Do emergency Medicaid programs improve post-discharge health care access for trauma patients? A statewide mixed-methods study.

Background: Hospital presumptive eligibility (HPE) emergency Medicaid programs offset patient bills at hospitalization and can provide long-term Medicaid coverage. We characterized postdischarge outpatient health care utilization among HPE Medicaid trauma patients and identified patient access facilitators and barriers once newly insured. We hypothesized utilization would be increased among HPE trauma patients compared with other HPE patients, but that challenges in access to care would remain.

Correlation of Performance on the ENTRUST Assessment Platform With Other Variables in Competency-Based Surgical Education.

Objective: With the implementation of American Board of Surgery (ABS) Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), there is continued need for objective, evidence-based assessment tools to augment existing microassessments and inform readiness for entrustment. The ENTRUST Assessment Platform is an online virtual-patient simulation platform to assess trainees' surgical decision-making competence across preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of care. This study collects additional validity evidence for the ENTRUST platform in its relationship to other established variables in competency-based surgical education.

Strategies to foster stakeholder engagement in residency coaching: a CFIR-Informed qualitative study across diverse stakeholder groups.

Introduction: Coaching interventions in graduate medical education have proven successful in increasing technical and communication skills, reducing errors, and improving patient care. Effective stakeholder engagement enhances the relevance, value, and long-term sustainability of interventions, yet specific strategies for stakeholder engagement remain uncertain. The purpose of this article is to identify strategies to foster engagement of diverse stakeholder groups in coaching interventions.

Parathyroidectomy and the Development of New Depression Among Adults With Primary Hyperparathyroidism.

Importance: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common endocrine disorder associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms. Although parathyroidectomy has been associated with improvement of preexisting depression among adults with PHPT, the effect of parathyroidectomy on the development of new depression is unknown.

Objective: To determine the effect of early parathyroidectomy on the incidence of new depression among adults with PHPT compared with nonoperative management.

Does preperitoneal packing increase venous thromboembolim risk among trauma patients? A prospective multicenter analysis across 17 level I trauma centers.

Introduction: Pelvic fractures are associated with a high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Among treatment options, including pelvic angioembolization (PA), preperitoneal pelvic packing (PPP), and pelvic open reduction internal fixation (ORIF), PPP has been postulated as a VTE risk factor. We aimed to characterize the risk of VTE among pelvic fracture patients receiving PPP, PA or ORIF.

Hospital Presumptive Eligibility Emergency Medicaid Programs: An Opportunity for Continuous Insurance Coverage?

Background: Lack of health insurance is a public health crisis, leading to foregone care and financial strain. Hospital Presumptive Eligibility (HPE) is a hospital-based emergency Medicaid program that provides temporary (up to 60 d) coverage, with the goal that hospitals will assist patients in applying for ongoing Medicaid coverage. It is unclear whether HPE is associated with successful longer-term Medicaid enrollment.

Effects of residential socioeconomic polarization on high blood pressure among nursing home residents.

Objective: Neighborhood concentration of racial, income, education, and housing deprivation is known to be associated with higher rates of hypertension. The objective of this study is to examine the association between tract-level spatial social polarization and hypertension in a cohort with relatively equal access to health care, a Veterans Affairs nursing home.

Methods: 41,973 long-term care residents aged ≥65 years were matched with tract-level Indices of Concentration at the Extremes across four socioeconomic domains.

Impact of a coaching program on resident perceptions of communication confidence and feedback quality.

Background: While communication is an essential skill for providing effective medical care, it is infrequently taught or directly assessed, limiting targeted feedback and behavior change. We sought to evaluate the impact of a multi-departmental longitudinal residency communication coaching program. We hypothesized that program implementation would result in improved confidence in residents' communication skills and higher-quality faculty feedback.

Mapping the Discharge Process After Surgery.

Importance: Care transition models are structured approaches used to ensure the smooth transfer of patients between health care settings or levels of care, but none currently are tailored to the surgical patient. Tailoring care transition models to the unique needs of surgical patients may lead to significant improvements in surgical outcomes and reduced care fragmentation. The first step to developing surgical care transition models is to understand the surgical discharge process.

Disparities in access to high-volume parathyroid surgeons in the United States: A call to action.

Background: Parathyroidectomy by a high-volume surgeon is associated with a reduced risk of perioperative complications and of failure to cure primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism. There are limited data on disparities in access to high-volume parathyroid surgeons in the United States.

Methods: We used publicly available 2019 Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment data to identify all surgeons who performed >10 parathyroidectomies for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries, anticipating that fee-for-service beneficiaries likely represent only a subset of their high-volume practices.

Usability of ENTRUST as an Assessment Tool for Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs): A Mixed Methods Analysis.

Objective: As the American Board of Surgery transitions to a competency-based model of surgical education centered upon entrustable professional activities (EPAs), there is a growing need for objective tools to determine readiness for entrustment. This study evaluates the usability of ENTRUST, an innovative virtual patient simulation platform to assess surgical trainees' decision-making skills in preoperative, intra-operative, and post-operative settings.

Design: This is a mixed-methods analysis of the usability of the ENTRUST platform.

Does tranexamic acid increase venous thromboembolism risk among trauma patients? A prospective multicenter analysis across 17 level I trauma centers.

Importance: The early use of tranexamic acid (TXA) has demonstrated benefit among some trauma patients in hemorrhagic shock. The association between TXA administration and thromboembolic events (including deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE) and pulmonary thrombosis (PT)) remains unclear. We aimed to characterize the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) subtypes among trauma patients receiving TXA and to determine whether TXA is associated with VTE risk and mortality.

Operative Management of Thyroid Disease in Older Adults.

As the population ages, both domestically and globally, clinicians will increasingly find themselves navigating treatment decisions for thyroid disease in older adults. When considering surgical treatment, individualizing risk assessment is particularly important, as older patients can present with very different health profiles. While fit, independent individuals may benefit from thyroidectomy with minimal risk, those with multiple comorbidities and poor functional status are at higher risk of perioperative complications, which can have adverse health effects and detract from long-term quality of life.

Estimated Effect of Parathyroidectomy on Long-Term Kidney Function in Adults With Primary Hyperparathyroidism.

Background: Multidisciplinary guidelines recommend parathyroidectomy to slow the progression of chronic kidney disease in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m. Limited data address the effect of parathyroidectomy on long-term kidney function.

Applying cognitive task analysis to health services research.

Objective: Designing practical decision support tools and other health care technology in health services research relies on a clear understanding of the cognitive processes that underlie the use of these tools. Unfortunately, methods to explore cognitive processes are rarely used in health services research. Thus, the objective of this manuscript is to introduce cognitive task analysis (CTA), a family of methods to study cognitive processes involved in completing a task, to a health services research audience.

Risk of Permanent Hypoparathyroidism Requiring Calcitriol Therapy in a Population-Based Cohort of Adults Older Than 65 Undergoing Total Thyroidectomy for Graves' Disease.

Total thyroidectomy for Graves' disease (GD) is associated with rapid treatment of hyperthyroidism and low recurrence rates. However, it carries the risk of surgical complications including permanent hypoparathyroidism, which contributes to long-term impaired quality of life. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism requiring calcitriol therapy among a population-based cohort of older adults undergoing total thyroidectomy for GD in the United States.

Emergency Medicaid programs may be an effective means of providing sustained insurance among trauma patients: A statewide longitudinal analysis.

Background: Hospital Presumptive Eligibility (HPE) is a temporary Medicaid insurance at hospitalization that offsets costs of care, increases access to postdischarge resources, and provides patients with a path to sustain coverage through Medicaid. Because HPE only lasts up to 60 days, we aimed to determine Medicaid insurance status 6 months after injury among HPE-approved trauma patients and identify factors associated with successful sustainment.

Methods: Using a customized longitudinal claims data set for HPE-approved patients from the California Department of Health Care Services, we analyzed adults with a primary trauma diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases version 10) who were HPE approved in 2016 and 2017.

Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes Among Older Adults With Primary Hyperparathyroidism Treated With Parathyroidectomy Versus Nonoperative Management.

Objective: The authors sought to compare the incidence of adverse cardiovascular (CV) events in older adults with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) treated with parathyroidectomy versus nonoperative management.

Background: PHPT is a common endocrine disorder that is associated with increased CV mortality, but it is not known whether parathyroidectomy reduces the incidence of adverse CV events.

Methods: The authors conducted a population-based, longitudinal cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with PHPT (2006-2017).