BACKGROUND: Understanding resource utilization patterns among high-cost patients may inform cost reduction strategies. OBJECTIVE: To identify patterns of high-cost healthcare utilization and associated clinical diagnoses and to quantify the significance of hot-spotters among high-cost users. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of high-cost patients in 2012 using data from electronic medical records, internal cost accounting, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. K-medoids cluster analysis was performed on utilization measures of the highest-cost decile of patients. Clusters were compared using clinical diagnoses. We defined Bhotspotters^as those in the highest-cost decile with ≥4 hospitalizations or ED visits during the study period. PARTICIPANTS AND EXPOSURE: A total of 14,855 Medicare Fee-for-service beneficiaries identified by the Medicare Quality Resource and Use Report as having received 100 % of inpatient care and ≥90 % of primary care services at Cleveland Clinic Health System (CCHS) in Northeast Ohio. The highest-cost decile was selected from this population. MAIN MEASURES: Healthcare utilization and diagnoses. KEY RESULTS: The highest-cost decile of patients (n = 1486) accounted for 60 % of total costs. We identified five patient clusters: BAmbulatory,^with 0 admissions; BSurgical,^with a median of 2 surgeries; BCritically Ill,^with a median of 4 ICU days; BFrequent Care,^with a median of 2 admissions, 3 ED visits, and 29 outpatient visits; and BMixed Utilization,^with 1 median admission and 1 ED visit. Cancer diagnoses were prevalent in the Ambulatory group, care complications in the Surgical group, cardiac diseases in the Critically Ill group, and psychiatric disorders in the Frequent Care group. Most hot-spotters (55 %) were in the Bfrequent care^clus-ter. Overall, hot-spotters represented 9 % of the high-cost population and accounted for 19 % of their overall costs. CONCLUSIONS: High-cost patients are heterogeneous; most are not so-called Bhot-spotters^with frequent admissions. Effective interventions to reduce costs will require a more multi-faceted approach to the high-cost population.

Background There are limited data on survival prediction models in contemporary inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a survival prediction model in a cohort of inoperable stage I-III NSCLC patients treated with radiotherapy. Methods Data from inoperable stage I-III NSCLC patients diagnosed from 1/1/2016 to 31/12/2017 were collected from three radiation oncology clinics. Patient, tumour and treatment-related variables were selected for model inclusion using univariate and multivariate analysis. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to develop a 2-year overall survival prediction model, the South West Sydney Model (SWSM) in one clinic (n = 117) and validated in the other clinics (n = 144). Model performance, assessed internally and on one independent dataset, was expressed as Harrell’s concordance index (c-index). Results The SWSM contained five variables: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, histological diagnosis, tumour lobe and equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions. The SWSM yielded a c-index of 0.70 on internal validation and 0.72 on external validation. Survival probability could be stratified into three groups using a risk score derived from the model. Conclusions A 2-year survival model with good discrimination was developed. The model included tumour lobe as a novel variable and has the potential to guide treatment decisions. Further validation is needed in a larger patient cohort.

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Background Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness worldwide for which trabeculectomy is the most effective surgical intervention for advanced disease. However, trabeculectomy has been associated with alterations to corneal endothelium, including a decrease in corneal endothelial cell density (CECD). The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in CECD after trabeculectomy, and identify factors contributing to cell loss, such as pre-operative biometry and lens status. Methods This retrospective study included 72 eyes of 60 patients who underwent trabeculectomy between January 2018 and June 2021 at two private hospitals. Demographic and clinical data were obtained at baseline. Corneal specular microscopy was performed pre-operatively and at 6 months after surgery. CECD was evaluated and compared between groups to quantify changes to corneal endothelium and identify significant factors affecting decreases in cell density. Results Mean CECD was 2284.66 ± 375.59 pre-operatively and 2129.52 ± 401.96 after 6 months ( p < 0.001). A greater decrease in CECD ( p = 0.005) was observed in phakic eyes (235.45 ± 118.32) compared to pseudophakic eyes (137.82 ± 107.30). The amount of cell loss was negatively correlated with pre-operative central corneal thickness ( p = 0.009) and anterior chamber (AC) depth ( p = 0.033). There were no significant correlations between changes to CECD and patient age, gender, number of pre-operative glaucoma medications and number of post-operative antifibrotic agents. Conclusions Significant decreases in CECD occurred after trabeculectomy. Less corneal endothelial cell loss occurred in pseudophakic eyes. Hence, if patients need trabeculectomy and cataract surgery, it may be better to perform cataract surgery first. Longer term studies should derive more information.

Purpose After cataract phacoemulsification surgery, spherical equivalent refraction (SER) may be affected by factors including corneal curvature, effective lens position and axial length. While refractive outcomes have been assessed in the immediate post-operative period, longer-term changes in refraction have not been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate the timeline changes in refraction after cataract surgery over a period of 3 years. Methods This was a retrospective observational study that included 344 eyes of 204 patients who underwent cataract emulsification surgery between 1 January and 31 December 2018 at two private hospitals. Keratometry, anterior chamber depth (ACD), central corneal thickness (CCT) and axial length were measured at baseline and post-operatively at 1 month, 1 year, 2 years and 3 years. Changes in SER and ocular parameters were assessed at each post-operative timepoint. Results Between 1 month and 3 years post-operatively, an overall myopic shift (0.32 ± 0.21 D, p < 0.001) occurred in 33.6% of eyes and a hypermetropic shift in 45.2% of eyes (0.35 ± 0.22 D, p < 0.001). In 21.2% of eyes, there was no reported change in SER between 1 month and 3 years. Significant changes in ACD (p = 0.04) and CCT (p < 0.001) occurred during the first year after surgery. Conclusion The 3-year timeline changes in SER after cataract surgery were evaluated. As hypermetropic shift was the most common refractive change observed, it may be beneficial to aim for a more myopic post-operative refraction target. Patients should be advised of the potential for refractive changes after surgery.

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