Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1191144
35 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT How MD Anderson achieved a 45% smoking cessation rate among patients By Mackenzie Bean N early half of the patients participating in MD Anderson Cancer Center's tobacco treatment program achieved smoking cessation, accord- ing to a study published in JAMA Network Open. For the study, researchers at Houston-based MD Ander- son analyzed data on 3,245 smokers who participated in the medical center's tobacco treatment program between 2006 and 2015. The program entails an in-person medical consultation, up to eight follow-up counseling sessions and 10 to 12 weeks of pharmacotherapy. Three months after completing the program, the aver- age smoking abstinence rate among patients was 45.1 percent. This rate changed to 45.8 percent at six months and 43.7 percent at nine months. Researchers also found that smoking abstinence rates did not significantly differ between patients with and without cancer. Based on these findings, the researchers said comprehen- sive tobacco treatment programs should be integrated in the oncological setting as a clinical standard of care. n One-fifth of patients hospitalized for cardiac arrest are readmitted within a month By Anuja Vaidya A bout 20 percent of patients who were hospital- ized for cardiac arrest were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. U.S. researchers examined data from the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2010 to 2014. There were 251,346 patients who survived the initial hospitalization for cardiac arrest. Of the survivors, 19.6 percent were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. About 72 percent of the 30-day readmissions were due to noncardiac causes. Infections, such as pneumonia or sepsis, were the most prevalent noncardiac cause of readmission, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or respiratory failure. Of cardiac-related readmissions, heart failure and ar- rhythmia were the most common causes. n 6 tech initiatives with the biggest impact on patient engagement By Andrea Park T hough patients are playing a more significant role than ever in managing their own healthcare, this has, somewhat paradoxically, made it more difficult for providers to engage patients with their offerings. However, there are several IT solutions that hospitals and health systems can implement to improve patient engage- ment. Here, according to a survey from Medical Group Management Association and Cedar, are the six tech tools that healthcare leaders have found to have the greatest impact on both patient engagement and practice workflow in recent years: • Patient portals • Automated appointment reminder systems • Check-in technologies (e.g. kiosks, tablets, mobile apps) • Telehealth • Digital payment options • Data analytics n Only 24% of hospitals screen for social determinants of health By Mackenzie Bean A bout a quarter of U.S. hospitals screen patients for the five main social needs linked to health outcomes, ac- cording to a study published in JAMA Network Open. For the study, researchers analyzed survey responses from a nationally representative group of 2,333 physician prac- tices and 757 hospitals using the 2017-18 National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems. They sought to assess how many organizations self-report- ed screening patients for the following social needs: • Food insecurity • Housing instability • Utility needs • Transportation needs • Experience with interpersonal violence Researchers found 24.4 percent of hospitals reported screening for all five social needs, compared to 15.6 per- cent of physician practices. Practices that served a larger population of disadvantaged patients were more likely to screen for health needs. n