TY - JOUR
T1 - Association of post-discharge specialty outpatient visits with readmissions and mortality in high-risk heart failure patients
AU - Edmonston, Daniel L.
AU - Wu, Jingjing
AU - Matsouaka, Roland A.
AU - Yancy, Clyde
AU - Heidenreich, Paul
AU - Piña, Ileana L.
AU - Hernandez, Adrian
AU - Fonarow, Gregg C.
AU - DeVore, Adam D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2019/6
Y1 - 2019/6
N2 - Heart failure (HF) outcomes are especially poor in high-risk patients with certain comorbidities including diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Whether early specialty or primary care provider (PCP) follow-up after HF discharge affects outcomes in high-risk patients is unknown. Methods: We analyzed patients discharged from a Get With The Guidelines HF-participating hospital from 2007–2012 with linked Medicare claims to investigate the association of medical specialist visit within 14 days of discharge stratified by comorbidity with the primary outcome of 90-day HF readmission. Secondary outcomes included 90-day and 1-year all-cause mortality. Results: Out of 33,243 patients, 39.4% had DM, 19.8% had CKD, 30.0% had COPD, and 36.3% had no key comorbidity. Nephrologist visit in patients with CKD was associated with a 35% reduction in 90-day HF readmission (hazard ratio [HR] 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49–0.85). Pulmonologist visit in patients with COPD was associated with a 29% reduction in 90-day HF readmission (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.55–0.91). In patients with no key comorbidity, PCP and Cardiologist visits were associated with decreased 90-day mortality (HR for PCP 0.79, 95% CI 0.66–0.94; HR for Cardiologist 0.78, 95% CI 0.63–0.96). In patients with DM, Endocrinologist visit was associated with a 42% reduction of 90-day mortality (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.34–0.99). Conclusions: Specialist and PCP visit in the immediate post-discharge period may improve 90-day HF readmission and mortality in certain high-risk groups of patients with HF.
AB - Heart failure (HF) outcomes are especially poor in high-risk patients with certain comorbidities including diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Whether early specialty or primary care provider (PCP) follow-up after HF discharge affects outcomes in high-risk patients is unknown. Methods: We analyzed patients discharged from a Get With The Guidelines HF-participating hospital from 2007–2012 with linked Medicare claims to investigate the association of medical specialist visit within 14 days of discharge stratified by comorbidity with the primary outcome of 90-day HF readmission. Secondary outcomes included 90-day and 1-year all-cause mortality. Results: Out of 33,243 patients, 39.4% had DM, 19.8% had CKD, 30.0% had COPD, and 36.3% had no key comorbidity. Nephrologist visit in patients with CKD was associated with a 35% reduction in 90-day HF readmission (hazard ratio [HR] 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49–0.85). Pulmonologist visit in patients with COPD was associated with a 29% reduction in 90-day HF readmission (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.55–0.91). In patients with no key comorbidity, PCP and Cardiologist visits were associated with decreased 90-day mortality (HR for PCP 0.79, 95% CI 0.66–0.94; HR for Cardiologist 0.78, 95% CI 0.63–0.96). In patients with DM, Endocrinologist visit was associated with a 42% reduction of 90-day mortality (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.34–0.99). Conclusions: Specialist and PCP visit in the immediate post-discharge period may improve 90-day HF readmission and mortality in certain high-risk groups of patients with HF.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ahj.2019.03.005
DO - 10.1016/j.ahj.2019.03.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 30978555
AN - SCOPUS:85063969615
SN - 0002-8703
VL - 212
SP - 101
EP - 112
JO - American heart journal
JF - American heart journal
ER -