Disparities and Medical Expenditure Implications in Pediatric Tele-Mental Health Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mississippi.

Tele-mental health (TMH) services, including both mental and behavioral healthcare (MBH) services, emerged as a cornerstone in delivering pediatric mental healthcare during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, yet their utilization and effects on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and medical expenditures remain unclear. To bridge the gap, this study aims to investigate the association between TMH utilization and sociodemographic factors and assess its associated HCRU and medical expenditures within a pediatric population in Mississippi. Studying 1,972 insured pediatric patients who accessed outpatient MBH services at the study institution between January 2020 and June 2023, age, race, insurance type, rural residency, and household income were identified as key determinants of TMH utilization.

Tele-Mental Health Service: Unveiling the Disparity and Impact on Healthcare Access and Expenditures during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mississippi.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, tele-mental health (TMH) was a viable approach for providing accessible mental and behavioral health (MBH) services. This study examines the sociodemographic disparities in TMH utilization and its effects on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and medical expenditures in Mississippi. Utilizing a cohort of 6787 insured adult patients at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and its affiliated sites between January 2020 and June 2023, including 3065 who accessed TMH services, we observed sociodemographic disparities between TMH and non-TMH cohorts.

Assessing Telemental Health Uptake and Associated Health Care Resource Implications among Mississippi Medicaid Enrollees with Major Depression.

Investigate the association between Telemental Health (TMH) uptake and sociodemographic characteristics, and how TMH uptake relates to health care resource utilization and Medicaid expenditures among Mississippi Medicaid enrollees with major depression. A retrospective cohort study was conducted (2019-2020), comparing those who utilized TMH and those who did not. Among the 21,239 identified enrollees, 806 (3.

Feasibility of Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring for Detection and Management of Maternal Hypertension in a predominantly Black, Rural and Medicaid Population in Mississippi.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has potential in hypertension management, but limited studies have focused on maternal hypertension, especially among vulnerable populations. The objective of this study was to integrate RPM into perinatal care for pregnant patients at elevated risk of hypertensive disorders to show feasibility, acceptability, and safety. A prospective pilot cohort study was conducted at the University of Mississippi Medical Center 2021-2023.

Telehealth Evaluation in the United States: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Background: The rapid expansion of telehealth services, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitates systematic evaluation to guarantee the quality, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of telehealth services and programs in the United States. While numerous evaluation frameworks have emerged, crafted by various stakeholders, their comprehensiveness is limited, and the overall state of telehealth evaluation remains unclear.

Objective: The overarching goal of this scoping review is to create a comprehensive overview of telehealth evaluation, incorporating perspectives from multiple stakeholder categories.

Telemental Health Services Usage and Association with Health Care Utilization and Expenditures Among Vulnerable Medicare Beneficiaries in 2019: A Comparative Study Using Propensity Score Matching.

Telemental health (TMH) offers a promising approach to managing major depressive disorder (MDD). The objective of our work was to evaluate TMH usage among a vulnerable population of MDD Medicare beneficiaries and its association with health care utilization and expenditures. This cohort study analyzed 2019 Mississippi Medicare fee-for-service data for adult beneficiaries with MDD.

Telemental Health Use Is Associated With Lower Health Care Spending Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Major Depression.

Background: Some policymakers are concerned that expanding telehealth coverage may increase Medicare expenditures. However, there is limited evidence on the association of telehealth use with utilization and spending among Medicare beneficiaries with major depression.

Objective: To examine the differences in spending and utilization among telemental health users and non-telemental health users with major depression.

Economic evaluation and costs of remote patient monitoring for cardiovascular disease in the United States: a systematic review.

Background: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has emerged as a viable and valuable care delivery method to improve chronic disease management. In light of the high prevalence and substantial economic burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), this systematic review examines the cost and cost-effectiveness of using RPM to manage CVD in the United States.

Methods: We systematically searched databases to identify potentially relevant research.

Palliative Care Consultation in the Intensive Care Unit Reduces Hospital Costs: A Cost-Analysis.

Background: Palliative care aims to improve or maintain quality of life for patients with life-limiting or life-threatening diseases. Limited research shows that palliative care is associated with reduced intensive care unit length of stay and use of high-cost resources.

Methods: This was an observational, non-experimental comparison group study on all patients 18 years or older admitted to any intensive care unit (ICU) at Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center for 7 to 30 days from August 2013 to December 2015.

The evaluation of comprehensive medication management for chronic diseases in primary care clinics, a Texas delivery system reform incentive payment program.

Background: The Institute of Medicine reported that more than 1.5 million preventable adverse drug events occur annually in the United States. Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) is the medication review process to improve clinical outcomes, enhance patient adherence, reduce drug therapy problems and reduce health care costs.

Treatment Sequences After Discontinuing a Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Comparison of Cycling Versus Swapping Strategies.

Objective: To evaluate the sequences of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and non-TNFi used by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients whose initial TNFi therapy has failed, and to evaluate effectiveness and costs.

Methods: Using the Truven Health MarketScan Research database, we analyzed claims of commercially insured adult patients with RA who switched to their second biologic or targeted disease-modifying antirheumatic drug between January 2008 and December 2015. Our primary outcome was the frequency of treatment sequences.

Exome sequencing compared with standard genetic tests for critically ill infants with suspected genetic conditions.

Purpose: As exome sequencing (ES) is increasingly used as a diagnostic tool, we aimed to compare ES with status quo genetic diagnostic workup for infants with suspected genetic disorders in terms of identifying diagnoses, survival, and cost of care.

Methods: We studied newborns and infants admitted to intensive care with a suspected genetic etiology within the first year of life at a US quaternary-referral children's hospital over 5 years. In this propensity-matched cohort study using electronic medical record data, we compared patients who received ES as part of a diagnostic workup (ES cohort, n = 368) with clinically similar patients who did not receive ES (No-ES cohort, n = 368).

Is Post-discharge Rehabilitation Timing Associated with 90-Day Readmission in Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty?

Background: Physical therapy (PT) is an accepted standard of care after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and essential to maximizing joint functionality and minimizing complications that lead to readmission. However, evidence-based guidelines about appropriate post-discharge rehabilitative care are not well-defined in the orthopedic literature.

Purposes: We sought to determine the average timing for receiving PT rehabilitation and to evaluate the association between PT rehabilitation timing and unplanned readmission within 90 days of a TJA patient being discharged home from acute care.

Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations of Cycling Versus Swapping Medications in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis After Failure to Respond to Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors.

Objective: To systematically review the modeling approaches and quality of economic analyses comparing cycling tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) to swapping to a therapy with a different mode of action in patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose initial TNFi failed.

Methods: We searched electronic databases, gray literature, and references of included publications until July 2017. Two reviewers independently screened citations.

Clinical Application of Genome and Exome Sequencing as a Diagnostic Tool for Pediatric Patients: a Scoping Review of the Literature.

Purpose: Availability of clinical genomic sequencing (CGS) has generated questions about the value of genome and exome sequencing as a diagnostic tool. Analysis of reported CGS application can inform uptake and direct further research. This scoping literature review aims to synthesize evidence on the clinical and economic impact of CGS.

Long-term economic value of hypofractionated prostate radiation: Secondary analysis of a randomized trial.

Purpose: Moderately hypofractionated intensity modulated radiation therapy (HIMRT) for prostate cancer shortens the treatment course while providing outcomes comparable with those of conventional intensity modulated radiation therapy (CIMRT). To determine the long-term economic value of HIMRT, including the costs of managing long-term radiation toxicities, a cost minimization analysis compared CIMRT with dose-escalated HIMRT using patient-level data from a randomized trial.

Methods And Materials: Men with localized prostate cancer were randomized to CIMRT (75.