Association of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model With Quality, Utilization, and Medicare Payments After the First 5 Years.

Importance: The original Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model provided financial incentives to home health agencies for quality improvement in 9 randomly selected US states.

Objective: To evaluate quality, utilization, and Medicare payments for home health patients in HHVBP states compared with those in comparison states.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study was conducted in 2021 with secondary data from January 2013 to December 2020.

Cardiovascular Mortality of Oral Antidiabetic Drugs Approved Before and After the 2008 US FDA Guidance for Industry: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Both diabetes and antidiabetic drugs (ADDs) increase the risk for cardiovascular (CV) diseases. Due to the increasing concern about CV safety associated with ADDs, the US FDA revised regulatory guidelines in 2008 to include CV safety as an endpoint.

Objective: The objective of the current study was to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis to compare CV mortality of oral ADDs approved before and after the FDA's 2008 guidance.

The Use of Herbal Remedies among Mothers of Young Children Living in the Central Appalachian Region.

Introduction: Women often use herbal remedies as a complement or alternative to traditional medicine. Guided by the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking, this study examined use of herbal remedies among mothers of young children living in the Central Appalachian Region.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among mothers of young children ( = 178).

Cardiovascular mortality and oral antidiabetic drugs: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among individuals with diabetes. Despite the beneficial effects of antidiabetic drugs (ADDs) in terms of lowering haemoglobin A1c, several ADDs have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular events. Given the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease among individuals with diabetes, it is important to weigh the benefits of ADDs against their cardiovascular safety.

Health-related quality of life in patients receiving long-term opioid therapy: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Purpose: Over 25 million Americans reported having daily pain and between 5 and 8 million Americans used opioids to treat chronic pain in 2012. This is the first systematic review with meta-analysis to determine the effects of long-term opioid use on the Physical Component Summary (PCS) score and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores of a Health-Related Quality of Life instrument in adults without opioid use disorder.

Methods: The a priori eligibility criteria for the PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, and PsyINFO searches were (1) randomized controlled trial, (2) at least one opioid intervention group, (3) minimum of 4-week duration of opioid use, (4) comparative control group, and (5) adults ≥18 years that do not have dominant disease.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Disability Prevalence.

Purpose: Worldwide, the number of disabled individuals is used as a marker for population health status because of high morbidity and mortality burden associated with disability. The primary objective of the current study is to use the 2012 NHIS disability supplement and examine racial/ethnic disparities in disability after controlling for a comprehensive list of factors, using the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (WHO-ICF).

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study design with data from 7993 individuals aged above 21 years from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) was adopted.