The Impact of Primary Care Physician Capacity on Preventable Hospitalizations: Identifying Bright Spots in the Appalachian & Mississippi Delta Regions.

Introduction: Several studies have documented that higher rates of primary care physicians are associated with lower rates of preventable hospitalizations. Counties with higher rates of preventable hospitalizations are found in the Appalachian and Mississippi (MS) Delta Regions.

Purpose: (1) To determine if the association of primary care capacity with preventable hospitalizations is different in the Appalachian and MS Delta regions compared to the rest of the U.

The economic and quality effects of wound cleansing with pure hypochlorous acid: evidence-based evaluation and clinical experience.

Background: Chronic or hard-to-heal wounds fail to proceed through an orderly and timely healing process, resulting in a lack of anatomic and functional integrity. Infection is a common driver of nonhealing processes; therefore, infection prevention and management are essential components to healing chronic wounds. Inexpensive specialized cleansers, such as pure hypochlorous acid (pHA), can be used to cleanse vulnerable wounds to reduce microbial burden, thereby reducing the risk of infection and significantly decreasing the likelihood of the patient developing a costly wound complication.

Cost Analysis of Pure Hypochlorous Acid Preserved Wound Cleanser versus Mafenide for the Irrigation of Burn Wounds.

Over 40,000 patients in the United States (US) require hospitalization for burns annually. The treatment regimen can cost more than $6,000 a day and requires the use of numerous supplies to ensure the graft takes for successful wound healing. Irrigation of the wound is a critical step for burn treatment, yet little is known about the cost-effectiveness of different irrigation modalities.

Cost-per-Response Analysis of Pure Hypochlorous Acid Among Patients with Chronic Venous Leg Ulcers: A Health Economic Analysis.

Objective: To estimate the total cost-per-wound healing response (CPR) and the per-day CPR of patients with chronic leg ulcers treated with pure hypochlorous acid (pHA) as part of their overall would healing regimen.

Methods: The authors developed a deterministic decision-tree model to estimate the incremental CPR for pHA. The analysis was performed using clinical data from a published single-arm prospective study.

Health Economic Analysis of Two-Layer Bandage System for Treatment of Chronic Venous Insufficiency.

Compression therapy is the gold standard for the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Two-layer bandage (2LB) systems have been shown to be a safe and effective treatment option. To estimate the total cost per response (CPR) for the resolution of edema and wounds in patients with CVI treated with a 2LB system as part of their overall wound healing regimen.

Time and labor costs of compression therapy wrap system for lower extremity edema: results from a single center.

Introduction: Compression therapy is the standard of care for the treatment of lower extremity edema. However, compression therapy systems can be time-consuming to apply, which adds costs to the health care system and further strains human resources.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess time and labor costs associated with the application of a 2LB versus 4LB compression therapy system.

The High Cost of Death After Acute Myocardial Infarctions: Results from a National US Hospital Database.

Introduction: This study described the differences in costs and length of stay (LOS) among patients with AMI who died versus survived using a large, nationally representative cohort of AMI patients.

Methods: The 2019 HCUP NIS was used to analyze costs, and LOS among all patients with a principal diagnosis of AMI. A propensity-score matched analysis and multivariable regression were used to adjust for patient and hospital characteristics.

A Retrospective Health Economic Analysis of a Stable Hypochlorous Acid Preserved Wound Cleanser Versus 0.9% Saline Solution as Instillation for Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy in Severe and Infected Wounds.

Introduction Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with instillation and dwell time is an accepted adjunct therapy for infected wounds. A study was conducted to assess whether the use of hypochlorous acid preserved wound cleanser (HAPWOC) (Vashe, Urgo Medical North America, Fort Worth, TX, USA) as the irrigant would reduce the cost of care in comparison to 0.9% saline (NaCl).

Cost-effectiveness of catheter ablation versus medical therapy for the treatment of atrial fibrillation in the United Kingdom.

Introduction: Research evidence has shown that catheter ablation is a safe and superior treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) compared to medical therapy, but real-world practice has been slow to adopt an early interventional approach. This study aims to determine the cost effectiveness of catheter ablation compared to medical therapy from the perspective of the United Kingdom.

Methods: A patient-level Markov health-state transition model was used to conduct a cost-utility analysis.

Cost-Effectiveness of Hypochlorous Acid Preserved Wound Cleanser versus Saline Irrigation in Conjunction with Ultrasonic Debridement for Complex Wounds.

Low-frequency ultrasound debridement with irrigation is an effective method of wound bed preparation. A recent clinical study compared hypochlorous acid preserved wound cleanser (HAPWOC) to saline and found HAPWOC to be a more effective adjunct to low frequency ultrasound debridement. However, HAPWOC has an added cost.

Cost-utility analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism panel-based machine learning algorithm to predict risk of opioid use disorder.

To conduct a cost-utility analysis of a novel genetic diagnostic test (OUDTEST) for risk of developing opioid use disorder for elective orthopedic surgery patients. A simulation model assessed cost-effectiveness and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for OUDTEST from private insurer and self-insured employer perspectives over a 5-year time horizon for a hypothetical patient population. OUDTEST was found to cost less and increase QALYs, over a 5-year period for private insurance (savings US$2510; QALYs 0.

Identifying priority and bright spot areas for improving diabetes care: a geospatial approach.

The objective of this study was to describe a novel geospatial methodology for identifying poor-performing (priority) and well-performing (bright spot) communities with respect to diabetes management at the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level. This research was the first phase of a mixed-methods approach known as the focused rapid assessment process (fRAP). Using data from the Lehigh Valley Health Network in eastern Pennsylvania, geographical information systems mapping and spatial analyses were performed to identify diabetes prevalence and A1c control spatial clusters and outliers.

Erratum: Author Correction: Use of a Launderable Bed Barrier and Antibiotic Stewardship to Decrease Hospital Onset Infections in an Acute Care Hospital: A Retrospective Pre/Post Case Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.36469/001c.11149.

Hospital Admissions Associated With Cancer Pain in Older Adults With and Without Dementia.

Background: Neoplasm-related pain is often suboptimally treated, contributing to avoidable suffering and increased medical resource use and costs. We hypothesized that dementia may contribute to increased resource use and costs in patients hospitalized for neoplasm-related pain in the United States.

Aims: To examine how persons with cancer and dementia use medical resources and expenditures in US hospitals compared to ondividuals without dementia.

Estimates of the value of life lost from COVID-19 in Ohio.

The economic burden of mortality due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) extends beyond the lives lost. Data from the Ohio Department of Public Health and Social Security Administration was used to estimate the years of potential life lost, 72,274 and economic value of those lost lives, US$17.39 billion.

Economic Analysis of the European Healthcare Burden of Sternal-Wound Infections Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft.

Sternal wound infections (SWIs) can be some of the most complex surgical-site infections (SSIs) and pose a considerable risk following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). To capture the cost burden of SWIs following CABG across European countries. We modeled a standardized care pathway for CABG, starting at the point of surgery and extending to 1-year post surgery.

Outcomes of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients by Risk Factors: Results from a United States Hospital Claims Database.

Background/objective: The primary objective was to quantify the role of the number of Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) risk factors on in-hospital mortality. The secondary objective was to assess the associated hospital length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) bed utilization, and ICU LOS with the number of CDC risk factors.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study consisting of all hospitalizations with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis discharged between March 15, 2020 and April 30, 2020 was conducted.

Cost-minimization analysis of negative pressure wound therapy technologies for the treatment of moderate-to-severe foot infections.

The objective was to estimate the cost of care associated with two negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) technologies used to treat patients admitted to the hospital with moderate-to-severe foot infections. A decision tree simulation model was developed to estimate the hospital costs associated with two different NPWT technologies: Cardinal Health™ PRO (NPWT-C) and V.A.

Sternal-Wound Infections following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft: Could Implementing Value-Based Purchasing be Beneficial?

Background/objectives: Sternal-wound infections (SWIs) are rare but consequential healthcare-healthcare-associated infections following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The impact of SWIs associated on the cost of health care provision is unknown. The aim of this study was to quantify the burden of CABG-related SWIs across countries with mature health care systems and estimate value-based purchasing (VBP) levels based on the local burden.

When Second Best Might Be the Best: Using Hospitalization Data to Monitor the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic.

The novel coronavirus' high rate of asymptomatic transmission combined with a lack of testing kits call for a different approach to monitor its spread and severity. We proposed the use of hospitalizations and hospital utilization data to monitor the spread and severity. A proposed threshold of a declining 7-day moving average over a 14-day period, "7&14" was set to communicate when a wave of the novel coronavirus may have passed.

Disparities in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Admissions.

Objectives: The Cincinnati region has been at the epicenter of the nation's unfolding opioid epidemic. The objectives of this study were twofold: (1) to compare the Cincinnati region to the United States in length of time to obtain treatment and planned medication-assisted therapy for the treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD); and (2) to assess racial disparities within the Cincinnati region in wait time and type of treatment.

Methods: The 2017 Treatment Episode Data Set: Admissions (TEDS-A) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was used to identify a cohort of eligible individuals with a primary substance use of opioids, including opioid derivatives.

Use of a Launderable Bed Barrier and Antibiotic Stewardship to Decrease Hospital Onset Infections in an Acute Care Hospital: A Retrospective Pre-Post Case Study.

Background: Hospital-onset infection (HO-CDI) is a major source of morbidity and mortality. The objective of this research was to evaluate the reduction in HO-CDI through the use of a launderable bed barrier (BB) and an antibiotic stewardship program (ASP).

Methods: A retrospective pre-post study was conducted at an acute care hospital in Kentucky.