Policy and Practice Impacts

The JAMA paper “Patient-centered performance management: enhancing value for patients and health care systems” (CCMR authors Eve Kerr and Rod Hayward) was distributed to VHA leadership as an HSR&D Center for Information Dissemination and Education Resources (CIDER) briefing. Paper

The American Journal of Managed Care paper “The patient centered medical home in the Veterans Health Administration” (CCMR authors Ann Marie Rosland and Eve Kerr) was distributed to VHA leadership as an HSR&D Center for Information Dissemination and Education Resources (CIDER) briefing. Paper

The Cancer paper “Quality of prostate cancer care among rural men in the Veterans Health Administration” (CCMR authors Ted Skolarus and Anne Sales) was distributed to VHA leadership as an HSR&D Center for Information Dissemination and Education Resources (CIDER) briefing. Paper

Awards

Vineet Chopra was awarded the 2013 Society of Hospital Medicine Young Researcher Award. This is a mentored research award intended to support junior hospitalist faculty as they apply for a research career development award. The goal of creating this award is to fulfill SHM’s mission of promoting excellence in the practice of hospital medicine through research and, more specifically, to build a generation of effective hospitalist researchers who can define and explore questions pertinent to general medical care of hospitalized patients.

Honors

Eve Kerr was appointed to the American College of Physicians Performance Measurement Committee. This committee oversees the performance measurement related activities of the College and actively participates at the national level though involvement with many different organizations at each step of the performance measurement process.

John Piette was invited to serve as a VA representative on the Public Pain Education Working Group of the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IPRCC). The IPRCC was enacted by Congress as part of the Affordable Healthcare Act to coordinate research efforts among the six Federal Agencies funding pain research (AHRQ, CDC, DoD, FDA, NIH and the VA).

In the News

Angie Fagerlin was quoted by UM Health Systems Headlines discussing her work and the practical implications for health care. Paper

Deb Levine's commentary in JAMA on a Swedish study identifying dementia risk factors in late adolescence was highlighted by UofMHealth.org.

Complex Care Management Programs that are “leading the way”, including John Piette's CarePartner Program, are featured on the California Healthcare Foundation website.

Ann Marie Rosland was quoted by UofMHealth.org discussing her study on the impact of the VA Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). Paper

Sanjay Saint’s appointment to Jvion’s Advisory Team as an expert in the areas of patient safety and infection prevention was highlighted by Virtual Strategy Magazine. Jvion is a healthcare technology company addressing the financial and operational impacts resulting from mandated reforms and compliance activities.

National Conference Presentations

• Damschroder LJ, Lowery JC. Implementation science synthesis. Oral presentation, Global Implementation Conference, Washington, DC., August 20, 2013
• Kales HC, Gitlin LN. The front lines: A nonpharmacological approach to neuropsychiatric symptoms and problem behaviors in dementia. Oral presentation, Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, Boston, MA, July 13, 2013.
• Kales HC, Gitlin LN. Managing the neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia: rolling the dice with usual care vs. the interdisciplinary DICE approach. Oral presentation, Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds, Hershey, PA, June 27, 2013.

Digestive Disease Week, Orlando, FL, May 18-20, 2013

• Bedi AO, Kwon RS, Rubenstein JH, Piraka CR, Elta GH, Scheiman JM, Elmunzer BJ. A survey of expert follow-up practices after successful endoscopic eradication therapy for complicated Barrett’s esophagus. Poster presentation.
• Brenner DM, Ford AC, Schoenfeld PS. Efficacy of pharmacological therapies for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation: systematic review and meta-analysis. Poster presentation.
• Dazy KM, Rubenstein JH, Holevinski L, Kao JY. The prevalence of ADHD in adults and children previously diagnosed with celiac disease: a hospital-based study. Poster presentation.
• Govani SM, Guentner A, Waljee AK, Higgins PD. Automatable algorithms to identify Crohn’s disease patients with low likelihood of a significant computed tomography (CT) finding in the emergency department. Poster presentation.
• Guentner A, Govani SM, Waljee AK, Higgins PD. Increasing CT scan use and higher admission rates for Crohn’s disease at a tertiary care center compared to national rates. Poster presentation.
• Hou JK, Tan M, Stidham RW, El-Serag H, Waljee AK. Accuracy of administrative codes for identifying patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease in the Veterans Affairs Health Care Systems (VAHCS). Poster presentation.
• Prabhu A, Obi K, Rubenstein JH. Estimated race-and sex-specific incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in individuals with exposure to tobacco and alcohol. Research and topic forums.
• Prabhu A, Obi K, Rubenstein JH. Meta-analysis of the synergistic effects of tobacco and alcohol on the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Poster presentation.
• Rubenstein JH. Overuse of EGD: BE and EAC screening controversies. Symposium talk.
• Rubenstein JH. Diagnostic testing: What is the best algorithm? Symposium talk.
• Rubenstein JH, Inadomi JM, Scheiman JM, Schoenfeld PS, Appleman HD, Zhang M, Metko V, Kao JY. Associations of helicobacter pylori with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, erosive esophagitis, and Barrett’s esophagus. Research and topic forums.
• Rubenstein JH, Morgenstern H, McConnell DS, Scheiman JM, Schoenfeld PS, Appelman HD, Metko Val, Inadomi JM. Associations of hyperinsulinemia and diabetes mellitus with Barrett’s esophagus. Research and topic forums.
• Rubenstein JH, Morgenstern HM, McConnell DS, Scheiman JM, Schoenfeld PS, Appelman HD, Metko V, Indaomi JM. Association of serum leptin with Barrett’s esophagus. Poster presentation.
• Saini SD. What are the ethical considerations in the performance of colonoscopy in the elderly? Symposium Talk.
• Saini SD, Vijan S, Metko V, Zikmund-Fisher B. Attitudes towards stopping colorectal cancer screening: does individualized risk information make a difference? Poster presentation.
• Schoen RE, Saini SD. Colorectal cancer screening and surveillance. Research and topic forums.
• Schoenfeld PS. What do the meta-analyses of FGID trials tells us? Point and counterpoint. Symposium talk.
• Schoenfeld PS, Cash BD. Diagnostic testing in IBS: Culling the wheat from the chaff. DDW course.
• Stidham RW, Guentner A, Waljee AK, Bergmans CL, Higgins PD. Small bowel dilation and platelet-to-albumin ration predict the likelihood of surgery in Crohn’s disease. Poster presentation.
• Stidham RW, Waljee AK, Day N, Higgins PD, Bergmans CL, Zahn KM, Wang SC, Su GL. Apples are higher risk than pears: subcutaneous fat measurement using analytic morphomics and the risk of infectious complications in abdominal surgeries for Crohn’s disease. Research and topic forums.

Grants Funded

PI: Amy Kilbourne, AHRQ
Title: Implementing health plan-level care management for solo & small practices
Team members: Daniel Eisenberg, Myra Kim, Kristina Nord, Julia Kyle, Celeste VanPoppelen, Zongshan Lai

Papers Accepted

• Bohnert ASB, Ilgen MA, Trafton JA, Kerns RD, Eisenberg A, Ganoczy D, Blow FC. Trends and regional variation in opioid overdose mortality among Veterans Health Administration patients, fiscal year 2001 to 2009. Clinical Journal of Pain
• Bonar EE, Walton MA, Cunningham RM, Chermack ST, Bohnert ASB, Barry KL, Booth BM, Blow FC. Computer-enhanced interventions for drug use and HIV risk in the emergency room: preliminary results on psychological precursors of behavior change. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
• Burgard SA, Elliott MR, Zivin K, House JS. Working conditions and depressive symptoms: a prospective study of US adults. Journal of Occupation and Environmental Medicine
• Holtz B, Krein S, Bentley D, Hughes M, Giardino N, Richardson C. Comparison of Veteran experiences of low-cost, home-based diet and exercise interventions. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development
• Horwitz JR, Nichols A, Nallamothu BK, Sasson C, Iwashyna TJ. Expansion of invasive cardiac services. Circulation
• Kahn JM, Cicero BD, Wallace DJ, Iwashyna TJ. Adoption of intensive care unit telemedicine in the United States. Critical Care Medicine
• Kennedy EH, Greene MT, Saint S. Estimating hospital costs of catheter-associated urinary tract infection. Journal of Hospital Medicine
• Klamerus M, Kerr EA, Bosworth HB, Schmittdiel JA, Heisler M. Characteristics of diabetic patients associated with achieving and maintaining blood pressure targets in the adherence and intensification of medications. Chronic Illness
• Krein SL, Kadri R, Hughes M, Kerr EA, Piette JD, Holleman R, Kim HM, Richardson C. Pedometer based Internet mediated intervention for adults with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research
• Kullgren JT, Wiliams GC, An LC. Patient-centered financial incentives for health: can employers get change for their dollars? Health Care: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation
• Levine DA, Morgenstern LB, Langa KM, Skolarus LE, Smith MA, Lisabeth LD. Does SES or acculturation modify the association between ethnicity and hypertension treatment before stroke? Stroke
• Manojlovich M, Harrod M, Holtz B, Hofer T, Kuhn L, Krein SL. The use of multiple qualitative methods to characterize communication events between physicians and nurses. Health Communication
• Mukherjee A, Waljee AK, Singal AG, Zhang Y, Warren J, Balis U, Marrero J, Zhu J, Higgins PDR. Comparison of modern imputation methods for missing laboratory data in medicine. BMJ Open
• Park T, Bohnert AS , Austin K, Saitz R, Pizer S. Regional variation in the prevalence of benzodiazepine prescribing among opioid agonist therapy patients. Psychiatric Services
• Rubenstein JH, Inadomi JM, Scheiman J , Schoenfeld P, Appelman H, Zhang M,Metko V, Kao JY. Association between helicobacter pylori and Barrett’s esophagus, erosive esophagitis, and gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology
• Sekandi J, List J, Luzze H, Yin X, Dobbin K, Lobo P, Oloya J, Okiwera A,, Whalen C. The yield of undetected tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus from active case finding in urban Uganda. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
• Singal AG, Mukherjee A, Elmunzer BJ, Higgins PDR, Lok AS, Zhu J, Marrero JA, Waljee AK. Machine learning algorithms outperform conventional regression models in predicting development of hepatocellular carcinoma. American Journal of Gastroenterology
• Singal AG, Higgins PDR, Waljee AK. A primer on effectiveness and efficacy trials. Clinical Techniques in Gastroenterology
• Singhal AB, Biller J, Elkind MS, Fullerton HJ, Jauch EC, Kittner SJ, Levine DA, Levine SR. Recognition and management of stroke in young adults and adolescents. Neurology
• Waljee AK, Stidham R, Higgins PDR, Saini SB. Point-Counterpoint: Are we overtreating patients With mild ulcerative colitis? Journal of Crohns and Colitis
• Waxmonksy J, Kilbourne AM, Goodrich DE, Nord KM, Laird C, Lai Z, Clogston J, Kim HM, Miller C, Bauer MS. Enhanced fidelity to a psychosocial treatment for bipolar disorder: results from a randomized controlled trial. Psychiatric Services
• Zulman DM, Asch SM, Martins SB, Kerr EA, Hoffman BB, Goldstein MK. Quality of care for patients with multiple chronic conditions: The role of comorbidity interrelatedness. Journal of General Internal Medicine

Book Chapters

• de Waal H, Lyketsos C, Ames D, Kales HC. The historical development and state of the art approach to delivery of dementia care services. Book Chapter 2; pages 17-30. In: Designing and Delivering Dementia Services. eds. deWaal H, Ames D, O’Brien J, Lyketsos CG. Wiley-Blackwell. 9781119953494 July 8, 2013.
• Struble L, Kavanagh J, Blazek M. Services for people with moderate dementia. Book Chapter 3; pages 73-89. In: Designing Dementia Care Services, eds. deWaal H, Ames D, O’Brien J, Lyketsos CG. Wiley-Blackwell. 9781119953494 July 8, 2013

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