Treatment Patterns and Costs Among Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma in the United States: A Real-World Study Using Integrated Claims and Clinical Data.

Purpose: The treatment landscape for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has evolved in recent years with the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immuno-oncology (IO) therapies. This study examined patient characteristics, treatment patterns, health care resource utilization (HCRU), costs, and survival for individuals with mRCC who received either IO + IO or IO + TKI combinations as first-line (1L) regimens.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used integrated claims and clinical data from a commercial health plan to study adults with mRCC who began 1L treatment between April 1, 2018, and January 31, 2023.

Risk factors for surgical site infection after abdominal hysterectomy, New York State, 2015-2018.

Background: To identify risk factors for surgical site infections (SSIs) after abdominal hysterectomy (HYST) procedures using National Health care Safety Network (NHSN) data augmented with diagnosis codes available using administrative data.

Methods: We analyzed 66,001 HYST procedures in 166 New York State hospitals between January 2015 and December 2018, reported in NHSN, and matched to billing data. Risks factors for SSI after abdominal HYST were identified using logistic regression models.

Candida auris admission screening pilot in select units of New York City health care facilities, 2017-2019.

Background: This pilot project implemented admission screening for Candida auris (C. auris) using real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) in select high-risk units within health care facilities in New York City.

Methods: An admission screening encounter consisted of collecting 2 swabs, to be tested by rt-PCR, and a data collection form for individuals admitted to ventilator units at 2 nursing homes (NHA and NHB), and the ventilator/pulmonary unit, intensive care unit, and cardiac care unit at a hospital (Hospital C) located in New York City from November 2017 to November 2019.

Dealing with highly skewed hospital length of stay distributions: The use of Gamma mixture models to study delivery hospitalizations.

The increased focus on addressing severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality has led to studies investigating patient and hospital characteristics associated with longer hospital stays. Length of stay (LOS) for delivery hospitalizations has a strongly skewed distribution with the vast majority of LOS lasting two to three days in the United States. Prior studies typically focused on common LOSs and dealt with the long LOS distribution tail in ways to fit conventional statistical analyses (e.

Laboratory Analysis of an Outbreak of Candida auris in New York from 2016 to 2018: Impact and Lessons Learned.

is a multidrug-resistant yeast which has emerged in health care facilities worldwide; however, little is known about identification methods, patient colonization, environmental survival, spread, and drug resistance. Colonization on both biotic (patients) and abiotic (health care objects) surfaces, along with travel, appear to be the major factors for the spread of this pathogen across the globe. In this investigation, we present laboratory findings from an ongoing outbreak in New York (NY) from August 2016 through 2018.

Candida auris in Healthcare Facilities, New York, USA, 2013-2017.

Candida auris is an emerging yeast that causes healthcare-associated infections. It can be misidentified by laboratories and often is resistant to antifungal medications. We describe an outbreak of C.

Lessons learned from initial reporting of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in New York State hospitals, 2013-2014.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are an urgent concern in health care in the United States because of high attributable mortality and versatile resistance mechanisms. CRE reporting was mandated in New York State (NYS) hospitals in July 2013.

Methods: Infection preventionists from the NYS Department of Health audited hospital-reported CRE data by comparing laboratory records with cases reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

Effect of 2013 National Healthcare Safety Network definition changes on central line bloodstream infection rates: audit results from the New York State Department of Health.

Surveillance criteria for central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are continually being refined to more accurately reflect infections related to central lines. An audit of 567 medical records from adult, pediatric, and neonatal intensive care unit patients with a central line and a positive blood culture showed a 16% decrease in CLABSI rates after the 2013 National Healthcare Safety Network definitions compared with the 2012 definitions.

Surgical site infection risk factors identified for patients undergoing colon procedures, New York State 2009-2010.

Background: Since 2007, New York State (NYS) hospitals have been required to report surgical site infections (SSIs) following colon procedures to the NYS Department of Health, using the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for the development of SSIs in patients undergoing colon procedures.

Methods: NYS has been conducting validation studies at hospitals to assess the accuracy of the surveillance data reported by the participating hospitals.

Quantifying sources of bias in National Healthcare Safety Network laboratory-identified Clostridium difficile infection rates.

Objective: To assess the effect of multiple sources of bias on state- and hospital-specific National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) laboratory-identified Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) rates.

Design: Sensitivity analysis.

Setting: A total of 124 New York hospitals in 2010.

Use of administrative data in efficient auditing of hospital-acquired surgical site infections, New York State 2009-2010.

Objective: To efficiently validate the accuracy of surgical site infection (SSI) data reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) by New York State (NYS) hospitals.

Design: Validation study.

Setting: 176 NYS hospitals.

Risk factors for coronary artery bypass graft chest surgical site infections in New York State, 2008.

Background: All hospitals in New York State (NYS) are required to report surgical site infections (SSIs) occurring after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. This report describes the risk adjustment method used by NYS for reporting hospital SSI rates, and additional methods used to explore remaining differences in infection rates.

Methods: All patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery in NYS in 2008 were monitored for chest SSI following the National Healthcare Safety Network protocol.

Surveillance of the short-term impact of fine particle air pollution on cardiovascular disease hospitalizations in New York State.

Background: Studies have shown that the effects of particulate matter on health vary based on factors including the vulnerability of the population, health care practices, exposure factors, and the pollutant mix.

Methods: We used time-stratified case-crossover to estimate differences in the short-term impacts of PM2.5 on cardiovascular disease hospital admissions in New York State by geographic area, year, age, gender, co-morbid conditions, and area poverty rates.

Development of an interactive environmental public health tracking system for data analysis, visualization, and reporting.

Healthcare providers and governmental agencies routinely collect and report data on health outcomes. In addition, governmental agencies and industry collect and report information on environmental hazards and exposures that may impact health. Use of these data for environmental public health tracking has been a challenge because these data are managed by different data stewards, may contain confidential information that must be protected, and have not been collected in a manner to facilitate linkages.

Geographic analysis of blood lead levels in New York State children born 1994-1997.

We examined the geographic distribution of the blood lead levels (BLLs) of 677,112 children born between 1994 and 1997 in New York State and screened before 2 years of age. Five percent of the children screened had BLLs higher than the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention action level of 10 microg/dL. Rates were higher in upstate cities than in the New York City area.

Seasonality and trend in blood lead levels of New York State children.

Background: Environmental exposure to lead remains a significant health problem for children. The costs of lead exposure in children are estimated to be considerably more than other childhood diseases of environmental origin. While long-term trends in blood lead levels (BLLs) among children are declining, seasonal variation persists.