IMPORTANCE Meta-analyses have suggested that initiating pulmonary rehabilitation after an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was associated with improved survival, although the number of patients studied was small and heterogeneity was high. Current guidelines recommend that patients enroll in pulmonary rehabilitation after hospital discharge. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between the initiation of pulmonary rehabilitation within 90 days of hospital discharge and 1-year survival. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS This retrospective, inception cohort study used claims data from fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for COPD in 2014, at 4446 acute care hospitals in the US. The final date of follow-up was December 31, 2015. EXPOSURES Initiation of pulmonary rehabilitation within 90 days of hospital discharge. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was all-cause mortality at 1 year. Time from discharge to death was modeled using Cox regression with time-varying exposure to pulmonary rehabilitation, adjusting for mortality and for unbalanced characteristics and propensity to initiate pulmonary rehabilitation. Additional analyses evaluated the association between timing of pulmonary rehabilitation and mortality and between number of sessions completed and mortality. RESULTS Of 197 376 patients (mean age, 76.9 years; 115 690 [58.6%] women), 2721 (1.5%) initiated pulmonary rehabilitation within 90 days of discharge. A total of 38 302 (19.4%) died within 1 year of discharge, including 7.3% of patients who initiated pulmonary rehabilitation within 90 days and 19.6% of patients who initiated pulmonary rehabilitation after 90 days or not at all. Initiation within 90 days was significantly associated with lower risk of death over 1 year (absolute risk difference [ARD],-6.7% [95% CI,-7.9% to-5.6%]; hazard ratio [HR], 0.63 [95% CI, 0.57 to 0.69]; P < .001). Initiation of pulmonary rehabilitation was significantly associated with lower mortality across start dates ranging from 30 days or less (ARD,-4.6% [95% CI,-5.9% to-3.2%]; HR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.67 to 0.82]; P < .001) to 61 to 90 days after discharge (ARD,-11.1% [95% CI,-13.2% to-8.4%]; HR, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.30 to 0.54]; P < .001). Every 3 additional sessions was significantly associated with lower risk of death (HR, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.85 to 0.98]; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for COPD, initiation of pulmonary rehabilitation within 3 months of discharge was significantly associated with lower risk of mortality at 1 year. These findings support current guideline recommendations for pulmonary rehabilitation after hospitalization for COPD, although the potential for residual confounding exists and further research is needed.

Rationale: Current guidelines recommend pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) after hospitalization for a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation, but little is known about its adoption or factors associated with participation. Objectives: To evaluate receipt of PR after a hospitalization for COPD exacerbation among Medicare beneficiaries and identify individual-and hospital-level predictors of PR receipt and adherence. Methods: We identified individuals hospitalized for COPD during 2012 and recorded receipt, timing, and number of PR visits. We used generalized estimating equation models to identify factors associated with initiation of PR within 6 months of discharge and examined factors associated with number of PR sessions completed. Results: Of 223,832 individuals hospitalized for COPD, 4,225 (1.9%) received PR within 6 months of their index hospitalization, and 6,111 (2.7%) did so within 12 months. Median time from discharge until first PR session was 95 days (interquartile range, 44-190 d), and median number of sessions completed was 16 (interquartile range, 6-25). The strongest factor associated with initiating PR within 6 months was prior home oxygen use (odds ratio [OR], 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-1.59). Individuals aged 75-84 years and those aged 85 years and older (respectively, OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.66-0.75; and OR, 0.25; 95% CI 0.22-0.28), those living over 10 miles from a PR facility (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.39-0.46), and those with lower socioeconomic status (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.38-0.46) were less likely to receive PR. Conclusions: Two years after Medicare began providing coverage for PR, participation rates after hospitalization were extremely low. This highlights the need for strategies to increase participation.

Background β-Blocker therapy has been shown to improve survival among patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and congestive heart failure (CHF) and is underused among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Evidence regarding the optimal use of β-blocker therapy during an acute exacerbation of COPD is particularly weak. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≥40 years with IHD, CHF or hypertension who were hospitalised for an acute exacerbation of COPD from 1 January 2006 to 1 December 2007 at 404 acute care hospitals throughout the USA. We examined the association between β-blocker therapy and in-hospital mortality, initiation of mechanical ventilation after day 2 of hospitalisation, 30-day all-cause readmission and length of stay. Results Of 35 082 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 29% were treated with β blockers in the first two hospital days, including 22% with β1-selective and 7% with non-selective β blockers. In a propensity-matched analysis, there was no association between β-blocker therapy and in-hospital mortality (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.09), 30-day readmission (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.03) or late mechanical ventilation (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.24). However, when compared with β1 selective β blockers, receipt of non-selective β blockers was associated with an increased risk of 30-day readmission (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.44). Conclusions Among patients with IHD, CHF or hypertension, continuing β1-selective β blockers during hospitalisation for COPD appears to be safe. Until additional evidence becomes available, β1-selective β blockers may be superior to treatment with a non-selective β blocker.

Patients are increasingly seeking information about physicians online. Nearly 60% report that online reviews are important when choosing a physician. 1 Because publicly reported quality data are not reported at the physician level, patients must consult physician-rating websites to find such reviews. 2 The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to describe the structure of commercial physicianrating websites and the quantity of physician reviews on these sites. Methods |During September 2016, we searched Google for websites that allowed patients to review physicians in the United States, using search terms such as rate my doctor. We included active sites that were written in English, available to the public, allowed patients to leave reviews, did not require a subscription, and allowed searching by physician name. We excluded websites that were affiliated with an insurance company or health system or were limited to a single specialty. We cross-referenced search results against a published list, 3 added any websites that met inclusion criteria, and recorded website characteristics. We then used publicly available lists of registered and active physicians to identify a random sample of 600 physicians from 3 metropolitan areas (Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Oregon; and Dallas, Texas). We searched each website for reviews and calculated mean and median number of reviews per physician per site using SAS (SAS Institute), version 9.3.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Hospitals with greater adherence to recommended care processes did not achieve meaningfully better 30-day hospital readmission rates compared to those with lower levels of performance.

Many hospitals wish to improve their patients’ experience of care. In order to learn whether social media could be used as a tool to engage patients and to identify opportunities for hospital quality improvement (QI), we solicited patients’ narrative feedback on the Baystate Medical Center (BMC) Facebook page during a three-week period in 2014. Two investigators used directed qualitative content analysis to code comments and descriptive statistics to assess the frequency of selected codes and themes. We identified common themes, including: 1.) comments about staff (17/37 respondents, 45.9%); 2.) comments about specific departments (22/37, 59.5%); 3.) comments on technical aspects of care, including perceived errors and inattention to pain control (9/37, 24.3%); and 4.) comments describing the hospital physical plant, parking, and amenities (9/37, 24.3%). A small number (n=3) of patients repeatedly responded, accounting for 30% (45/148) of narratives. While patient feedback on social media could help to drive hospital QI efforts, any potential benefits must be weighed against the reputational risks, the lack of representativeness among respondents, and the volume of responses needed to identify areas of improvement.

BackgroundMortality prediction models generally require clinical data or are derived from information coded at discharge, limiting adjustment for presenting severity of illness in observational studies using administrative data.ObjectivesTo develop and validate a mortality prediction model using administrative data available in the first 2 hospital days.Research DesignAfter dividing the dataset into derivation and validation sets, we created a hierarchical generalized linear mortality model that included patient demographics, comorbidities, medications, therapies, and diagnostic tests administered in the first 2 hospital days. We then applied the model to the validation set.SubjectsPatients aged ≥18 years admitted with pneumonia between July 2007 and June 2010 to 347 hospitals in Premier, Inc.’s Perspective database.MeasuresIn hospital mortality.ResultsThe derivation cohort included 200,870 patients and the validation cohort had 50,037. Mortality was 7.2%. In the multivariable model, 3 demographic factors, 25 comorbidities, 41 medications, 7 diagnostic tests, and 9 treatments were associated with mortality. Factors that were most strongly associated with mortality included receipt of vasopressors, non-invasive ventilation, and bicarbonate. The model had a c-statistic of 0.85 in both cohorts. In the validation cohort, deciles of predicted risk ranged from 0.3% to 34.3% with observed risk over the same deciles from 0.1% to 33.7%.ConclusionsA mortality model based on detailed administrative data available in the first 2 hospital days had good discrimination and calibration. The model compares favorably to clinically based prediction models and may be useful in observational studies when clinical data are not available.