IMPORTANCEThe Choosing Wisely campaign consists of more than 70 lists produced by specialty societies of medical practices or procedures of minimal clinical benefit to patients in most situations, with recommendations regarding judicious use.OBJECTIVE To quantify the frequency and trends of some of the earliest Choosing Wisely recommendations using nationwide commercial health plan population-level data.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective analysis of claims data for members of Anthem-affiliated commercial health plans. The low-value services selected were (1) imaging tests for uncomplicated headache; (2) cardiac imaging without history of cardiac conditions;(3) low back pain imaging without red-flag conditions; (4) preoperative chest x-rays with unremarkable history and physical examination results; (5) human papillomavirus testing for women younger than 30 years; (6) use of antibiotics for acute sinusitis; and (7) use of prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for members with hypertension, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe number of members with medical and/or pharmacy claims for the included low-value services was assessed quarterly over a 2-to 3-year span through 2013. Trend changes in recommendations were evaluated across all quarters using Poisson regression with denominators as offsets.RESULTS Two services had declines: Use of imaging for headache decreased from 14.9% to 13.4% (trend estimate, 0.99 [95% CI, 0.98-0.99]; P < .001), and cardiac imaging decreased from 10.8% to 9.7% (trend estimate, 0.99 [95% CI, 0.99-0.99]; P < .001). Two services had increases: Use of NSAIDs in select conditions increased from 14.4% to 16.2% (trend estimate, 1.02 [95% CI, 1.01-1.02]; P < .001), and human papillomavirus testing in younger women increased from 4.8% to 6.0% (trend estimate, 1.01 [95% CI, 1.00-1.01]; P < .001). Use of antibiotics for sinusitis remained stable (0.8% decrease from 84.5% to 83.7%; trend estimate, 1.00 [95% CI, 1.00-1.00]; P = .16). Use of preoperative chest x-rays (0.2% decrease, ending utilization 91.5%; trend estimate, 1.00 [95% CI, 1.00-1.00]; P = .70) and imaging for low back pain (53.7% utilization throughout study; P = .71) remained high with no statistically significant changes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEFor this population-level analysis of 7 low-value services analyzed, changes were modest but showed a desirable decrease for 2 recommendations (imaging for headache, cardiac imaging for low-risk patients). The effect sizes were marginal, however, and although 4 of the 7 lists had statistically significant changes-unsurprising given the large sample size-the clinical significance is uncertain. These results suggest that additional interventions are necessary for wider implementation of Choosing Wisely recommendations.

IMPORTANCEThe COVID-19 pandemic led to sharp declines in cancer screening. However, the total deficit in screening in the US associated with the pandemic and the differential impact on individuals in different geographic regions and by socioeconomic status (SES) index have yet to be fully characterized.OBJECTIVES To quantify the screening rates for breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in different geographic regions and for individuals in different SES index quartiles and estimate the overall cancer screening deficit in 2020 across the US population. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective cohort study uses the HealthCore Integrated Research Database, which comprises single-payer administrative claims data and enrollment information covering approximately 60 million people in Medicare Advantage and commercial health plans from across geographically diverse regions of the US. Participants were individuals in the database in January through July of 2018, 2019, and 2020 without diagnosis of the cancer of interest prior to the analytic index month. EXPOSURES Analytic index month and year. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Receipt of breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer screening.RESULTS Screening for all 3 cancers declined sharply in March through May of 2020 compared with 2019, with the sharpest decline in April (breast, −90.8%; colorectal, −79.3%; prostate, −63.4%) and near complete recovery of monthly screening rates by July for breast and prostate cancers. The absolute deficit across the US population in screening associated with the COVID-19 pandemic was estimated to be 3.9 million (breast), 3.8 million (colorectal), and 1.6 million (prostate). Geographic differences were observed: the Northeast experienced the sharpest declines in screening, while the West had a slower recovery compared with the Midwest and South. For example, percentage change in breast cancer screening rate (2020 vs 2019) for the month of April ranged from −87.3% (95% CI, −87.9% to −86.7%) in the West to −94.5% (95% CI, −94.9% to −94.1%) in the Northeast (decline). For the month of July, it ranged from −0.3% (95% CI, −2.1% to 1.5%) in the Midwest to −10.6% (−12.6% to −8.4%) in the West (recovery). By SES, the largest screening decline was observed in individuals in the highest SES index quartile, leading to a narrowing in the disparity in cancer screening by SES in 2020. For example, prostate cancer screening rates per 100 000 enrollees for individuals in the lowest and highest SES index quartiles, respectively, were 3525 (95% CI, 3444 to 3607) and 4329 (95% CI, 4271 to 4386) in April 2019 compared with 1535 (95% CI, 1480 to 1589) and 1338 (95% CI, 1306 to 1370) in April 2020. Multivariable analysis showed that telehealth use was associated with higher cancer screening.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Public health efforts are needed to address the large cancer screening deficit associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including increased use of screening modalities that do not require a procedure.

IMPORTANCE Based on randomized evidence, expert guidelines in 2011 endorsed shorter, hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (WBI) for selected patients with early-stage breast cancer and permitted hypofractionated WBI for other patients. OBJECTIVES To examine the uptake and costs of hypofractionated WBI among commercially insured patients in the United States. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective, observational cohort study, using administrative claims data from 14 commercial health care plans covering 7.4%of US adult women in 2013, we classified patients with incident early-stage breast cancer treated with lumpectomy and WBI from 2008 and 2013 into 2 cohorts: (1) the hypofractionation-endorsed cohort (n = 8924) included patients aged 50 years or older without prior chemotherapy or axillary lymph node involvement and (2) the hypofractionation-permitted cohort (n = 6719) included patients younger than 50 years or those with prior chemotherapy or axillary lymph node involvement. EXPOSURES Hypofractionated WBI (3–5 weeks of treatment) vs conventional WBI (5–7 weeks of treatment). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Use of hypofractionated and conventional WBI, total and radiotherapy-related health care expenditures, and patient out-of-pocket expenses. Patient and clinical characteristics included year of treatment, age, comorbid disease, prior chemotherapy, axillary lymph node involvement, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, practice setting, and other contextual variables. RESULTS Hypofractionated WBI increased from 10.6%(95%CI, 8.8%–12.5%) in 2008 to 34.5%(95%CI, 32.2%–36.8%) in 2013 in the hypofractionation-endorsed cohort and from 8.1% (95%CI, 6.0%–10.2%) in 2008 to 21.2%(95%CI, 18.9%–23.6%) in 2013 in the hypofractionation-permitted cohort. Adjusted mean total health care expenditures in the 1 year after diagnosis were $28 747 for hypofractionated and $31 641 for conventional WBI in the hypofractionation-endorsed cohort (difference, $2894; 95%CI, $1610–$4234; P < .001) and $64 273 for hypofractionated and $72 860 for conventional WBI in the hypofractionation-permitted cohort (difference, $8587; 95%CI, $5316–$12 017; P < .001). Adjusted mean total 1-year patient out-of-pocket expenses were not significantly different between hypofractionated vs conventional WBI in either cohort. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Hypofractionated WBI after breast conserving surgery increased among women with early-stage breast cancer in 14 US commercial health care plans between 2008 and 2013. However, only 34.5%of patients with hypofractionation-endorsed and 21.2%with hypofractionation-permitted early-stage breast cancer received hypofractionated WBI in 2013.

PPI use in the study population increased steadily from 1999 to 2004. These data offer valuable information on current PPI dosing patterns that may be used to design future clinical trials for assessment of gastroesophageal reflux disease regimens and clinical outcomes in the infant population.

This study was funded by Anthem. Adeboyeje, Sylwestrzak, and Barron are employees of HealthCore, a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Anthem. White, Rosenberg, Abarca, and Crawford are employees of Anthem. Study concept and design were primarily contributed by Adeboyeje and Sylwestrzak, along with the other authors. Adeboyeje took the lead in data collection, along with Sylwestrzak and Barron. Data interpretation was performed primarily by Rosenberg, Crawford, and Redberg, with assistance from the other authors. The manuscript was written by all the authors and revised primarily by White, Abarca, and Redberg, along with the other authors.