures (biopsy or polypectomy), and incomplete colonoscopy.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Utilization and predictors of early repeat colonoscopy in Medicare beneficiaries.

Objectives: Early repeat colonoscopy after an index examination may be justifiable, but may also reflect quality issues during the first examination. The aims of this study were to examine the use of second colonoscopy within 1 year of an index colonoscopy, and to examine patient and provider factors associated with use of early repeat colonoscopy.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using a 20% nationally representative sample of 2003 Medicare claims.

Specialty differences in polyp detection, removal, and biopsy during colonoscopy.

Background: Colonoscopy is a technically complex procedure commonly performed to detect and remove colorectal pathology. This study examined the influence of provider characteristics on polyp detection, polyp removal, and diagnostic biopsy rates.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study using a 20% sample of 2003 Medicare claims.

In search of the perfect comorbidity measure for use with administrative claims data: does it exist?

Background: Numerous measures of comorbidity have been developed for health services research with administrative claims.

Objective: We sought to compare the performance of 4 claims-based comorbidity measures.

Research Design And Subjects: We undertook a retrospective cohort study of 5777 Medicare beneficiaries ages 66 and older with stage III colon cancer reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 1996.