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Biomedical subjects

W B Weeks

Publications and source records attributed to W B Weeks.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Using an improvement model to reduce adverse drug events in VA facilities.

BACKGROUND: Adverse drug events cause significant morbidity and mortality in health care. Many adverse drug events are due to medication errors and are preventable. In 1999 and 2000 the Patient Safety Center of Inquiry collaborated with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to implement a quality improvement (QI) project designed to reduce medication errors within the Veterans Administration system. METHODS: During a 6- to 9-month period, interdisciplinary teams that want to achieve much higher levels of performance work on a common aim, under the guidance of faculty, and come together for three 2-day educational and planning sessions. Between these sessions, teams implement some of the suggested changes, measure the results of those changes, and report back to the larger group. RESULTS: During the formal project, teams collected allergy information on more than 20,000 veterans and averted 1,833 medication errors that had the potential to cause adverse events. At 6-month follow-up, the majority of teams remained intact, continued to collect data, and maintained their gains, approximately doubling the results obtained during the formal project. Half of the teams expanded their efforts to other settings, and one-third of the teams expanded beyond their original topics. Returns on investment in the QI effort were substantial. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that gains made in organized QI efforts can be maintained for 6 months without additional external support or coaching if team structure and leadership support remain intact. Facilitators of QI efforts should focus on teams that are having difficulty learning new techniques. Finally, this effort appeared to generate cost savings.

Cost Savings↗
PubMed2001

The organizational costs of preventable medical errors.

BACKGROUND: Preventable medical errors are associated with additional costs that tend to be borne by patients, but little is known about organizational costs associated with such errors. Two composite case studies (a fall and a delay in diagnosis) were used to identify the organizational costs of preventable medical errors. ANALYSIS: Legal, marketing, and organizational costs--direct, indirect, and long term--were associated with each of the preventable medical errors. A model was generated to examine the theoretical relationship between the costs and four determinants of corporate performance--price, wages, cost of capital, and efficiency. DISCUSSION: Organizations may also have a financial incentive to improve patient safety, for beyond patient and societal costs, preventable medical errors appear to account for significant legal, marketing, and operational costs for the organizations that deliver health care. Some of these costs are not so much the cost of the error but the costs of organizational responses to the error. Three broad areas of inquiry could be used to test the model and improve our understanding of the organizational costs of errors: market response to patient safety interventions, before/after studies of interventions, and case-control studies. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: Health care leaders have a moral imperative to implement systems that reduce medical errors and improve patient safety. An understanding of the costs associated with medical errors may help leaders understand the importance of patient safety from a financial perspective, develop measures to evaluate the impact of patient safety initiatives, and efficiently allocate resources to address this important health concern.

Female↗
PubMed2001

Thiamine treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic hepatitis B is an international health concern that causes cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, liver failure, and death. Current treatment options are expensive and associated with side effects; however, indirect evidence suggests a relationship between relative thiamine deficiency and chronic hepatitis B infection. METHODS: The authors present three case studies wherein multiple crossovers of daily thiamine administration were used to evaluate a hypothesized association between thiamine treatment and aminotransferase levels. RESULTS: In each case study, thiamine administration was associated with reduction in aminotransferase levels and the fall of HBV DNA to undetectable levels. Analyses by t test demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in aminotransferase levels in all three cases. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between thiamine administration and chronic hepatitis B infection warrants further study. If proven effective in reducing liver damage or inducing remission of the hepatitis B virus in larger trials, thiamine will offer obvious advantages over the current treatments for chronic viral hepatitis B infection.

Cross-Over Studies↗
PubMed2001

The development of a survey instrument for community health improvement.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a survey instrument that could be used both to guide and evaluate community health improvement efforts. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: A randomized telephone survey was administered to a sample of about 250 residents in two communities in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania in the fall of 1997. METHODS: The survey instrument was developed by health professionals representing diverse health care organizations. This group worked collaboratively over a period of two years to (1) select a conceptual model of health as a foundation for the survey; (2) review relevant literature to identify indicators that adequately measured the health constructs within the chosen model; (3) develop new indicators where important constructs lacked specific measures; and (4) pilot test the final survey to assess the reliability and validity of the instrument. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The Evans and Stoddart Field Model of the Determinants of Health and Well-Being was chosen as the conceptual model within which to develop the survey. The Field Model depicts nine domains important to the origins and production of health and provides a comprehensive framework from which to launch community health improvement efforts. From more than 500 potential indicators we identified 118 survey questions that reflected the multiple determinants of health as conceptualized by this model. Sources from which indicators were selected include the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, the National Health Interview Survey, the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey, and the SF-12 Summary Scales. The work group developed 27 new survey questions for constructs for which we could not locate adequate indicators. Twenty-five questions in the final instrument can be compared to nationally published norms or benchmarks. The final instrument was pilot tested in 1997 in two communities. Administration time averaged 22 minutes with a response rate of 66 percent. Reliability of new survey questions was adequate. Face validity was supported by previous findings from qualitative and quantitative studies. CONCLUSIONS: We developed, pilot tested, and validated a survey instrument designed to provide more comprehensive and timely data to communities for community health assessments. This instrument allows communities to identify and measure critical domains of health that have previously not been captured in a single instrument.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Transfer of risk: "right to sue" legislation and managed care organization stock performance.

We examined whether Congress's consideration of legislation that gave consumers the right to sue managed care organizations impacted the performance of these companies' stocks relative to that of the market. For each company examined, the total return related to such legislation was negative and substantially lower than that expected from the market model; losses in market value were from 17 percent to 48 percent for individual companies and 22 percent for a capitalization-weighted portfolio. The study suggests that equity markets responded to the proposed legislation quickly and that the impact of proposed legislation is felt through loss of market value and increased corporate risk.

Employee Retirement Income Security Act↗
PubMed2000

Using the Baldrige management system framework in health care: the Veterans Health Administration experience.

BACKGROUND: In 1998 the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) developed the Quality Achievement Recognition Grant, a competitive grant application open to all Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) within the VHA system and based on the Baldrige management framework. Eight of the 22 VISNs attended the educational programs and initiated the grant application process; 7 completed applications. Team award experts from VHA and external sources reviewed, scored, and wrote feedback reports to all applicants and conducted four site visits. IDENTIFICATION OF BEST PRACTICES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE APPLICANTS: Each application was compared to examples of ideal applications to identify areas of excellence and areas for improvement. In general, the best applicants identified and described key processes and articulated the methods used to evaluate and improve processes. For example, they were able to identify the process used to incorporate key constituents into the strategy development process. One applicant developed a series of management advisory committees, the membership of which includes veterans' service organizations, academic affiliates, community members, and congressional delegates, which were tapped to develop a strategic plan. Leading applicants in the future are likely to be able to demonstrate evidence of deployment and constant review of the strategy and to emphasize the human resources plan into the strategic planning and deployment. CONCLUSIONS: The Baldrige management framework is a useful tool for identification of areas of achievement and areas for improvement within the VHA. Potential applicants for the award could benefit from ensuring coherence across the application, placing a greater emphasis on work systems, and incorporating more extensive analysis of market conditions.

Awards and Prizes↗
PubMed2000

Using early clinical experiences to integrate quality-improvement learning into medical education.

Health care providers are delivering care in an increasingly complex environment; this requires that providers develop new competencies to better understand their work and to design changes that can help them succeed. Recognizing these new educational requirements, Dartmouth Medical School created a model two-pronged program for teaching quality improvement to its medical students. The goal of the program is to provide students with an active learning experience as well as an education in the theory and application of continuous quality improvement. The program includes two educational experiences: one curriculum is for all medical students and the other is for selected, highly motivated students. The first curriculum is incorporated in Dartmouth's required "On Doctoring" course, in which students spend time with community-based physician preceptors. The quality-improvement curriculum is designed around an improvement project developed at the students' preceptor sites. The second curriculum for students with a special interest in quality improvement is offered as an elective summer program between the first and second years of medical school. Working in groups of two, students identify an area for improvement within a preceptor's practice, assist the practice in articulating an improvement plan, help implement that plan, and write up their experiences. The authors describe the two curricula, factors associated with their successful implementation, and lessons learned.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1998

This practice is sick: a teaching case.

A case history of a family practice illustrates some of the difficulties of providing health care in an era of changing economic realities. Although some of the problems appear obvious and easily solved, the physicians in the practice may well be hesitant to invest more time in its operation, despite recognition that such an investment would pay off.

Family Practice↗
PubMed1998

Improving patient care in a changing environment: a teaching case.

In previous articles in this issue, other authors have detailed many issues regarding how to improve care for a geriatric population. However, those analyses were done based on survey data that are often difficult to translate into the setting of an actual practice. This article presents a case study of Bob Collins, MD, a practicing geriatrician whose life is altered dramatically as external pressures from the health care system force him to make changes in his practice. It concludes with an analysis of how Dr. Collins could improve his practice life and the care he delivers by considering the perspectives of his patients, his coworkers, and his organization.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Advance directives and the cost of terminal hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: It has been assumed that patients using advance directives would direct terminal care away from the intensive care unit and choose shorter, less costly, less technological terminal hospital stays. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study examined 336 consecutive patients who died in a university tertiary care medical center: 242 without advance directives, 66 with a previously completed advance directive, 13 admitted for the express purpose of terminal care, and 15 who signed an advance directive during their terminal hospitalization. Total charges (hospital and physician) were calculated for all patients and were adjusted using both physician and hospital diagnosis-related group weights. Patient participation in end-of-life decisions was determined by chart review. RESULTS: The group without advance directives had dramatically higher mean total ($49,900 vs $31,200) terminal hospitalization charges than the group with previously completed advance directives, producing a charge ratio of 1.6. After diagnosis-related group adjustment, the charge ratio was 1.35 (95% confidence interval, 1.07 to 1.72) for physician charge, 1.36 (95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.74) for hospital charge, and 1.35 (95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 1.73) for total charge. Multiple regression analysis controlling for age, sex, and cancer diagnosis confirmed these findings. Patients with advance directives were significantly more likely to limit treatment and to participate in end-of-life decisions. CONCLUSION: Patients without advance directives have significantly higher terminal hospitalization charges than those with advance directives. Our investigation suggests that the preferences of patients with advance directives are to limit care and these preferences influence the cost of terminal hospitalization.

Advance Directives↗
PubMed1994

A comparison of the educational costs and incomes of physicians and other professionals.

BACKGROUND: Efforts at physician-payment reform in the United States have focused largely on the relative incomes of primary care physicians and specialists, who more often have procedure-based practices. Comparisons of the incomes of physicians and other professional groups have received less attention. METHODS: We used standard financial techniques to determine the return on educational investment over a working lifetime for five groups of professionals: primary care physicians, specialist physicians, dentists, attorneys, and graduates of business schools. RESULTS: In current dollars, the difference in the average future hourly income between a given professional and a high-school graduate of the same age, after educational expenses are subtracted (average hours-adjusted net present value of the educational investment) was greatest for specialist physicians and attorneys; dentists and businesspeople had intermediate values; and primary care physicians had the lowest value. The annual yield on the educational investment over a working life (hours-adjusted internal rate of return) was 15.9 percent for primary care physicians, as compared with 29.0 percent for businesspeople, 25.4 percent for attorneys, 20.9 percent for specialist physicians, and 20.7 percent for dentists. A sensitivity analysis showed that primary care physicians did less well in terms of the return on investment than the other groups even when we varied the assumptions in our model widely and that specialist physicians did less well than attorneys working in law firms and dental specialists. CONCLUSIONS: Students can expect a poorer financial return on their educational investment when they choose a career in primary care medicine than when they choose a procedure-based medical or surgical specialty, business, the law, or dentistry.

Commerce↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Developing a culture of safety in the Veterans Health Administration.

CONTEXT: Weaving patient safety into the fabric of clinical activities is an increasingly important aspect of medical care. OBJECTIVE: To detail the steps taken by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to integrate patient safety into its organizational structure. DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: VHA. DATA SOURCES: VHA documents, congressional testimony, the medical literature, the general press, and personal communications. RESULTS: The VHA leadership has taken steps to promote a culture of safety by making public commitments to improving patient safety, allocating resources toward establishment of special centers, enhancing employee education on patient safety, and providing incentives to promote safety. The VHA is also establishing one mandatory and one voluntary adverse event reporting system; in the latter case, the reporter remains anonymous. Examples of nationally mandated initiatives are bar coding of all medications and use of computerized medical record that includes order entry, laboratory and imaging results, and all encounter notes. CONCLUSIONS: The VHA's initial efforts may serve as a template for other health care organizations that wish to engineer a culture of safety. Although progress has been made, patient safety efforts require constant attention to guard against becoming a new bureaucracy or simply window dressing.

Hospitals, Veterans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Complications of warfarin therapy: causes, costs, and the role of the anticoagulation clinic.

CONTEXT: Anticoagulation with warfarin requires careful management to avoid hemorrhage or thrombosis. The anticoagulation clinic has been suggested as a mechanism to reduce complications related to anticoagulation. OBJECTIVE: To report our experience with anticoagulation complications, the cost of subsequent care, and the role of the anticoagulation clinic. DESIGN: Sequential patients who were receiving warfarin within a period of 4 months were followed to identify warfarin-related adverse events. An independent examiner reviewed medical records to determine whether events were preventable and to identify possible causes. Hospital-based accounting data were used to determine attributable costs. PATIENTS: 306 patients who received warfarin prescriptions at a rural Vermont university-affiliated VA hospital with an established anticoagulation clinic. RESULTS: 91% (278) of patients received follow-up at the anticoagulation clinic, and the remaining 9% (28) were followed by VA physicians without involving the anticoagulation clinic. A total of 12 patients had adverse events associated with either sub- or supratherapeutic international normalized ratios, with an attributable cost of approximately $90,000; 8 of these patients were not enrolled in the anticoagulation clinic. Thus, the estimated relative risk for adverse events for patients not at the clinic, compared with those who were, was almost 20 (95% CI, 6.4 to 61.8). Review of the remaining 4 patients revealed that their problems were attributable either to missed appointments or lack of coordination between other providers and the anticoagulation clinic. CONCLUSIONS: Establishing an anticoagulation clinic is only the first step toward reducing complications related to anticoagulation. The larger challenge is ensuring that patients use the anticoagulation clinic and that providers communicate with it. Our results suggest that our institution could invest considerable resources to meet this challenge and still save money.

Anticoagulants↗