OBJECTIVES: (1) Explore associations between county minority health social vulnerability index (MH-SVI) and total joint replacement (TJR), and (2) assess associations by individual-level race/ethnicity. BACKGROUND: An expanded understanding of relevant social determinants of health is essential to inform policies and practices that promote equitable access to hip and knee TJR. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of Medicare enrollees. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services claims data were linked with MH-SVI. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the odds of TJR according to the MH-SVI quartile in which enrollees resided. A total of 10,471,413 traditional Medicare enrollees in 2018 aged 67 years or older with arthritis. The main outcome was enrollee primary TJR during hospitalization. The main exposure was the MH-SVI (composite and 6 themes) for the county of enrollee residence. Results were stratified by enrollee race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander (AANHPI), Black or African American (Black), and Hispanic enrollees comparatively had 26%-41% lower odds of receiving TJR than White enrollees. Residing in counties within the highest quartile of composite and socioeconomic status vulnerability measures were associated with lower TJR overall and by race/ethnicity. Residing in counties with increased medical vulnerability for Black and White enrollees, housing type and transportation vulnerability for AANHPI and Hispanic enrollees, minority status and language theme for AANHPI enrollees, and household composition vulnerability for White enrollees were also associated with lower TJR. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of social vulnerability were associated with lower TJR. However, the association varied by individual race/ethnicity. Implementing multisectoral strategies is crucial for ensuring equitable access to care.

BACKGROUND: The field of healthcare epidemiology is increasingly focused on identifying, characterizing, and addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) to address inequities in healthcare quality. To identify evidence gaps, we examined recent systematic reviews examining the association of race, ethnicity, and SDOH with inpatient quality measures. METHODS: We searched Medline via OVID for English language systematic reviews from 2010 to 2022 addressing race, ethnicity, or SDOH domains and inpatient quality measures in adults using specific topic questions. We imported all citations to Covidence (www.covidence.org, Veritas Health Innovation) and removed duplicates. Two blinded reviewers assessed all articles for inclusion in 2 phases: title/abstract, then full-text review. Discrepancies were resolved by a third reviewer. RESULTS: Of 472 systematic reviews identified, 39 were included. Of these, 23 examined all-cause mortality; 6 examined 30-day readmission rates; 4 examined length of stay, 4 examined falls, 2 examined surgical site infections (SSIs) and one review examined risk of venous thromboembolism. The most evaluated SDOH measures were sex (n = 9), income and/or employment status (n = 9), age (n = 6), race and ethnicity (n = 6), and education (n = 5). No systematic reviews assessed medication use errors or healthcare-associated infections. We found very limited assessment of other SDOH measures such as economic stability, neighborhood, and health system access. CONCLUSION: A limited number of systematic reviews have examined the association of race, ethnicity and SDOH measures with inpatient quality measures, and existing reviews highlight wide variability in reporting. Future systematic evaluations of SDOH measures are needed to better understand the relationships with inpatient quality measures.

OBJECTIVE: The 2014 US National Strategy for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (CARB) aimed to reduce inappropriate inpatient antibiotic use by 20% for monitored conditions, such as community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), by 2020. We evaluated annual trends in length of therapy (LOT) in adults hospitalized with uncomplicated CAP from 2013 through 2020. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among adults with a primary diagnosis of bacterial or unspecified pneumonia using International Classification of Diseases Ninth and Tenth Revision codes in MarketScan and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services databases. We included patients with length of stay (LOS) of 2-10 days, discharged home with self-care, and not rehospitalized in the 3 days following discharge. We estimated inpatient LOT based on LOS from the PINC AI Healthcare Database. The total LOT was calculated by summing estimated inpatient LOT and actual postdischarge LOT. We examined trends from 2013 to 2020 in patients with total LOT >7 days, which was considered an indicator of likely excessive LOT. RESULTS: There were 44,976 and 400,928 uncomplicated CAP hospitalizations among patients aged 18-64 years and ≥65 years, respectively. From 2013 to 2020, the proportion of patients with total LOT >7 days decreased by 25% (68% to 51%) among patients aged 18-64 years and by 27% (68%-50%) among patients aged ≥65 years. CONCLUSIONS: Although likely excessive LOT for uncomplicated CAP patients decreased since 2013, the proportion of patients treated with LOT >7 days still exceeded 50% in 2020. Antibiotic stewardship programs should continue to pursue interventions to reduce likely excessive LOT for common infections.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of an inpatient stewardship intervention targeting fluoroquinolone use on inpatient and postdischarge Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). DESIGN: We used an interrupted time series study design to evaluate the rate of hospital-onset CDI (HO-CDI), postdischarge CDI (PD-CDI) within 12 weeks, and inpatient fluoroquinolone use from 2 years prior to 1 year after a stewardship intervention. SETTING: An academic healthcare system with 4 hospitals. PATIENTS: All inpatients hospitalized between January 2017 and September 2020, excluding those discharged from locations caring for oncology, bone marrow transplant, or solid-organ transplant patients. INTERVENTION: Introduction of electronic order sets designed to reduce inpatient fluoroquinolone prescribing. RESULTS: Among 163,117 admissions, there were 683 cases of HO-CDI and 1,104 cases of PD-CDI. In the context of a 2% month-to-month decline starting in the preintervention period (P < .01), we observed a reduction in fluoroquinolone days of therapy per 1,000 patient days of 21% after the intervention (level change, P < .05). HO-CDI rates were stable throughout the study period. In contrast, we also detected a change in the trend of PD-CDI rates from a stable monthly rate in the preintervention period to a monthly decrease of 2.5% in the postintervention period (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Our systemwide intervention reduced inpatient fluoroquinolone use immediately, but not HO-CDI. However, a downward trend in PD-CDI occurred. Relying on outcome measures limited to the inpatient setting may not reflect the full impact of inpatient stewardship efforts.

Among persons with an initial Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) across 10 US sites in 2018 compared with 2013, 18.3% versus 21.1% had 1 recurrent CDI (rCDI) within 180 days. We observed a 16% lower adjusted risk of rCDI in 2018 versus 2013 (P<.0001).

OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic caused substantial changes to healthcare delivery and antibiotic prescribing beginning in March 2020. To assess pandemic impact on Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates, we described patients and trends in facility-level incidence, testing rates, and percent positivity during 2019-2020 in a large cohort of US hospitals. METHODS: We estimated and compared rates of community-onset CDI (CO-CDI) per 10,000 discharges, hospital-onset CDI (HO-CDI) per 10,000 patient days, and C. difficile testing rates per 10,000 discharges in 2019 and 2020. We calculated percent positivity as the number of inpatients diagnosed with CDI over the total number of discharges with a test for C. difficile. We used an interrupted time series (ITS) design with negative binomial and logistic regression models to describe level and trend changes in rates and percent positivity before and after March 2020. RESULTS: In pairwise comparisons, overall CO-CDI rates decreased from 20.0 to 15.8 between 2019 and 2020 (P < .0001). HO-CDI rates did not change. Using ITS, we detected decreasing monthly trends in CO-CDI (-1% per month, P = .0036) and HO-CDI incidence (-1% per month, P < .0001) during the baseline period, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic declaration. We detected no change in monthly trends for CO-CDI or HO-CDI incidence or percent positivity after March 2020 compared with the baseline period. CONCLUSIONS: While there was a slight downward trajectory in CDI trends prior to March 2020, no significant change in CDI trends occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic despite changes in infection control practices, antibiotic use, and healthcare delivery.

OBJECTIVES: In December 2020, CDC launched the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program to facilitate COVID-19 vaccination of residents and staff in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), including assisted living (AL) and other residential care (RC) communities. We aimed to assess vaccine uptake in these communities and identify characteristics that might impact uptake. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: AL/RC communities in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program that had ≥1 on-site vaccination clinic during December 18, 2020-April 21, 2021. METHODS: We estimated uptake by using the cumulative number of doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered and normalizing by the number of AL/RC community beds. We estimated the percentage of residents vaccinated in 3 states using AL census counts. We linked community vaccine administration data with county-level social vulnerability index (SVI) measures to calculate median vaccine uptake by SVI tertile. RESULTS: In AL communities, a median of 67 residents [interquartile range (IQR): 48-90] and 32 staff members (IQR: 15-60) per 100 beds received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the first on-site clinic; in RC, a median of 8 residents (IQR: 5-10) and 5 staff members (IQR: 2-12) per 10 beds received a first dose. Among 3 states with available AL resident census data, median resident first-dose uptake at the first clinic was 93% (IQR: 85-108) in Connecticut, 85% in Georgia (IQR: 70-102), and 78% (IQR: 56-91) in Tennessee. Among both residents and staff, cumulative first-dose vaccine uptake increased with increasing social vulnerability related to housing type and transportation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: COVID-19 vaccination of residents and staff in LTCFs is a public health priority. On-site clinics may help to increase vaccine uptake, particularly when transportation may be a barrier. Ensuring steady access to COVID-19 vaccine in LTCFs following the conclusion of the Pharmacy Partnership is critical to maintaining high vaccination coverage among residents and staff.

Previously reported associations between hospital-level antibiotic use and hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (HO-CDI) were reexamined using 2012-2018 data from a new cohort of US acute-care hospitals. This analysis revealed significant positive associations between total, third-generation, and fourth-generation cephalosporin, fluoroquinolone, carbapenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam use and HO-CDI rates, confirming previous findings.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of residents and staff members in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) (1). Although skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have federal COVID-19 reporting requirements, national surveillance data are less readily available for other types of LTCFs, such as assisted living facilities (ALFs) and those providing similar residential care. However, many state and territorial health departments publicly report COVID-19 surveillance data across various types of LTCFs. These data were systematically retrieved from health department websites to characterize COVID-19 cases and deaths in ALF residents and staff members. Limited ALF COVID-19 data were available for 39 states, although reporting varied. By October 15, 2020, among 28,623 ALFs, 6,440 (22%) had at least one COVID-19 case among residents or staff members. Among the states with available data, the proportion of COVID-19 cases that were fatal was 21.2% for ALF residents, 0.3% for ALF staff members, and 2.5% overall for the general population of these states. To prevent the introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in their facilities, ALFs should 1) identify a point of contact at the local health department; 2) educate residents, families, and staff members about COVID-19; 3) have a plan for visitor and staff member restrictions; 4) encourage social (physical) distancing and the use of masks, as appropriate; 5) implement recommended infection prevention and control practices and provide access to supplies; 6) rapidly identify and properly respond to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases in residents and staff members; and 7) conduct surveillance of COVID-19 cases and deaths, facility staffing, and supply information (2).

Rationale & Objective: Most new patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) initiate hemodialysis (HD) with a central venous catheter (CVC) and later transition to a permanent vascular access with lower infection risk. The benefit of early fistula use in preventing severe infections is incompletely understood. We examined patients’ first access and subsequent transitions between accesses during the first year of HD to estimate the risk for bloodstream infection (BSI) associated with incident and time-dependent use of HD access. Study Design: A retrospective cohort study using enhanced 5% Medicare claims data. Setting & Participants: New patients with ESRD initiating HD between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012, and having complete pre-ESRD Medicare fee-for-service coverage for 2 years. Exposure: The incident and prevalent use of CVC, graft, or fistula as determined from monthly reports to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services by HD providers. Outcome: Incident hospitalization with a primary/secondary diagnosis of BSI (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 038.xx or 790.7). Analytical Approach: Extended survival analysis accounting for patient confounders. Results: Of 2,352 study participants, 1,870 (79.5%), 77 (3.3%), and 405 (17.2%) initiated HD with a CVC, graft, and fistula, respectively. During the first year, the incident BSI hospitalization rates per 1,000 person-days were 1.3, 0.8, and 0.3 (P<0.001) in patients initiating with a CVC, graft, and fistula, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, incident fistula use was associated with 61% lower risk for BSI (HR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.28-0.54; P<0.001) compared with incident CVC or graft use. The prevalent fistula or graft use was associated with lower risk for BSI compared with prevalent CVC use (HRs of 0.30 [95% CI, 0.22-0.42] and 0.47 [95% CI, 0.31-0.73], respectively). Limitations: Restricted to an elderly population; potential residual confounding. Conclusions: Incident fistula use was associated with lowest rates of BSI, but the majority of beneficiaries with pre-ESRD insurance initiated HD with a CVC. Strategies are needed to improve pre-ESRD fistula placement.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Orange County Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) prevention collaborative's effect on rates of CDI in acute-care hospitals (ACHs) in Orange County, California. DESIGN: Controlled interrupted time series. METHODS: We convened a CDI prevention collaborative with healthcare facilities in Orange County to reduce CDI incidence in the region. Collaborative participants received onsite infection control and antimicrobial stewardship assessments, interactive learning and discussion sessions, and an interfacility transfer communication improvement initiative during June 2015-June 2016. We used segmented regression to evaluate changes in monthly hospital-onset (HO) and community-onset (CO) CDI rates for ACHs. The baseline period comprised 17 months (January 2014-June 2015) and the follow-up period comprised 28 months (September 2015-December 2017). All 25 Orange County ACHs were included in the CO-CDI model to account for direct and indirect effects of the collaborative. For comparison, we assessed HO-CDI and CO-CDI rates among 27 ACHs in 3 San Francisco Bay Area counties. RESULTS: HO-CDI rates in the 15 participating Orange County ACHs decreased 4% per month (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.96; 95% CI, 0.95-0.97; P &lt; .0001) during the follow-up period compared with the baseline period and 3% (IRR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-0.99; P = .002) per month compared to the San Francisco Bay Area nonparticipant ACHs. Orange County CO-CDI rates declined 2% per month (IRR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-1.00; P = .03) between the baseline and follow-up periods. This decline was not statistically different from the San Francisco Bay Area ACHs (IRR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-1.00; P = .09). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis of ACHs in Orange County provides evidence that coordinated, regional multifacility initiatives can reduce CDI incidence.

OBJECTIVE: To compare risk of surgical site infection (SSI) following cesarean delivery between women covered by Medicaid and private health insurance. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. STUDY POPULATION: Cesarean deliveries covered by Medicaid or private insurance and reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and state inpatient discharge databases by hospitals in California (2011-2013). METHODS: Deliveries reported to NHSN and state inpatient discharge databases were linked to identify SSIs in the 30 days following cesarean delivery, primary payer, and patient and procedure characteristics. Additional hospital-level characteristics were obtained from public databases. Relative risk of SSI by primary payer primary payer was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for patient, procedure, and hospital characteristics, accounting for facility-level clustering. RESULTS: Of 291,757 cesarean deliveries included, 48% were covered by Medicaid. SSIs were detected following 1,055 deliveries covered by Medicaid (0.75%) and 955 deliveries covered by private insurance (0.63%) (unadjusted odds ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-1.3; P &lt; .0001). The adjusted odds of SSI following cesarean deliveries covered by Medicaid was 1.4 (95% CI, 1.2-1.6; P &lt; .0001) times the odds of those covered by private insurance. CONCLUSIONS: In this, the largest and only multicenter study to investigate SSI risk following cesarean delivery by primary payer, Medicaid-insured women had a higher risk of infection than privately insured women. These findings suggest the need to evaluate and better characterize the quality of maternal healthcare for and needs of women covered by Medicaid to inform targeted infection prevention and policy.

BACKGROUND: Unnecessary antibiotic use (AU) contributes to increased rates of Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI). The impact of antibiotic restriction on hospital-onset CDI (HO-CDI) has not been assessed in a large group of U.S. acute care hospitals (ACHs). METHODS: We examined cross-sectional and temporal associations between rates of hospital-level AU and HO-CDI using data from 549 ACHs. HO-CDI, a discharge with a secondary ICD-9-CM for CDI (008.45) and treatment with metronidazole or oral vancomycin >/= 3 days after admission. Analyses were performed using multivariable generalized estimating equation models adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics. RESULTS: During 2006-2012, the unadjusted annual rates of HO-CDI and total AU were 7.3 per 10,000 patient-days (PD) (95% CI: 7.1-7.5) and 811 days of therapy (DOT)/1,000 PD (95% CI: 803-820), respectively. In the cross-sectional analysis, for every 50 DOT/1,000 PD increase in total AU, there was a 4.4% increase in HO-CDI. For every 10 DOT/1,000 PD increase in use of third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins or carbapenems there was a 2.1% and 2.9% increase in HO-CDI, respectively. In the time-series analysis, the 6 ACHs with a >/= 30% decrease in total AU had a 33% decrease in HO-CDI (rate ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.47-0.96); ACHs with a >/= 20% decrease in fluoroquinolone or third- and fourth-generation cephalosporin use had a corresponding decrease in HO-CDI of 8% and 13%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: At an ecologic level, reductions in total AU, use of fluoroquinolones and third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins were each associated with decreased HO-CDI rates.

We appreciate the letter from Dinh and colleagues [1] that highlights the rationale for reducing duration of antibiotic use, the importance of building a strong evidence base for improved clinical practice, and the role of antibiotic stewardship in promoting appropriate antibiotic prescribing in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). | | First, we agree with the authors’ focus on strengthening the evidence base through noninferiority trials testing shorter versus longer durations of antibiotic treatment. In particular, this strengthened evidence could have a major impact on appropriate antibiotic use. One potential reason for lack of adherence to the current recommendations on duration of therapy may be clinician concerns about the safety of shorter courses of antibiotic therapy. Although guidance is informed by evidence from randomized controlled noninferiority trials, gaps in the evidence remain for specific agents and classes, and for region-specific effects [2–4]. Many of the trials have been conducted in Europe, which may have a different distribution of etiologies (i.e., causative organisms). Regional variation in species distribution, antibiotic resistance patterns, available antibiotics, and healthcare system characteristics highlight the importance for local research to inform guidance [3]. A more robust evidence base from well-designed studies may lead to stronger guideline recommendations.

BACKGROUND: As the US population ages, the number of hip and knee arthroplasties is expected to increase. Because surgical site infections (SSIs) following these procedures contribute substantial morbidity, mortality, and costs, we projected SSIs expected to occur from 2020 through 2030. METHODS: We used a stochastic Poisson process to project the number of primary and revision arthroplasties and SSIs. Primary arthroplasty rates were calculated using annual estimates of hip and knee arthroplasty stratified by age and gender from the 2012-2014 Nationwide Inpatient Sample and standardized by census population data. Revision rates, dependent on time from primary procedure, were obtained from published literature and were uniformly applied for all ages and genders. Stratified complex SSI rates for arthroplasties were obtained from 2012-2015 National Healthcare Safety Network data. To evaluate the possible impact of prevention measures, we recalculated the projections with an SSI rate reduced by 30%, the national target established by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). RESULTS: Without a reduction in SSI rates, we projected an increase in complex SSIs following hip and knee arthroplasty of 14% between 2020 and 2030. We projected a total burden of 77,653 SSIs; however, meeting the 30% rate reduction could prevent 23,297 of these SSIs. CONCLUSIONS: Given current SSI rates, we project that complex SSI burden for primary and revision arthroplasty may increase due to an aging population. Reducing the SSI rate to the national HHS target could prevent 23,000 SSIs and reduce subsequent morbidity, mortality, and Medicare costs.

In healthcare settings, Acinetobacter spp. bacteria commonly demonstrate antimicrobial resistance, making them a major treatment challenge. Nearly half of Acinetobacter organisms from clinical cultures in the United States are nonsusceptible to carbapenem antimicrobial drugs. During 2012-2015, we conducted laboratory- and population-based surveillance in selected metropolitan areas in Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee to determine the incidence of carbapenem-nonsusceptible A. baumannii cultured from urine or normally sterile sites and to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients and cases. We identified 621 cases in 537 patients; crude annual incidence was 1.2 cases/100,000 persons. Among 598 cases for which complete data were available, 528 (88.3%) occurred among patients with exposure to a healthcare facility during the preceding year; 506 (84.6%) patients had an indwelling device. Although incidence was lower than for other healthcare-associated pathogens, cases were associated with substantial illness and death.

Background: Previous studies suggest duration of antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) often exceeds national recommendations and might represent an important opportunity to improve antibiotic stewardship nationally. The objective of this study was to determine average length of antibiotic therapy (LOT) for patients treated for uncomplicated CAP in US hospitals and proportion of patients with excessive durations. Methods: Records of retrospective cohorts of patients 18-64 years with private insurance and ≥65 years with Medicare hospitalized for CAP in 2012-13 were utilized. Inpatient LOT was estimated as a function of LOS using MarketScan(R) Hospital Drug Database data. Outpatient LOT was based on prescriptions filled at discharge. Data were obtained from MarketScan(R) Commercial Claims and Encounters and 100% Medicare claims and Part D event files. Excessive duration was defined as outpatient LOT >3 days. Results: Inclusion criteria were met for 22,128 patients 18-64 years across 2,100 hospitals and 130,746 patients ≥65 years across 3,227 hospitals. Median total LOT was 9.5 days. LOT exceeded recommended duration for 74% of patients 18-64 years and 71% of patients ≥65 years. Patients 18-64 years received a median (quartile 1 -quartile 3) 6 (3-7) days outpatient LOT and those ≥65 years 5 (3-7) days. Conclusions: In this nationwide sample of patients hospitalized for uncomplicated CAP, median total LOT was just under 10 days, with over 70% of patients having likely excessive treatment duration. Better adherence to recommended duration of therapy for CAP by improving prescribing at hospital discharge may be an important target for antibiotic stewardship programs.

Among dialysis facilities participating in a bloodstream infection (BSI) prevention collaborative, access-related BSI incidence rate improvements observed immediately following implementation of a bundle of BSI prevention interventions were sustained for up to 4 years. Overall, BSI incidence remained unchanged from baseline in the current analysis.

BACKGROUND: To inform clinical guidance, public health efforts, and research directions, probiotic use in U.S. health care needs to be better understood. This work aimed to assess the prevalence of inpatient probiotic use in a sample of U.S. hospitals. METHODS: Probiotic use among patients discharged in 2012 was estimated using the MarketScan Hospital Drug Database. In addition, the annual trend in probiotic use (2006-2012) was assessed among a subset of hospitals. RESULTS: Among 145 hospitals with 1,976,167 discharges in 2012, probiotics were used in 51,723 (2.6%) of hospitalizations occurring in 139 (96%) hospitals. Patients receiving probiotics were 9 times more likely to receive antimicrobials (P < .0001) and 21 times more likely to have a Clostridium difficile infection diagnosis (P < .0001). The most common probiotic formulations were Saccharomyces boulardii (32% of patients receiving probiotics), Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (30%), L acidophilus (28%), and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (11%). Probiotic use increased from 1.0% of 1,090,373 discharges in 2006 to 2.9% of 1,006,051 discharges in 2012 (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of U.S. hospitals, a sizable and growing number of inpatients received probiotics as part of their care despite inadequate evidence to support their use in this population. Additional research is needed to guide probiotic use in the hospital setting.

This study estimated Medicare reimbursement attributable to periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) across the continuum of covered services four years following hip or knee arthroplasty. Using 2001-2008 Medicare claims data, total and annual attributable reimbursements were assessed using generalized linear regression, adjusting for potential confounders. Within one year following arthroplasty, 109 (1.04%) of 10,418 beneficiaries were diagnosed with PJI. Cumulative Medicare reimbursement in the PJI arm was 2.2-fold (1.9-2.6, P<.0001) or $53,470 ($39,575-$68,221) higher than that of the non-PJI arm. The largest difference in reimbursement occurred the first year (3.2-fold); differences persisted the second (2.3-fold) and third (1.9-fold) follow up years. PJI following hip or knee arthroplasty appears costly to Medicare, with cost traversing several years and health care service areas.

BACKGROUND: Most catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are considered preventable and thus a potential target for health care quality improvement and cost savings. OBJECTIVES: We sought to estimate excess Medicare reimbursement, length of stay, and inpatient death associated with CAUTI among hospitalized beneficiaries. RESEARCH DESIGN: Using a retrospective cohort design with linked Medicare inpatient claims and National Healthcare Safety Network data from 2009, we compared Medicare reimbursement between Medicare beneficiaries with and without CAUTIs. SUBJECTS: Fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older with continuous coverage of parts A (hospital insurance) and B (supplementary medical insurance). RESULTS: We found that beneficiaries with CAUTI had higher median Medicare reimbursement [intensive care unit (ICU): $8548, non-ICU: $1479) and length of stay (ICU: 8.1 d, non-ICU: 3.6 d) compared with those without CAUTI controlling for potential confounding factors. Odds of inpatient death were higher among beneficiaries with versus without CAUTI only among those with an ICU stay (ICU: odds ratio 1.37). CONCLUSIONS: Beneficiaries with CAUTI had increased Medicare reimbursement and length of stay compared with those without CAUTI after adjusting for potential confounders.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and primary arthroplasty surgical site infection (SSI) rates are declining slower than other healthcare-associated infection rates. We examined antimicrobial prophylaxis (AMP) regimens used for these operations and compared their spectrum of activity against reported SSI pathogens. METHODS: Pathogen distributions of CABG and hip/knee arthroplasty complex SSIs (deep and organ/space) reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) from 2006 through 2009 and AMP regimens (same procedures and time period) reported to the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) were analyzed. Regimens were categorized as standard (cefazolin or cefuroxime), beta-lactam allergy (vancomycin or clindamycin with or without an aminoglycoside), and extended spectrum (vancomycin and/or an aminoglycoside with cefazolin or cefuroxime). AMP activity of each regimen was predicted on the basis of pathogen susceptibility reports and published spectra of antimicrobial activity. RESULTS: There were 6,263 CABG and arthroplasty complex SSIs reported (680,489 procedures; 880 NHSN hospitals). Among 6,574 pathogens reported, methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (23%), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (18%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (17%), and Enterococcus species (7%) were most common. AMP regimens for 2,435,703 CABG and arthroplasty procedures from 3,330 SCIP hospitals were analyzed. The proportion of pathogens predictably susceptible to standard (used in 75% of procedures), beta-lactam (12%), and extended-spectrum (8%) regimens was 41%-45%, 47%-96%, and 81%-96%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Standard AMP, used in three-quarters of CABG and primary arthroplasty procedures, has inadequate activity against more than half of SSI pathogens reported. Alternative strategies may be needed to prevent SSIs caused by pathogens resistant to standard AMP regimens.

BACKGROUND: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) cause substantial morbidity in hemodialysis patients. In 2009, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sponsored a collaborative project to prevent BSIs in outpatient hemodialysis facilities. We sought to assess the impact of a set of interventions on BSI and access-related BSI rates in participating facilities using data reported to the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). STUDY DESIGN: Quality improvement project. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Patients in 17 outpatient hemodialysis facilities that volunteered to participate. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN: Facilities reported monthly event and denominator data to NHSN, received guidance from the CDC, and implemented an evidence-based intervention package that included chlorhexidine use for catheter exit-site care, staff training and competency assessments focused on catheter care and aseptic technique, hand hygiene and vascular access care audits, and feedback of infection and adherence rates to staff. OUTCOMES: Crude and modeled BSI and access-related BSI rates. MEASUREMENTS: Up to 12 months of preintervention (January 2009 through December 2009) and 15 months of intervention period (January 2010 through March 2011) data from participating centers were analyzed. Segmented regression analysis was used to assess changes in BSI and access-related BSI rates during the preintervention and intervention periods. RESULTS: Most (65%) participating facilities were hospital based. Pooled mean BSI and access-related BSI rates were 1.09 and 0.73 events per 100 patient-months during the preintervention period and 0.89 and 0.42 events per 100 patient-months during the intervention period, respectively. Modeled rates decreased 32% (P = 0.01) for BSIs and 54% (P < 0.001) for access-related BSIs at the start of the intervention period. LIMITATIONS: Participating facilities were not representative of all outpatient hemodialysis centers nationally. There was no control arm to this quality improvement project. CONCLUSIONS: Facilities participating in a collaborative successfully decreased their BSI and access-related BSI rates. The decreased rates appeared to be maintained in the intervention period. These findings suggest that improved implementation of recommended practices can reduce BSIs in hemodialysis centers.