Improvise, Adapt & Overcome: Successful Surgery-Sparing Prosthetic Hip Infection Antibiotic Suppression During COVID-19 Crisis.

Case: A 79-year-old active male presented during the first COVID-19 pandemic surgery moratorium with late Staphylococcus lugdunensis periprosthetic total hip arthroplasty infection. Due to the unprecedented circumstances, novel treatment of IV and oral antibiotic suppression was trialed without preceding surgical intervention. At latest follow-up, the patient has two-year revision-free survival with normalization of inflammatory markers and MRI findings, and resolution of clinical symptoms.

Derivation and Validation of a Predictive Algorithm for Long-Term Care Admission or Death.

Objectives: Older veterans prefer to remain in their homes and communities as long as possible. Although targeted delivery of home- and community-based services for veterans might delay long-term care placement, often, access to these services is inconsistently organized or delayed. To aid in early recognition of veterans at high risk for long-term care placement or death, we developed and validated a predictive algorithm, "Choose Home.

Shaping the Rhode Island Duals Demonstration: The Power of Partnerships between Advocates and Geriatrics Experts.

This paper describes a unique collaboration between consumer health care advocates, experts in geriatrics, a state, and a health plan to improve care for adults with both Medicare and Medicaid. Ineffective care coordination between the Medicare and Medicaid programs has led to poor care and high costs. As part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), CMS initiated state demonstrations to align financing and care delivery.

Effects of Medicare Medical Reviews on Ambiguous Short-Stay Hospital Admissions.

Objective: To examine the effects of Medicare's Medical Review (MR) program on short-stay inpatient hospitalization.

Data Sources/study Setting: One Hundred percent of Medicare Part A and Part B claims and the Master Beneficiary Summary File (2007-2010).

Study Design: Retrospective observational study using a difference-in-differences approach.

The relationship between different settings of medical service and incident frailty.

Background: Some studies have reported a potential association between usual source of health care and disability, but no one has explored the association with frailty, a state of early and potential reversible disability. We therefore aimed to explore the association between older persons' self-reported usual source of health care at baseline and the onset of frailty.

Methods: Information regarding usual source of health care was captured through self-report and categorized as 1) private doctor's office, 2) public clinic, 3) Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), or 4) hospital clinic/emergency department (ED).

Prevalence and impact of Clostridium difficile infection in elderly residents of long-term care facilities, 2011: A nationwide study.

The elderly population is particularly vulnerable to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), but the epidemiology of CDI in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is unknown.We performed a retrospective cohort study and used US 2011 LTCF resident data from the Minimum Data Set 3.0 linked to Medicare claims.

Advance directive repository.

As the population ages, end-of-life care (EOLC) becomes an increasingly pressing issue. Advance directives (ADs) are legal documents that allow individuals to convey their decisions about EOLC. Although ADs have been shown to reduce EOLC costs, most people do not have ADs.

Mandating advance directives.

As the population ages, end-of-life care (EOLC) costs become an increasingly pressing subject. Advance directives (ADs) are legal documents that allow individuals to convey their decisions about EOLC. Although ADs have been shown to reduce EOLC costs, most people do not have ADs.

Stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation in older adults: existing knowledge gaps and areas for innovation: a summary of an American Federation for Aging research seminar.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common and morbid cardiac arrhythmia that increases in prevalence with advancing age. The risk of ischemic stroke, a primary and disabling hazard of AF, also increases with advancing age. The aging of the population is anticipated to contribute to a rising burden of AF-related morbidity and economic costs, given the close association between the arrhythmia and aging.

Cadaver treasure hunt: introducing geriatrics concepts in the anatomy class.

The objective of this study was to develop an educational program introducing geriatrics to medical students during anatomy. Observational study of an educational intervention in medical school was the design utilized. First-year medical students in an anatomy laboratory were participants.

Integrating and evaluating geriatrics in medical school: a novel approach for the challenge.

Brown Medical School developed a comprehensive curriculum in which enriched aging content increased from 22 to 80 hours in preclerkship courses and was also added for clerkships, residencies, and nongeriatrician physicians. Innovative evaluation strategies are also described. Highlights include "treasure hunts" in the anatomy laboratory, a Scholarly Concentration in Aging, Schwartz Communication Sessions, a Website of aging-related materials, and a monthly column in the state medical journal.

Teaching communication and compassionate care skills: an innovative curriculum for pre-clerkship medical students.

Background: Physicians require communications training to improve effective and compassionate care. Clinicians discuss challenging communication issues in existing hospital "Schwartz Rounds."

Aims: To improve communication skills, the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University designed "Schwartz Communication Sessions" for the mandatory 2-year pre-clerkship Doctoring course.

A systematic review of curricular interventions teaching transitional care to physicians-in-training and physicians.

Purpose: To systematically review and describe published interventions about teaching continuity-of-care best practices, embodied by transitional care, to physician-trainees and physicians.

Method: The authors performed a systematic review of interventions indexed in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Educational Resources Information Center, professional society Web sites, education databases, and hand-selected references. English-language articles published between 1973 and 2010 that demonstrated purposeful, directed education of physician-trainees and physicians on topics consistent with the contemporary definition of transitional care were included.

Improving health for elderly people: an international health promotion and disease prevention agenda.

Across the world, there are substantial but missed opportunities for promoting health of older persons and extending the healthy life span. Current approaches to health care rely on late detection and treatment of disease, and some of the most expensive systems of care have population health outcomes that are poor to mediocre. A majority of deaths and disability result from progression of preventable chronic diseases for which human behaviors are major contributing factors.