2019
Risk of Readmission After Discharge From Skilled Nursing Facilities Following Heart Failure Hospitalization: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Weerahandi H, Li L, Bao H, Herrin J, Dharmarajan K, Ross JS, Kim KL, Jones S, Horwitz LI. Risk of Readmission After Discharge From Skilled Nursing Facilities Following Heart Failure Hospitalization: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Journal Of The American Medical Directors Association 2019, 20: 432-437. PMID: 30954133, PMCID: PMC6486375, DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2019.01.135.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSkilled nursing facilitiesSNF dischargeRetrospective cohort studySNF lengthHeart failureHF hospitalizationComposite outcomeCohort studyNursing facilitiesService beneficiaries 65Heart failure hospitalizationRisk of readmissionHazard rate ratiosFailure hospitalizationUnplanned readmissionHF diagnosisHospital dischargePostdischarge outcomesSNF stayMedicare patientsMedicare feeHome transitionPatientsReadmissionDay 3Association of Income Disparities with Patient-Reported Healthcare Experience
Okunrintemi V, Khera R, Spatz ES, Salami JA, Valero-Elizondo J, Warraich HJ, Virani SS, Blankstein R, Blaha MJ, Pawlik TM, Dharmarajan K, Krumholz HM, Nasir K. Association of Income Disparities with Patient-Reported Healthcare Experience. Journal Of General Internal Medicine 2019, 34: 884-892. PMID: 30783877, PMCID: PMC6544715, DOI: 10.1007/s11606-019-04848-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPatient healthcare experienceHealthcare experiencesHigher oddsMedical Expenditure Panel Survey cohortHealthcare providersRepresentative US adult populationUS adult populationTimes higher oddsQuality of careTimes greater oddsLow incomePoor healthcare experiencesRetrospective studyPatient incomePatient levelPatient reportsUS adultsProvider satisfactionGreater oddsPatientsHealth outcomesSurvey cohortAdult populationStudy participantsAspects of accessRelationship Between Patient-Reported Hospital Experience and 30-Day Mortality and Readmission Rates for Acute Myocardial Infarction, Heart Failure, and Pneumonia
Dong N, Eisenberg JD, Dharmarajan K, Spatz ES, Desai NR. Relationship Between Patient-Reported Hospital Experience and 30-Day Mortality and Readmission Rates for Acute Myocardial Infarction, Heart Failure, and Pneumonia. Journal Of General Internal Medicine 2019, 34: 526-528. PMID: 30746641, PMCID: PMC6446004, DOI: 10.1007/s11606-018-4746-6.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2018
Admission diagnoses among patients with heart failure: Variation by ACO performance on a measure of risk-standardized acute admission rates
Benchetrit L, Zimmerman C, Bao H, Dharmarajan K, Altaf F, Herrin J, Lin Z, Krumholz HM, Drye EE, Lipska KJ, Spatz ES. Admission diagnoses among patients with heart failure: Variation by ACO performance on a measure of risk-standardized acute admission rates. American Heart Journal 2018, 207: 19-26. PMID: 30404047, DOI: 10.1016/j.ahj.2018.09.006.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAccountable Care OrganizationsAgedAlgorithmsAnalysis of VarianceCardiovascular DiseasesComorbidityFemaleHeart FailureHospitalizationHumansInternational Classification of DiseasesMaleMedicare Part AMedicare Part BPatient AdmissionPatient DischargePatient-Centered CareSex DistributionTime FactorsUnited StatesConceptsHeart failureAccountable care organizationsMean admission rateAdmission ratesAdmission typeAcute admission ratesNoncardiovascular conditionsAdmission diagnosisCause admission ratesMedicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care OrganizationsRate of hospitalizationPrincipal discharge diagnosisProportion of admissionsType of admissionNoncardiovascular causesHF admissionsHF patientsPerson yearsDischarge diagnosisPatient populationPatientsAdmissionKey quality metricDiagnosisSubstantial proportionTrends in 30-Day Readmission Rates for Medicare and Non-Medicare Patients in the Era of the Affordable Care Act
Angraal S, Khera R, Zhou S, Wang Y, Lin Z, Dharmarajan K, Desai NR, Bernheim SM, Drye EE, Nasir K, Horwitz LI, Krumholz HM. Trends in 30-Day Readmission Rates for Medicare and Non-Medicare Patients in the Era of the Affordable Care Act. The American Journal Of Medicine 2018, 131: 1324-1331.e14. PMID: 30016636, PMCID: PMC6380174, DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2018.06.013.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHospital Readmissions Reduction ProgramReadmission ratesAcute myocardial infarctionHeart failurePatient groupMyocardial infarctionCause readmission rateNationwide Readmissions DatabaseReadmissions Reduction ProgramNon-Medicare patientsNon-target conditionsLower readmissionAffordable Care ActMedicare beneficiariesAge groupsPrivate insuranceCare ActPneumoniaInfarctionPatientsReduction programsMedicareGroupReadmissionFailure
2017
Age Differences in Hospital Mortality for Acute Myocardial Infarction: Implications for Hospital Profiling.
Dharmarajan K, McNamara RL, Wang Y, Masoudi FA, Ross JS, Spatz EE, Desai NR, de Lemos JA, Fonarow GC, Heidenreich PA, Bhatt DL, Bernheim SM, Slattery LE, Khan YM, Curtis JP. Age Differences in Hospital Mortality for Acute Myocardial Infarction: Implications for Hospital Profiling. Annals Of Internal Medicine 2017, 167: 555-564. PMID: 28973634, PMCID: PMC9359429, DOI: 10.7326/m16-2871.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRisk-standardized mortality ratesAcute myocardial infarctionOlder patientsYounger patientsMyocardial infarctionAge groupsHospital risk-standardized mortality ratesRetrospective cohort studyHospital mortality rankingsNational Quality ForumHospital mortalityMedian hospitalHospital outcomesCohort studyACTION RegistryAMI mortalityAmerican CollegeMedicare beneficiariesAMI hospitalizationPatientsMortality rateHospitalQuality ForumHospital ValueHospital profilingHospital-Readmission Risk — Isolating Hospital Effects from Patient Effects
Krumholz HM, Wang K, Lin Z, Dharmarajan K, Horwitz LI, Ross JS, Drye EE, Bernheim SM, Normand ST. Hospital-Readmission Risk — Isolating Hospital Effects from Patient Effects. New England Journal Of Medicine 2017, 377: 1055-1064. PMID: 28902587, PMCID: PMC5671772, DOI: 10.1056/nejmsa1702321.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRisk-standardized readmission ratesReadmission ratesObserved readmission ratesSimilar diagnosesHospital effectsDifferent hospitalsHospital readmission performanceRate of readmissionHospital readmission ratesLower readmission ratesStudy sampleYears of ageSignificant differencesMultiple admissionsReadmission outcomesOnly significant differencePatient effectsSame patientMedicare recipientsPatientsReadmission performanceRisk-standardized hospital readmission ratesHospitalHospital qualityQuartileLength of Stay From the Hospital Perspective
Rosen JE, Salazar MC, Dharmarajan K, Kim AW, Detterbeck FC, Boffa DJ. Length of Stay From the Hospital Perspective. Annals Of Surgery 2017, 266: 383-388. PMID: 27564681, DOI: 10.1097/sla.0000000000001971.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMedian LOSLength of stayEarly discharge practicesDischarge practicesReadmission ratesEarly dischargeCancer-accredited hospitalsNational Cancer DatabaseLung cancer surgeryRisk of readmissionHospital discharge practicesHierarchical logistic regression modelsLack of effectLogistic regression modelsMore readmissionsUnplanned readmissionThoracotomy approachCancer surgeryReadmission riskLung cancerCancer DatabaseInclusion criteriaReadmissionHospital perspectivePatientsRegional variation in hospitalisation and mortality in heart failure: comparison of England and Lombardy using multistate modelling
Bottle A, Ventura CM, Dharmarajan K, Aylin P, Ieva F, Paganoni AM. Regional variation in hospitalisation and mortality in heart failure: comparison of England and Lombardy using multistate modelling. Health Care Management Science 2017, 21: 292-304. PMID: 28755175, DOI: 10.1007/s10729-017-9410-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHeart failureClinical practice differencesMedium-term mortalityHospital administrative databaseSerious chronic conditionsNon-hospital settingsSet of patientsHF admissionsCommon comorbiditiesFirst admissionLondon patientsDeath RegisterHigh morbidityChronic conditionsAdministrative databasesDisease progressionPatientsLower mortalityMortalityAdmissionPractice differencesShort stayLong stayHealthcare systemHospitalisationQuality of Care in Chinese Hospitals: Processes and Outcomes After ST‐segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Downing NS, Wang Y, Dharmarajan K, Nuti SV, Murugiah K, Du X, Zheng X, Li X, Li J, Masoudi FA, Spertus JA, Jiang L, Krumholz HM. Quality of Care in Chinese Hospitals: Processes and Outcomes After ST‐segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction. Journal Of The American Heart Association 2017, 6: e005040. PMID: 28645937, PMCID: PMC5669155, DOI: 10.1161/jaha.116.005040.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsST-elevation myocardial infarctionRisk-standardized mortality ratesQuality of careGuideline-recommended careGuideline-recommended treatmentMyocardial infarctionMortality rateST-segment elevation myocardial infarctionChina PEACE-Retrospective AMI StudyComposite rateMedian risk-standardized mortality rateProportion of patientsElevation myocardial infarctionQuality improvement initiativesProportion of opportunitiesDefect-free rateHospital levelInfarctionHospitalChinese hospitalsPatientsCareAMI studyImprovement initiativesHigh rate
2016
Pathway from Delirium to Death: Potential In‐Hospital Mediators of Excess Mortality
Dharmarajan K, Swami S, Gou RY, Jones RN, Inouye SK. Pathway from Delirium to Death: Potential In‐Hospital Mediators of Excess Mortality. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society 2016, 65: 1026-1033. PMID: 28039852, PMCID: PMC5435507, DOI: 10.1111/jgs.14743.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNoxious insultsIncident deliriumAssociation of deliriumDelirium prevention interventionDay of admissionHospitalized older adultsLarge academic hospitalPotential downstream mediatorsDevelopment of hospitalsUsual careHospital admissionBivariable analysisClinical trialsAcademic hospitalExcess mortalityIncreases mortalityDeliriumPrevention interventionsHigh riskPatientsMortalityInverse probabilityOlder adultsInsultDownstream mediatorAssociation Between Hospital Penalty Status Under the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program and Readmission Rates for Target and Nontarget Conditions
Desai NR, Ross JS, Kwon JY, Herrin J, Dharmarajan K, Bernheim SM, Krumholz HM, Horwitz LI. Association Between Hospital Penalty Status Under the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program and Readmission Rates for Target and Nontarget Conditions. JAMA 2016, 316: 2647-2656. PMID: 28027367, PMCID: PMC5599851, DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.18533.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHospital Readmissions Reduction ProgramAcute myocardial infarctionReadmission ratesReadmissions Reduction ProgramHeart failurePenalty statusNontarget conditionsMedicare feeMean readmission rateThirty-day riskRetrospective cohort studyUnplanned readmission rateReduction programsHRRP announcementHRRP implementationPenalized hospitalsCohort studyService patientsMyocardial infarctionMAIN OUTCOMEExcess readmissionsMedicare beneficiariesService beneficiariesHospitalPatientsImpact of Exercise Programs on Hospital Readmission Following Hospitalization for Heart Failure: A Systematic Review
Goyal P, Delgado D, Hummel SL, Dharmarajan K. Impact of Exercise Programs on Hospital Readmission Following Hospitalization for Heart Failure: A Systematic Review. Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports 2016, 10: 33. PMID: 28713480, PMCID: PMC5507625, DOI: 10.1007/s12170-016-0514-5.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchHeart failureExercise programReadmission ratesSystematic reviewAmbulatory heart failure patientsReadmission Following HospitalizationHeart failure hospitalizationHeart failure patientsWiley Cochrane LibraryPre-defined criteriaFailure hospitalizationExercise interventionFailure patientsHospital readmissionHospitalization ratesCochrane LibraryPrincipal diagnosisOvid MEDLINEInclusion criteriaOutpatient facilitiesHigh riskMetropolitan hospitalExercise frequencyPatientsDetection biasOutcomes 1 Year After Implantable Cardioverter–Defibrillator Lead Abandonment Versus Explantation for Unused or Malfunctioning Leads
Zeitler EP, Wang Y, Dharmarajan K, Anstrom KJ, Peterson ED, Daubert JP, Curtis JP, Al-Khatib SM. Outcomes 1 Year After Implantable Cardioverter–Defibrillator Lead Abandonment Versus Explantation for Unused or Malfunctioning Leads. Circulation Arrhythmia And Electrophysiology 2016, 9: e003953. PMID: 27406605, PMCID: PMC4973616, DOI: 10.1161/circep.116.003953.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNational Cardiovascular Data Registry ICD RegistryLead explantationUpper extremity thrombosisProcedure-related complicationsImplantable cardioverter-defibrillator leadsOutcomes 1 yearLong-term safetyCardioverter-defibrillator leadsHospital complicationsHospital deathUrgent surgeryPulmonary embolismICD RegistryHospital eventsPostprocedure complicationsMortality riskPatientsICD leadPropensity scoreComplicationsExplantationLead abandonmentMalfunctioning leadsHigh rateComparative acute
2015
Hospital variation in admission to intensive care units for patients with acute myocardial infarction
Chen R, Strait KM, Dharmarajan K, Li SX, Ranasinghe I, Martin J, Fazel R, Masoudi FA, Cooke CR, Nallamothu BK, Krumholz HM. Hospital variation in admission to intensive care units for patients with acute myocardial infarction. American Heart Journal 2015, 170: 1161-1169. PMID: 26678638, PMCID: PMC5459386, DOI: 10.1016/j.ahj.2015.09.003.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAnterior Wall Myocardial InfarctionCoronary Care UnitsHealth Care RationingHospital MortalityHumansLength of StayMaleMiddle AgedOutcome and Process Assessment, Health CarePatient AdmissionQuality ImprovementRetrospective StudiesRisk AssessmentTriageUnited StatesConceptsAcute myocardial infarctionIntensive care unitCritical care therapiesRisk-standardized mortality ratesHospital risk-standardized mortality ratesICU admissionResource-intensive settingsCare therapyAMI patientsCare unitMyocardial infarctionMortality rateAdult hospitalizationsHospital variationNinth RevisionClinical ModificationICU triageInternational ClassificationBetter outcomesPatientsHospitalAdmissionPremier databaseTherapyAppropriate useVariation in care and outcome following myocardial infarction
Dharmarajan K. Variation in care and outcome following myocardial infarction. The BMJ 2015, 351: h4133. PMID: 26254446, DOI: 10.1136/bmj.h4133.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNational Trends in Hospital Readmission Rates among Medicare Fee-for-Service Survivors of Mitral Valve Surgery, 1999–2010
Dodson JA, Wang Y, Murugiah K, Dharmarajan K, Cooper Z, Hashim S, Nuti SV, Spatz E, Desai N, Krumholz HM. National Trends in Hospital Readmission Rates among Medicare Fee-for-Service Survivors of Mitral Valve Surgery, 1999–2010. PLOS ONE 2015, 10: e0132470. PMID: 26147225, PMCID: PMC4493110, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132470.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMitral valve surgeryLength of stayHospital LOSReadmission ratesHospital readmission ratesOlder patientsHospital readmissionMedicare feeMean hospital LOSSurvival rateProportional hazards regressionYears of ageValve surgeryHazards regressionService patientsWorse outcomesAge subgroupsPatientsOlder adultsSurvivorsNational trendsReadmissionModest declineWomenSubgroupsSex Differences in the Rate, Timing, and Principal Diagnoses of 30-Day Readmissions in Younger Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction
Dreyer RP, Ranasinghe I, Wang Y, Dharmarajan K, Murugiah K, Nuti SV, Hsieh AF, Spertus JA, Krumholz HM. Sex Differences in the Rate, Timing, and Principal Diagnoses of 30-Day Readmissions in Younger Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction. Circulation 2015, 132: 158-166. PMID: 26085455, PMCID: PMC5322973, DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.114.014776.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAcute myocardial infarctionMyocardial infarctionPrincipal diagnosisYounger patientsHigh riskUtilization Project State Inpatient DatabasesYoung womenCause readmission rateGreater mortality riskSex differencesNoncardiac diagnosesReadmission diagnosesReadmission timingReadmission ratesInpatient DatabaseReadmission riskFemale sexCondition categoriesReadmissionMortality riskHealthcare costsDay 2InfarctionPatientsDiagnosisPatients need safer hospitals, every day of the week
Dharmarajan K, Kim N, Krumholz HM. Patients need safer hospitals, every day of the week. The BMJ 2015, 350: h1826. PMID: 25877669, DOI: 10.1136/bmj.h1826.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchIntravenous Fluids in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure
Bikdeli B, Strait KM, Dharmarajan K, Li SX, Mody P, Partovian C, Coca SG, Kim N, Horwitz LI, Testani JM, Krumholz HM. Intravenous Fluids in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure. JACC Heart Failure 2015, 3: 127-133. PMID: 25660836, PMCID: PMC4438991, DOI: 10.1016/j.jchf.2014.09.007.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesDatabases, FactualFemaleFluid TherapyHeart FailureHospital MortalityHospitalizationHumansInfusions, IntravenousIntensive Care UnitsIntubation, IntratrachealIsotonic SolutionsMaleMiddle AgedRenal Replacement TherapyRetrospective StudiesRinger's SolutionSaline Solution, HypertonicSodium Potassium Chloride Symporter InhibitorsUnited StatesYoung AdultConceptsAcute decompensated heart failureDecompensated heart failureHeart failureIntravenous fluidsRetrospective cohort studyCritical care admissionRenal replacement therapyDays of hospitalizationProportion of hospitalizationsHalf-normal salineWarrants further investigationOnly diureticsCare admissionHospital deathHospital outcomesCohort studyLoop diureticsPatient groupReplacement therapyWorse outcomesNormal salineInpatient careMedian volumePatientsHospitalization