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PubMed2000

The marginal benefits of invasive treatments for acute myocardial infarction: does insurance coverage matter?

This paper applies instrumental variable (IV) techniques and estimates the average benefits of invasive surgical treatments for marginal acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients by insurance coverage. The study uses data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), State Inpatient Databases for the state of Washington, for years 1988-1993. We observed differences in average benefits for marginal patients across insurance subpopulations that cannot be explained by differences in measured clinical circumstances. Our empirical results show that the insurance subpopulations with the greatest estimated marginal benefits are those with the lowest expected payment generosity to providers. Because of the relatively weak explanatory power of our instruments for three insurance subpopulations, and because many of the parameter estimates across the insurance subpopulations are not statistically different from each other, policy recommendations should be approached cautiously. However, our application of IV techniques to AMI patients demonstrates the usefulness of this approach to estimate treatment effects across patient populations (e.g., across types of insurance coverage) for medical conditions of interest to policymakers. These estimates may help determine whether treatments are overutilized or underutilized.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Surgical management of circumscribed conjunctival melanomas.

Circumscribed conjunctival melanoma usually arises in the bulbar conjunctiva and less often in the forniceal or palpebral conjunctiva. After simple superficial removal, employed by many ophthalmologists, these tumors have an increased tendency toward local recurrence and distant metastasis. A surgical procedure designed to remove the tumors completely and minimize the changes of recurrence would be desirable. The authors employed a surgical approach to conjunctival melanoma excision, which they believe insures more complete tumor removal and decreases the chances of recurrence and metastasis. The surgical management of melanoma in the limbal region of the bulbar conjunctiva consists of localized alcohol epitheliectomy, removal of the mass by a partial lamellar scleroconjunctivectomy, and supplemental double freeze-thaw cryotherapy to the adjacent remaining conjunctiva by a specific technique. For tumors located in the forniceal or palpebral conjunctiva, wide surgical resection with alcohol treatment to the scleral base and cryotherapy to the surrounding conjunctiva is performed. A "no touch" technique is employed and direct manipulation of the tumor is strictly avoided in an effort to prevent tumor cell seeding into a new area. The technique currently employed has evolved from experience with circumscribed conjunctival melanoma excision during a 20-year period. About 80 patients had circumscribed conjunctival melanoma unassociated with appreciable primary acquired melanosis. Although it is not the purpose of this article on surgical technique to provided a detailed statistical analysis of the results, the authors currently believe that this technique should be employed in all cases of circumscribed lesions in which conjunctival melanoma is a diagnostic consideration. Incisional biopsy and frozen sections are generally not advisable. Preliminary observations suggest that this method decreases the chances of local recurrence.

Conjunctival Neoplasms↗
PubMed2004

Insurance status and race represent independent predictors of undergoing laparoscopic surgery for appendicitis: secondary data analysis of 145,546 patients.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that racial and socioeconomic differences lead to inequality in access to health care. It is unknown whether insurance status and race affect the choice of surgical treatment for patients presenting with appendicitis. STUDY DESIGN: Patients with primary ICD-9 procedure codes for laparoscopic and open appendectomy were selected from the 1998, 1999, and 2000 Nationwide (US) Inpatient Samples. The primary predictor variables were insurance status (private, Medicare, Medicaid, other) and race (Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, other). Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess whether insurance status and race are associated with the choice of surgical procedure for patients presenting with appendicitis. RESULTS: Discharge abstracts of 145,546 patients were used for our analyses. There were 32,407 patients (22.3%) who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy and 113,139 patients (77.7%) who had open appendectomy. Although 24.2% of privately insured patients underwent laparoscopic appendectomy, only 16.9% of Medicare patients, 17.4% of Medicaid patients, and 19.6% of patients in the "other" insurance category were treated using the laparoscopic procedure (p < 0.001). Caucasian patients underwent laparoscopic surgery in 24.8%, African Americans in 18.6%, Hispanics in 19.6%, and other ethnicities in 18.8% of patients (p < 0.001). Compared with the Medicaid subset, and after adjusting for potential confounders such as age, gender, race, patient comorbidity, median ZIP code income, hospital location and teaching status, and presence of abscess or perforation, privately insured patients (odds ratio [OR] = 1.26, 95% [CI [1.20, 1.33], p < 0.001) and Medicare patients (OR = 1.17, 95% CI [1.05, 1.30], p = 0.004) were significantly more likely to undergo laparoscopic surgery. Caucasian patients (OR = 1.42, 95% CI [1.33, 1.51], p < 0.001) and Hispanics (OR = 1.12, 95% CI [1.04, 1.20], p = 0.002) were significantly more likely to have laparoscopic appendectomy, compared with African Americans, even after adjusting for the previously mentioned confounders and insurance status. CONCLUSIONS: Even after adjusting for potential confounders, insurance status and race are marked independent predictors of having laparoscopic surgery in patients treated for appendicitis in this sample.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Ambulatory surgery--financing from the viewpoint of health insurance].

New regulations, which have been implied by the Health Structure Act, are aiming to improve the coordination between ambulant and in-patient-surgery. In the view of the health insurance scheme, this could be the beginning of a new era in the health care system of Germany. Following a short presentation of these new regulations and of the opportunities to cut down expenses by ambulatory surgery, the author describes the development of ambulatory surgery in the private-practice-setting. He presents the framework for ambulatory surgery in hospitals, which has been created by negotiations on a national level, and he draws future perspectives of ambulatory surgery.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed1999

Risk adjustment for complications of hysterectomy: limitations of routinely collected administrative data.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the utility of routinely collected administrative data for risk adjustment for complications of hysterectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Using abstracted discharge data on 107, 648 women undergoing hysterectomy in North Carolina from 1988 through 1994, we constructed logistic regression models for the prediction of medical and surgical complications incorporating coded demographic, diagnostic, and procedural data. RESULTS: The overall complication rate was 16%, with surgical complications (11.8%) more common than medical complications (6.7%). Hysterectomy type, teaching hospital status, patient age >/=65 years, and insurance status of Medicaid or no insurance were significantly associated with both medical and surgical complication risk, as were procedures performed for cancer or pregnancy complications. Models that incorporated coded comorbidity were better predictors of medical complications (C = 0.714) than surgical complications (C = 0.630). CONCLUSION: Although surgical complications of hysterectomy are more common than medical complications, risk adjustment methods that use routinely collected administrative data are better at predicting medical complications. Ambiguities in coding, misclassification, and uncoded factors such as disease severity limit the utility of administrative data for risk adjustment for hysterectomy complications.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis: a longitudinal study comparing severity associated with human papilloma viral types 6 and 11 and other risk factors in a large pediatric population.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: A database was developed for prospective, longitudinal study of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) in a large population of pediatric patients. Data recorded for each patient included epidemiological factors, human papilloma virus (HPV) type, clinical course, staged severity of disease at each surgical intervention, and frequency of surgical intervention. The study hypothesizes that patients with HPV type 11 (HPV-11) and patients younger than 3 years of age at diagnosis are at risk for more aggressive and extensive disease. STUDY DESIGN: The 10-year prospective epidemiological study used disease staging for each patient with an original scoring system. Severity scores were updated at each surgical procedure. METHODS: Parents of children with RRP referred to the authors' hospital completed a detailed epidemiological questionnaire at the initial visit or at the first return visit after the study began. At the first endoscopic debridement after study enrollment, tissue was obtained and submitted for HPV typing using polymerase chain reaction techniques and in situ hybridization. Staging of disease severity was performed in real time at each endoscopic procedure using an RRP scoring system developed by one of the authors (B.J.W.). The frequency of endoscopic operative debridement was recorded for each patient. Information in the database was analyzed to identify statistically significant relationships between extent of disease and/or HPV type, patient age at diagnosis, and selected epidemiological factors. RESULTS: The study may represent the first longitudinal prospective analysis of a large pediatric RRP population. Fifty-eight of the 73 patients in the study underwent HPV typing. Patients infected with HPV-11 were significantly more likely to have higher severity scores, require more frequent surgical intervention, and require adjuvant therapy to control disease progression. In addition, patients with HPV-11 RRP were significantly more likely to develop tracheal disease, to require tracheotomy, and to develop pulmonary disease. Patients receiving a diagnosis of RRP before 3 years of age had significantly higher severity scores, higher frequencies of surgical intervention, and greater likelihood of requiring adjuvant medical therapy. Patients with Medicaid insurance had significantly higher severity scores and required more frequent surgical debridement. Birth by cesarean section appeared to be a significant risk factor for more severe disease and necessity of more frequent surgical intervention. CONCLUSION: Statistical analysis of the relationships among epidemiological factors, HPV type, and clinical course revealed that patients with HPV-11 and patients younger than 3 years of age at RRP diagnosis are prone to develop more aggressive disease as represented by higher severity scores at endoscopic debridement, more frequent operative debridement procedures per year, a greater requirement for adjuvant therapy, and greater likelihood of tracheal disease with tracheotomy.

Databases, Factual↗
PubMed2001

Pterygium in Australia: a cost of illness study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this report was to describe the number of Australians affected by pterygium in recent years, treatment options, number of treatment encounters and costs of treatment. METHOD: A review of published literature was conducted to identify the prevalence of pterygium in Australian populations. Costs of primary care were based on national general practitioner (GP) survey data. Costs of surgical intervention were based on Health Insurance Commission claims data and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Hospital Morbidity Data. RESULTS: Pterygium occurs in 1.1% of Australians. It is more prevalent in populations with higher exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and older men (occurring in 12% of males over 60 years). The estimated annual number of GP contacts was 58,900. Forty per cent of primary care contacts for pterygium were referred to an ophthalmologist and topical medication was prescribed by GPs in 32% of contacts. The estimated annual cost of GP visits, specialist visits and topical medication was AUD$3.2 m. There were 6997 claims for pterygium removal in 1999/2000 with 3192 conjunctival autografts. Rates of pterygium removal were highest in Queensland with 56 per 100,000 population. The annual costs of surgical intervention were estimated at AUD$4.8 m. CONCLUSIONS: The direct medical costs of pterygium in Australia are AUD$8.3 m annually. This is likely to be an underestimate of total cost because indirect costs such as loss of work time could not be measured. More data are needed on the long-term benefits of pterygium intervention.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Current national health insurance policies for thyroid cancer prophylactic surgery in the United States.

The efficacy of prophylactic thyroidectomy in patients with positive RET mutational analysis, familial thyroid cancer, or both has been reported. As cost has become critical to medical decision-making, this study was designed to evaluate currently existing coverage policies for prophylactic thyroidectomy. A confidential detailed cross-sectional nationwide survey of 481 medical directors from the American Association of Health Plans, Medicare, and Medicaid was conducted. Of the 150 respondents, 65% (n = 97) had 100,000 or more enrolled members, and 35% (n = 53) had fewer than 100,000 enrolled members. Only 9% of private plans have specific policies for coverage of prophylactic thyroidectomy for patients with a strong family history of thyroid cancer, 19% provided no coverage, and 72% had no policy. Only 9% of private plans have specific policies for patients with a known thyroid cancer genetic mutation, 12% provided no coverage, and 79% had no policy. Governmental carriers were less likely to provide coverage for prophylactic surgery: 4% for a strong family history and 6% for a genetic mutation. Altogether, 52% of government carriers provided no coverage for patients with a strong family history, and 50% provided no coverage in patients with a known genetic mutation; 44% of governmental carriers had no policy for either clinical scenario. Limited health insurance coverage for prophylactic thyroidectomy is offered in both private and governmental plans, with variations in coverage. As genetic testing becomes more widespread and with the potential identification of a gene predisposing to familial nonmedullary thyroid cancer, more uniform policies should be established to enable appropriate high risk candidates broader, equal coverage and access to these procedures.

Elective Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed2006

Improving aneurysm-related outcomes: nationwide benefits of endovascular repair.

OBJECTIVES: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has changed the practice of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery. We examined a national Medicare database to establish the effect of EVAR introduction into the United States. METHODS: A 5% random sample of inpatient Medicare claims from 2000 to 2003 was queried using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) diagnosis and procedure codes. An EVAR procedure code was available after October 2000. Occurrences were multiplied by 20 to estimate yearly national volumes and then divided into the yearly Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) population of elderly Medicare recipients for rates per capita, reported as cases per 100,000 elderly Medicare recipients. Statistical analysis was performed by using chi2, Student's t test, nonparametric tests, and multiple regression analysis, with significance defined as P < or = .05. RESULTS: Elective AAA repairs averaged 87.7 per 100,000 Medicare patients between 2000 and 2003, with EVAR has steadily increasing to 41% of elective repairs in 2003. From 2000 to 2003, overall elective AAA mortality declined from 5.0% to 3.7% (P < .001), while open repair mortality remained unchanged. EVAR patients are significantly older than patients treated with open repair. From 2000 to 2003 patients >84 years receiving EVAR increased to 62.7% (P < .001). Overall hospital length of stay (LOS) decreased from 8.6 days in 2000 to 7.3 days in 2003, P < .001, but increased for open AAA patients. EVAR patients were more likely to be discharged home rather than to skilled facilities. Average elective repair hospital charges were not different between groups, but Medicare reimbursement was lower for EVAR, with a higher proportion cases classified as DRG 111 (major cardiovascular procedure without complications). EVAR was used in 10.6% of ruptured AAA repairs in 2003, with a significant reduction in mortality compared with open repairs for rupture (31.8% vs 50.8%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: EVAR is replacing open surgery without an increase in overall case volume. EVAR is responsible for overall decrease in operative mortality even in ruptured aneurysms while decreasing utilization variables. Reimbursement to hospitals is shrinking, however.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

[Profile of members and non members of mutual health insurance system in Rwanda: the case of the health district of Kabutare].

The establishment of mutual health insurance systems is one of the priorities of the Rwandan government. Pilot studies have been conducted in three districts of the country. Nonetheless, after 4 years of implementation (1999-2003), the population coverage by these insurance systems remains relatively low. A cross-sectional study of 1042 households in the Kabutare health district allowed for a comparison of socio-economic and demographic variables, and the medical, surgical, gynaecological, and obstetrical history of health insurance scheme members and non-members. The results of the study demonstrate that the distribution of members and non-members is similar in terms of sex, marital status, professional status and medical history. However, larger households (more than five members) and those having a relatively higher income (more than USD 230 per annum) are more likely to be insured than other households. Members of the mutual health insurance use more the health services than non-members, spend less on health care and increasingly maintain membership. The study emphasizes the relevance to further promote mutual health insurance, but also points to the need for mechanisms to ensure financial access for the poor rural population.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1989

Leading inpatient surgical procedures for aged Medicare beneficiaries, 1987.

Medicare program data on utilization and charges for short-stay hospital inpatient services are presented. The focus of this article is on trends in total and surgical discharges for selected years (1977-87) and highlights of regional variations in the most frequently reported (leading) surgical procedures performed on aged Medicare hospital insurance beneficiaries during 1987.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

[Chronic venous insufficiency after open tibial fracture. An underestimated problem].

There is a wide range of alternatives for primary bone reconstruction in the treatment of open lower leg fractures with soft tissue damage of the type Gustillo II and III. The primary objective should always be the protection of soft tissue damage whether one uses the fixateur externe, or an unreamed nail or primary bone shortening with secondary callus distraction. In recent years, this approach has produced better results and a reduction in the rate of major amputations. The overall effects of the initial treatment can only be analysed after a number of years. Research results indicate long-term soft tissue complications of the lower leg, varying from harmless swelling to venous ulcer. We conducted a clinical investigation which compared 80 patients, who were treated between 1985 and 1994 using the venous-occlusion plethysmography, to 50 healthy individuals. Clinically significant damage of the deep venous system was found in over 50% of cases. There was a direct correlation between the number of years since the initial treatment and the degree of damage found. Based on these findings, we recommend that the initial treatment of this condition and the preventative treatment of the secondary trauma diseases should follow regulated surgical guidelines and be recognised for insurance purposes.

Adult↗