Explore the vast range of titles available.

There is substantial interest in using urgent care centers to decrease lower-acuity emergency department (ED) visits. Using 2008-19 insurance claims and enrollment data from a national managed care plan, we examined the association within ZIP codes between changes in rates of urgent care center visits and rates of lower-acuity ED visits. We found that although the entry of urgent care deterred lower-acuity ED visits, the impact was small. We estimate that thirty-seven additional urgent care center visits were associated with a reduction of a single lower-acuity ED visit. In addition, each $1,646 lower-acuity ED visit prevented was offset by a $6,327 increase in urgent care center costs. Therefore, despite a tenfold higher price per visit for EDs compared with urgent care centers, use of the centers increased net overall spending on lower-acuity care at EDs and urgent care centers.

Counties are the smallest unit for which mortality data are routinely available, allowing consistent and comparable long-term analysis of trends in health disparities. Average life expectancy has steadily increased in the United States but there is limited information on long-term mortality trends in the US counties This study aimed to investigate trends in county mortality and cross-county mortality disparities, including the contributions of specific diseases to county level mortality trends. We used mortality statistics (from the National Center for Health Statistics [NCHS]) and population (from the US Census) to estimate sex-specific life expectancy for US counties for every year between 1961 and 1999. Data for analyses in subsequent years were not provided to us by the NCHS. We calculated different metrics of cross-county mortality disparity, and also grouped counties on the basis of whether their mortality changed favorably or unfavorably relative to the national average. We estimated the probability of death from specific diseases for counties with above- or below-average mortality performance. We simulated the effect of cross-county migration on each county's life expectancy using a time-based simulation model. Between 1961 and 1999, the standard deviation (SD) of life expectancy across US counties was at its lowest in 1983, at 1.9 and 1.4 y for men and women, respectively. Cross-county life expectancy SD increased to 2.3 and 1.7 y in 1999. Between 1961 and 1983 no counties had a statistically significant increase in mortality; the major cause of mortality decline for both sexes was reduction in cardiovascular mortality. From 1983 to 1999, life expectancy declined significantly in 11 counties for men (by 1.3 y) and in 180 counties for women (by 1.3 y); another 48 (men) and 783 (women) counties had nonsignificant life expectancy decline. Life expectancy decline in both sexes was caused by increased mortality from lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and a range of other noncommunicable diseases, which were no longer compensated for by the decline in cardiovascular mortality. Higher HIV/AIDS and homicide deaths also contributed substantially to life expectancy decline for men, but not for women. Alternative specifications of the effects of migration showed that the rise in cross-county life expectancy SD was unlikely to be caused by migration. There was a steady increase in mortality inequality across the US counties between 1983 and 1999, resulting from stagnation or increase in mortality among the worst-off segment of the population. Female mortality increased in a large number of counties, primarily because of chronic diseases related to smoking, overweight and obesity, and high blood pressure.

To determine the degree of telemedicine expansion overall and across patient subpopulations and diagnoses. We hypothesized that telemedicine visits would increase substantially due to the need for continuity of care despite the disruptive effects of COVID-19. A retrospective study of health insurance claims for telemedicine visits from January 1, 2018, through March 10, 2020 (prepandemic period), and March 11, 2020, through October 31, 2020 (pandemic period). We analyzed claims from 1,589,777 telemedicine visits that were submitted to Independence Blue Cross (Independence) from telemedicine-only providers and providers who traditionally deliver care in person. The primary exposure was the combination of individual behavior changes, state stay-at-home orders, and the Independence expansion of billing policies for telemedicine. The comparison population consisted of telemedicine visits in the prepandemic period. Telemedicine increased rapidly from a mean (SD) of 773 (155) weekly visits in prepandemic 2020 to 45,632 (19,937) weekly visits in the pandemic period. During the pandemic period, a greater proportion of telemedicine users were older, had Medicare Advantage insurance plans, had existing chronic conditions, or resided in predominantly non-Hispanic Black or African American Census tracts compared with during the prepandemic period. A significant increase in telemedicine claims containing a mental health-related diagnosis was observed. Telemedicine expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic across a broad range of clinical conditions and demographics. Although levels declined later in 2020, telemedicine utilization remained markedly higher than 2019 and 2018 levels. Trends suggest that telemedicine will likely play a key role in postpandemic care delivery.

abstract Computer code that transfers data to third parties (third-party tracking) is common across the web and is subject to few federal privacy regulations. We determined the presence of potentially privacy-compromising data transfers to third parties on a census of US nonfederal acute care hospital websites, and we used descriptive statistics and regression analyses to determine the hospital characteristics associated with a greater number of third-party data transfers. We found that third-party tracking is present on 98.6 percent of hospital websites, including transfers to large technology companies, social media companies, advertising firms, and data brokers. Hospitals in health systems, hospitals with a medical school affiliation, and hospitals serving more urban patient populations all exposed visitors to higher levels of tracking in adjusted analyses. By including third-party tracking code on their websites, hospitals are facilitating the profiling of their patients by third parties. These practices can lead to dignitary harms, which occur when third parties gain access to sensitive health information that a person would not wish to share. These practices may also lead to increased health-related advertising that targets patients, as well as to legal liability for hospitals.

Background Emergency Department (ED) crowding places older ED patients at risk for adverse outcomes. Crowding often necessitates ED waiting room and hallway care, but there has been limited research on approaches to care for older adults in these settings. Frontline clinician insights can inform best practices for older adults in the context of the ongoing ED crowding crisis. Our objective was to describe the experiences of emergency nurses and technicians in providing waiting room and hallway care for older adults. Methods This qualitative study used individual, semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 20 ED nurses and technicians at a single urban, academic trauma center. Interviews took place between November 2023 and March 2024 and focused on challenges faced in triage and when providing care in the ED waiting room / hallways. We analyzed interview transcripts through thematic analysis with a deductive and inductive coding approach. Results Four major themes related to hallway and waiting room care for older adults emerged: (1) Unique safety concerns for older adults; (2) Limitations to person-centered care; (3) Needed resources; and (4) Adaptations to systemic dysfunction. Participants describe that dedicated waiting room staff, separate spaces for older adults, and rooming protocols that incorporate geriatric syndromes would likely enhance patient safety. Conclusions Resource constraints restrict ED clinicians from ensuring safe, high-quality waiting room and hallway care for older adults. Systems-based solutions to improve care for older adults in these settings include transparency and reporting around hospital crowding, safe clinician staffing levels, and investment in dedicated ED spaces for older adults.

BackgroundThere is a substantial variation in life expectancy across US counties, primarily owing to differentials in chronic diseases. The authors' aim was to examine the association of life expectancy and mortality from selected diseases with altitude.MethodsThe authors used data from the National Elevation Dataset, National Center for Heath Statistics and US Census. The authors analysed the crude association of mean county altitude with life expectancy and mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD), stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancers, and adjusted the associations for socio-demographic factors, migration, average annual solar radiation and cumulative exposure to smoking in multivariable regressions.ResultsCounties above 1500 m had longer life expectancies than those within 100 m of sea level by 1.2–3.6 years for men and 0.5–2.5 years for women. The association between altitude and life expectancy became non-significant for women and non-significant or negative for men in multivariate analysis. After adjustment, altitude had a beneficial association with IHD mortality and harmful association with COPD, with a dose–response relationship. IHD mortality above 1000 m was 4–14 per 10 000 people lower than within 100 m of sea level; COPD mortality was higher by 3–4 per 10 000. The adjusted associations for stroke and cancers were not statistically significant.ConclusionsLiving at higher altitude may have a protective effect on IHD and a harmful effect on COPD. At least in part due to these two opposing effects, living at higher altitude appears to have no net effect on life expectancy.

Pulse oximetry is frequently used to monitor the respiratory status of outpatients with Covid-19. This randomized trial found that adding pulse oximetry to an established symptom-based remote-monitoring program did not prolong nonhospitalized survival.

Medicaid expansion alone may not reduce emergency-department use among new enrollees. Rather than making the ED more costly for patients to use, a promising alternative approach is to provide more robust alternatives to the ED, in keeping with the medical home model. One goal of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to provide low-income, medically vulnerable adults with a source of care outside the emergency department (ED) and the means to pay for that care. Yet Medicaid expansion alone may not reduce ED use among new enrollees. Although some research suggests that Medicaid coverage is associated with reduced ED use, a lottery-based, controlled study from Oregon found that newly enrolled beneficiaries actually increased their ED use, at least temporarily. 1 This finding is not surprising, since health insurance reduces financial barriers to being seen promptly, and the newly enrolled Medicaid . . .