Neil M. Kalwani
Clinical Instructor, Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Bio
Neil Kalwani, MD, MPP is a Clinical Instructor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Director of Preventive Cardiology at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. He attended college at Yale University and completed graduate degrees in medicine and public policy at Harvard University. He trained in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital before arriving at Stanford in 2018 for fellowship in cardiovascular medicine, during which he served as Chief Fellow. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship through the Stanford-AHRQ Health Services Research Training Program in the Department of Health Policy. His clinical focus is in general and preventive cardiology and echocardiography. He practices at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and at Stanford Health Care.
Dr. Kalwani's research focuses on the evaluation of policies and care delivery innovations designed to improve the value of care for patients with cardiovascular disease.
Clinical Focus
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Echocardiography
- Preventive Medicine
Academic Appointments
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Clinical Instructor, Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
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Member (Postdoc), Cardiovascular Institute
Administrative Appointments
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Director of Preventive Cardiology, VA Palo Alto Health Care System (2024 - Present)
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Chief Fellow, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine (2020 - 2021)
Honors & Awards
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Early Career Leadership Forum, California Chapter, American College of Cardiology (2022)
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Early Career Investigator Abstract Award Semi-Finalist, AHA Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Conference Program Committee (2021)
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General Winner, Stanford Resident/Fellow Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Symposium (2021)
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Early Career Investigator Travel Award, AHA Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Conference Program Committee (2020)
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Value-Based Health Care Delivery Intensive Seminar, Partners HealthCare Center of Expertise in Health Policy and Management and Harvard Business School (2017)
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John H. Knowles Fellowship, Harvard Kennedy School (2013)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
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Member, American Society of Echocardiography (2022 - Present)
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Member, American College of Cardiology (2018 - Present)
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Member, American Heart Association (2018 - Present)
Professional Education
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Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (2018)
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Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford University, Health Services Research (2022)
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Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease (2021)
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Fellowship: Stanford School of Medicine (2021) CA
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Board Certification, American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (2018)
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Residency: Brigham and Women's Hospital (2018) MA
All Publications
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Temporal trends in lipoprotein(a) testing among United States veterans from 2014 to 2023
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE CARDIOLOGY
2024; 20
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ajpc.2024.100872
View details for Web of Science ID 001331656700001
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Temporal trends in lipoprotein(a) testing among United States veterans from 2014 to 2023.
American journal of preventive cardiology
2024; 20: 100872
Abstract
Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is a causal, genetically-inherited risk amplifier for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Practice guidelines increasingly recommend broad Lp(a) screening among various populations to optimize preventive care. Corresponding changes in testing rates and population-level detection of elevated Lp(a) in recent years has not been well described.Using Veterans Affairs electronic health record data, we performed a retrospective cohort study evaluating temporal trends in Lp(a) testing and detection of elevated Lp(a) levels (defined as greater than 50 mg/dL) from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2023 among United States Veterans without prior Lp(a) testing. Testing rates were stratified based on demographic and clinical factors to investigate possible drivers for and disparities in testing: age, sex, race and ethnicity, history of ASCVD, and neighborhood social vulnerability.Lp(a) testing increased nationally from 1 test per 10,000 eligible Veterans (558 tests) in 2014 to 9 tests per 10,000 (4,440 tests) in 2023, while the proportion of elevated Lp(a) levels remained stable. Factors associated with higher likelihood of Lp(a) testing over time were a history of ASCVD, Asian race, and residing in neighborhoods with less social vulnerability.Despite a 9-fold increase in Lp(a) testing among US Veterans over the last decade, the overall testing rate remains extremely low. The steady proportion of Veterans with elevated Lp(a) over time supports the clinical utility of testing expansion. Efforts to increase testing, especially among Veterans living in neighborhoods with high social vulnerability, will be important to reduce emerging disparities as novel therapeutics to target Lp(a) become available.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ajpc.2024.100872
View details for PubMedID 39430431
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC11489823
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Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Control as a Performance Measure: A National Analysis of the VHA.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
2024; 84 (13): 1272-1275
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jacc.2024.07.025
View details for PubMedID 39293887
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Evaluation of Prompts to Simplify Cardiovascular Disease Information Generated Using a Large Language Model: Cross-Sectional Study.
Journal of medical Internet research
2024; 26: e55388
Abstract
In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the completeness, readability, and syntactic complexity of cardiovascular disease prevention information produced by GPT-4 in response to 4 kinds of prompts.
View details for DOI 10.2196/55388
View details for PubMedID 38648104
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Clinical Impact of Routine Assessment of Patient-Reported Health Status in Heart Failure Clinic.
Circulation
2024
Abstract
The impact of routine clinic use of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures on clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) has not been well-characterized. We tested if clinic-based use of a disease-specific PRO improves patient-reported quality of life at 1 year.PRO-HF was an open-label, parallel, patient-level randomized clinical trial of routine PRO assessment or usual care at an academic HF clinic between August 30, 2021, and June 30, 2022, with 1 year of follow-up. In the PRO assessment arm, participants completed the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-12 (KCCQ-12) at each HF clinic visit and results were shared with their treating clinician. The usual care arm completed the KCCQ-12 at randomization and 1 year later, which was not shared with the treating clinician. The primary outcome was the KCCQ-12 Overall Summary Score (OSS) between 12-15 months post-randomization. Secondary outcomes included domains of the KCCQ-12, hospitalization and emergency department visit rates, HF medication therapy, clinic visit frequency, and testing rates.Across 17 clinicians, 1,248 participants were enrolled and randomized to PRO assessment (n=624) or usual care (n=624). The median age was 63.9 (interquartile range [IQR] 51.8-72.8), 38.9% were women, and the median baseline KCCQ-12 OSS was 82.3 (IQR 58.3-94.8). Final KCCQ-12 (available in 87.9% of the PRO arm and 85.1% in usual care [p=0.16]) median OSS scores were 87.5 (IQR 68.8-96.9) in the PRO arm and 87.6 (IQR 69.7-96.9) in the usual care arm with a baseline-adjusted mean difference of 0.2 (95% CI: -1.7 to 2.0; p=0.85). The results were consistent across pre-specified subgroups. A post hoc analysis demonstrated a significant interaction with greater benefit among participants with baseline KCCQ-12 OSS scores of 60-80 but not in less or more symptomatic participants. No significant differences were found in 1-year mortality, hospitalizations, ED visits, medication therapy, clinic follow-up, or testing rates between arms.Routine PRO assessment in HF clinic visits did not impact patient-reported quality of life or other clinical outcomes. Alternate strategies and settings for embedding PROs into routine clinical care should be tested.
View details for DOI 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.069624
View details for PubMedID 38583147
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IMPACT OF CLINICIAN TELEMEDICINE USE ON NEW MEDICATION ORDERS FOR PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2024: 632
View details for Web of Science ID 001291434300633
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IMPACT OF CLINICIAN TELEMEDICINE USE ON NEW MEDICATION ORDERS FOR PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2024: 632
View details for Web of Science ID 001324901500633
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LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL TESTING AND CONTROL AS PERFORMANCE METRICS: A NATIONAL ANALYSIS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2024: 2014
View details for Web of Science ID 001324901502048
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Assessment of Price Variation in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery at US Hospitals.
Journal of the American Heart Association
2024: e031982
Abstract
Little is known about hospital pricing for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Using new price transparency data, we assessed variation in CABG prices across US hospitals and the association between higher prices and hospital characteristics, including quality of care.Prices for diagnosis related group code 236 were obtained from the Turquoise database and linked by Medicare Facility ID to publicly available hospital characteristics. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to assess factors predictive of higher prices. Across 544 hospitals, median commercial and self-pay rates were 2.01 and 2.64 times the Medicare rate ($57 240 and $75 047, respectively, versus $28 398). Within hospitals, the 90th percentile insurer-negotiated price was 1.83 times the 10th percentile price. Across hospitals, the 90th percentile commercial rate was 2.91 times the 10th percentile hospital rate. Regional median hospital prices ranged from $35 624 in the East South Central to $84 080 in the Pacific. In univariate analysis, higher inpatient revenue, greater annual discharges, and major teaching status were significantly associated with higher prices. In multivariable analysis, major teaching and investor-owned status were associated with significantly higher prices (+$8653 and +$12 200, respectively). CABG prices were not related to death, readmissions, patient ratings, or overall Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hospital rating.There is significant variation in CABG pricing, with certain characteristics associated with higher rates, including major teaching status and investor ownership. Notably, higher CABG prices were not associated with better-quality care, suggesting a need for further investigation into drivers of pricing variation and the implications for health care spending and access.
View details for DOI 10.1161/JAHA.123.031982
View details for PubMedID 38362880
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Uptake of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors in hospitalized patients with heart failure: insights from the veterans affairs healthcare system.
Journal of cardiac failure
2024
Abstract
The use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) in Veteran Affairs (VA) patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) has not been previously reported.VA electronic health record data were used to identify patients hospitalized for HF (primary or secondary diagnosis) from 01/2019-11/2022. Patients with SGLT2i allergy, advanced/end-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD), or advanced HF therapies were excluded. We identified factors associated with discharge SGLT2i prescription among hospitalizations in 2022. We also compared SGLT2i and angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) prescription rates. Hospital-level variation in SGLT2i prescription was assessed via the median odds ratio.A total of 69,680 patients were hospitalized for HF; 10.3% were prescribed SGLT2i at discharge (4.4% newly prescribed, 5.9% continued pre-admission therapy). SGLT2i prescription increased over time and was higher in patients with HFrEF and primary HF. Among 15,762 patients hospitalized in 2022, SGLT2i prescription was more likely in patients with diabetes (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.27; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.09-2.47) and ischemic heart disease (aOR 1.14; 95% CI: 1.03-1.26). Patients with increased age (aOR 0.77 per 10 years; 95% CI: 0.73-0.80) and lower systolic blood pressure (aOR 0.94 per 10mmHg; 95% CI: 0.92-0.96) were less likely to be prescribed SGLT2i, and SGLT2i prescription was not more likely in patients with CKD (aOR 1.07; 95% CI 0.98-1.16). The adjusted median odds ratio suggested a 1.8-fold variation in the likelihood that similar patients at 2 random VA sites were prescribed SGLT2i (range 0%-21.0%). In patients with EF ≤40%, 30.9% were prescribed SGLT2i while 26.9% were prescribed ARNI (p<0.01).One-tenth of VA patients hospitalized for HF were prescribed SGLT2i at discharge. Opportunities exist to reduce variation in SGLT2i prescription across hospitals and promote use in patients with CKD and older age.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cardfail.2023.12.018
View details for PubMedID 38281540
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Patient Representativeness With Virtual Enrollment in the PRO-HF Trial.
Journal of the American Heart Association
2024; 13 (2): e030903
View details for DOI 10.1161/JAHA.123.030903
View details for PubMedID 38226522
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Drivers of telemedicine in primary care clinics at a large academic medical centre.
Journal of telemedicine and telecare
2023: 1357633X231219311
Abstract
COVID-19 disrupted healthcare routines and prompted rapid telemedicine implementation. We investigated the drivers of visit modality selection (telemedicine versus in-person) in primary care clinics at an academic medical centre.We used electronic medical record data from March 2020 to May 2022 from 13 primary care clinics (N = 21,031 new, N = 207,292 return visits), with 55% overall telemedicine use. Hierarchical logistic regression and cross-validation methods were used to estimate the variation in visit modality explained by the patient, clinician and visit factors as measured by the mean-test area under the curve (AUC).There was significant variation in telemedicine use across clinicians (ranging from 0-100%) for the same visit diagnosis. The strongest predictors of telemedicine were the clinician seen for new visits (mean AUC of 0.79) and the primary visit diagnosis for return visits (0.77). Models based on all patient characteristics combined accounted for relatively little variation in modality selection, 0.54 for new and 0.58 for return visits, respectively. Amongst patient characteristics, males, patients over 65 years, Asians and patient's with non-English language preferences used less telemedicine; however, those using interpreter services used significantly more telemedicine.Clinician seen and primary visit diagnoses were the best predictors of visit modality. The distinction between new and return visits and the minimal impact of patient characteristics on visit modality highlights the complexity of clinical care and warrants research approaches that go beyond linear models to uncover the emergent causal effects of specific technology features mediated by tasks, people and organisations.
View details for DOI 10.1177/1357633X231219311
View details for PubMedID 38130140
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An initiative to promote value-based stress test selection in primary care and cardiology clinics: A mixed methods evaluation.
Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
2023
Abstract
Exercise stress echocardiograms (stress echos) are overused, whereas exercise stress electrocardiograms (stress ECGs) can be an appropriate, lower-cost substitute. In this post hoc, mixed methods evaluation, we assessed an initiative promoting value-based, guideline-concordant ordering practices in primary care (PC) and cardiology clinics.Change in percent of stress ECGs ordered of all exercise stress tests (stress ECGs and echos) was calculated between three periods: baseline (January 2019-February 2020); Period 1 with reduced stress ECG report turnaround time + PC-targeted education (began June 2020); and Period 2 with the addition of electronic health record-based alternative alert (AA) providing point-of-care clinical decision support. The AA was deployed in two of five PC clinics in July 2020, two additional PC clinics in January 2021, and one of four cardiology clinics in February 2021. Nineteen primary care providers (PCPs) and five cardiologists were interviewed in Period 2.Clinicians reported reducing ECG report turnaround time was crucial for adoption. PCPs specifically reported that value-based education helped change their practice. In PC, the percent of stress ECGs ordered increased by 38% ± 6% (SE) (p < 0.0001) from baseline to Period 1. Most PCPs identified the AA as the most impactful initiative, yet stress ECG ordering did not change (6% ± 6%; p = 0.34) between Periods 1 and 2. In contrast, cardiologists reportedly relied on their expertise rather than AAs, yet their stress ECGs orders increased from Period 1 to 2 to a larger degree in the cardiology clinic with the AA (12% ± 5%; p = 0.01) than clinics without the AA (6% ± 2%; p = 0.01). The percent of stress ECGs ordered was higher in Period 2 than baseline for both specialties (both p < 0.0001).This initiative influenced ordering behaviour in PC and cardiology clinics. However, clinicians' perceptions of the initiative varied between specialties and did not always align with the observed behaviour change.
View details for DOI 10.1111/jep.13896
View details for PubMedID 37459156
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Sociodemographic disparities in the use of cardiovascular ambulatory care and telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
American heart journal
2023
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated adoption of telemedicine in cardiology clinics. Early in the pandemic, there were sociodemographic disparities in telemedicine use. It is unknown if these disparities persisted and whether they were associated with changes in the population of patients accessing care.We examined all adult cardiology visits at an academic and an affiliated community practice in Northern California from March 2019 to February 2020 (pre-COVID) and March 2020 to February 2021 (COVID). We compared patient sociodemographic characteristics between these periods. We used logistic regression to assess the association of patient/visit characteristics with visit modality (in-person vs telemedicine and video- vs phone-based telemedicine) during the COVID period.There were 54,948 pre-COVID and 58,940 COVID visits. Telemedicine use increased from <1% to 70.7% of visits (49.7% video, 21.0% phone) during the COVID period. Patient sociodemographic characteristics were similar during both periods. In adjusted analyses, visits for patients from some sociodemographic groups were less likely to be delivered by telemedicine, and when delivered by telemedicine, were less likely to be delivered by video versus phone. The observed disparities in the use of video-based telemedicine were greatest for patients aged ≥80 years (vs age <60, OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.21, 0.28), Black patients (vs non-Hispanic White, OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.56, 0.74), patients with limited English proficiency (vs English proficient, OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.46-0.59), and those on Medicaid (vs privately insured, OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.41-0.54).During the first year of the pandemic, the sociodemographic characteristics of patients receiving cardiovascular care remained stable, but the modality of care diverged across groups. There were differences in the use of telemedicine vs in-person care and most notably in the use of video- vs phone-based telemedicine. Future studies should examine barriers and outcomes in digital healthcare access across diverse patient groups.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ahj.2023.06.011
View details for PubMedID 37369269
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10290766
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Evaluating the Implementation of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Heart Failure Clinic: A Qualitative Assessment.
Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes
2023: e009677
Abstract
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may improve care for patients with heart failure. The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-12 (KCCQ-12) is a patient survey that captures symptom frequency, symptom burden, physical limitations, social limitations, and quality of life. Despite the utility of PROs and the KCCQ-12, the implementation and routine use of these measures can be difficult. We conducted an evaluation of clinician perceptions of the KCCQ-12 to identify barriers and facilitators to implementation into clinical practice.We conducted interviews with cardiologists from 4 institutions across the United States and Canada (n=16) and observed clinic visits at 1 institution in Northern California (n=5). Qualitative analysis was conducted in 2 rounds: (1) rapid analysis constructed around major themes related to the aims of the study and (2) content analysis with codes derived from the rapid analysis and implementation science.Most heart failure physicians and advanced practice clinicians reported that the KCCQ-12 was acceptable, appropriate, and useful in clinical care. Clinician engagement efforts, trialability, and the straightforward design of the KCCQ-12 facilitated its use in clinical care. Further opportunities identified to facilitate implementation include more streamlined integration into the electronic health record and comprehensive staff education on PROs. Participants highlighted that the KCCQ-12 was useful in clinic visits to improve the consistency of patient history taking, focus patient-clinician conversations, collect a more accurate account of patient quality of life, track trends in patient well-being over time, and refine clinical decision-making.In this qualitative study, clinicians reported that the KCCQ-12 enhanced several aspects of heart failure patient care. Use of the KCCQ-12 was facilitated by a robust clinician engagement campaign and the design of the KCCQ-12 itself. Future implementation of PROs in heart failure clinic should focus on streamlining electronic health record integration and providing additional staff education on the value of PROs.URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT04164004.
View details for DOI 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.122.009677
View details for PubMedID 37114990
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PERSISTENT SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES IN CARDIOVASCULAR TELEMEDICINE USE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2023: 2287
View details for Web of Science ID 000990866102298
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Early Results of the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement in Heart Failure Clinic (PRO-HF) Trial
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2022: E572
View details for Web of Science ID 000928164500017
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Impact of Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement in Heart Failure Clinic on Clinician Health Status Assessment and Patient Experience: A Sub-Study of the PRO-HF Trial.
Circulation. Heart failure
2022
Abstract
Background: Clinicians typically estimate heart failure (HF) health status using the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, which is often discordant with patient-reported health status. It is unknown if collecting patient-reported health status improves the accuracy of clinician assessments. Methods: The Patient-Reported Outcomes in Heart Failure Clinic (PRO-HF) trial is a randomized, non-blinded trial evaluating routine Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-12 (KCCQ-12) collection in HF clinic. Patients with a scheduled visit to Stanford HF clinic between August 30, 2021, and June 30, 2022 were enrolled and randomized to KCCQ-12 assessment or usual care. In this prespecified sub-study, we evaluated whether access to the KCCQ-12 improved the accuracy of clinicians' NYHA assessment or patients' perspectives on their clinician interaction. We surveyed clinicians regarding their patients' NYHA class, quality of life, and symptom frequency. Clinician responses were compared with patients' KCCQ-12 responses. We surveyed patients regarding their clinician interactions. Results: Of the 1,248 enrolled patients, 1,051 (84.2%) attended a visit during the sub-study. KCCQ-12 results were given to the clinicians treating the 528 patients in the KCCQ-12 arm; the 523 patients in the usual care arm completed the KCCQ-12 without the results being shared. The correlation between NYHA class and KCCQ-12 Overall Summary Score was stronger when clinicians had access to the KCCQ-12 (r=-0.73 vs. r=-0.61, p<0.001). More patients in the KCCQ-12 arm strongly agreed that their clinician understood their symptoms (95.2% vs. 89.7% of respondents; [OR 2.27; 95% CI: 1.32-3.87)]. However, patients in both arms reported similar quality of clinician communication and therapeutic alliance. Conclusions: Collecting the KCCQ-12 in HF clinic improved clinicians' accuracy of health status assessment; correspondingly, patients believed their clinicians better understood their symptoms. Registration: URL: ClinicalTrials.gov; Unique Identifier: NCT04164004.
View details for DOI 10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.122.010280
View details for PubMedID 36334312
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The Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement in Heart Failure Clinic Trial: Rationale and Methods of The PRO-HF Trial.
American heart journal
2022
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Among patients with heart failure (HF), patient-reported health status provides information beyond standard clinician assessment. Although HF management guidelines recommend collecting patient-reported health status as part of routine care, there is minimal data on the impact of this intervention.STUDY DESIGN: The Patient-Reported Outcomes in Heart Failure Clinic (PRO-HF) trial is a pragmatic, randomized, implementation-effectiveness trial testing the hypothesis that routine health status assessment via the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-12 (KCCQ-12) leads to an improvement in patient-reported health status among patients treated in a tertiary health system HF clinic. PRO-HF has completed randomization of 1,248 participants to routine KCCQ-12 assessment or usual care. Patients randomized to the KCCQ-12 arm complete KCCQ-12 assessments before each HF clinic visit with the results shared with their treating clinician. Clinicians received education regarding the interpretation and potential utility of the KCCQ-12. The primary endpoint is the change in KCCQ-12 over 1 year. Secondary outcomes are HF therapy patterns and healthcare utilization, including clinic visits, testing, hospitalizations, and emergency department (ED) visits. As a sub-study, PRO-HF also evaluated the impact of routine KCCQ-12 assessment on patient experience and the accuracy of clinician-assessed health status. In addition, clinicians completed semi-structured interviews to capture their perceptions on the trial's implementation of routine KCCQ-12 assessment in clinical practice.CONCLUSIONS: PRO-HF is a pragmatic, randomized trial based in a real-world HF clinic to determine the feasibility of routinely assessing patient-reported health status and the impact of this intervention on health status, care delivery, patient experience, and the accuracy of clinician health status assessment.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ahj.2022.10.081
View details for PubMedID 36309127
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Drivers of variation in telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic: The experience of a large academic cardiovascular practice.
Journal of telemedicine and telecare
2022: 1357633X221130288
Abstract
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 spurred rapid adoption and expansion of telemedicine. We investigated the factors driving visit modality (telemedicine vs. in-person) for outpatient visits at a large cardiovascular center.METHODS: We used electronic health record data from March 2020 to February 2021 from four cardiology subspecialties (general cardiology, electrophysiology, heart failure, and interventional cardiology) at a large academic health system in Northern California. There were 21,912 new and return visits with 69% delivered by telemedicine. We used hierarchical logistic regression and cross-validation methods to estimate the variation in visit modality explained by patient, clinician, and visit factors as measured by the mean area under the curve.RESULTS: Across all subspecialties, the clinician seen was the strongest predictor of telemedicine usage, while primary visit diagnosis was the next most predictive. In general cardiology, the model based on clinician seen had a mean area under the curve of 0.83, the model based on the primary diagnosis had a mean area under the curve of 0.69, and the model based on all patient characteristics combined had a mean area under the curve of 0.56. There was significant variation in telemedicine use across clinicians within each subspecialty, even for visits with the same primary visit diagnosis.CONCLUSION: Individual clinician practice patterns had the largest influence on visit modality across subspecialties in a large cardiovascular medicine practice, while primary diagnosis was less predictive, and patient characteristics even less so. Cardiovascular clinics should reduce variability in visit modality selection through standardized processes that integrate clinical factors and patient preference.
View details for DOI 10.1177/1357633X221130288
View details for PubMedID 36214200
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DRIVERS OF VARIATION IN TELEMEDICINE USE AT AN ACADEMIC CARDIOVASCULAR CENTER DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2022: 2046
View details for Web of Science ID 000781026602247
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Changes in telemedicine use and ambulatory visit volumes at a multispecialty cardiovascular center during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Journal of telemedicine and telecare
1800: 1357633X211073428
Abstract
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, cardiology clinics rapidly implemented telemedicine to maintain access to care. Little is known about subsequent trends in telemedicine use and visit volumes across cardiology subspecialties. We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all patients with ambulatory visits at a multispecialty cardiovascular center in Northern California from March 2019 to February 2020 (pre-COVID) and March 2020 to February 2021 (COVID). Telemedicine use increased from 3.5% of visits (1200/33,976) during the pre-COVID period to 63.0% (21,251/33,706) during the COVID period. Visit volumes were below pre-COVID levels from March to May 2020 but exceeded pre-COVID levels after June 2020, including when local COVID-19 cases peaked. Telemedicine use was above 75% of visits in all cardiology subspecialties in April 2020 and stabilized at rates ranging from over 95% in electrophysiology to under 25% in heart transplant and vascular medicine. From June 2020 to February 2021, subspecialties delivering a greater percentage of visits through telemedicine experienced larger increases in new patient visits (r=0.81, p=0.029). Telemedicine can be used to deliver a significant proportion of outpatient cardiovascular care though utilization varies across subspecialties. Higher rates of telemedicine adoption may increase access to care in cardiology clinics.
View details for DOI 10.1177/1357633X211073428
View details for PubMedID 35108126
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Initial Outcomes of CardioClick, a Telehealth Program for Preventive Cardiac Care: Observational Study.
JMIR cardio
2021; 5 (2): e28246
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Telehealth use has increased in specialty clinics, but there is limited evidence on the outcomes of telehealth in primary cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention.OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the initial outcomes of CardioClick, a telehealth primary CVD prevention program.METHODS: In 2017, the Stanford South Asian Translational Heart Initiative (a preventive cardiology clinic focused on high-risk South Asian patients) introduced CardioClick, which is a clinical pathway replacing in-person follow-up visits with video visits. We assessed patient engagement and changes in CVD risk factors in CardioClick patients and in a historical in-person cohort from the same clinic.RESULTS: In this study, 118 CardioClick patients and 441 patients who received in-person care were included. CardioClick patients were more likely to complete the clinic's CVD prevention program (76/118, 64.4% vs 173/441, 39.2%, respectively; P<.001) and they did so in lesser time (mean, 250 days vs 307 days, respectively; P<.001) than the patients in the historical in-person cohort. Patients who completed the CardioClick program achieved reductions in CVD risk factors, including blood pressure, lipid concentrations, and BMI, which matched or exceeded those observed in the historical in-person cohort.CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth can be used to deliver care effectively in a preventive cardiology clinic setting and may result in increased patient engagement. Further studies on telehealth outcomes are needed to determine the optimal role of virtual care models across diverse preventive medicine clinics.
View details for DOI 10.2196/28246
View details for PubMedID 34499037
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High-Deductible Health Plans and Emergency Care for Chest Pain: To Go or Not to Go?
Circulation
2021
View details for DOI 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.055368
View details for PubMedID 34176296
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STATIN ADHERENCE AFTER HEART TRANSPLANTATION: AN OUTCOMES ANALYSIS
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2021: 569
View details for Web of Science ID 000647487500568
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Management of Lymphatic Vascular Malformations: A Systematic Review of the Literature.
Journal of vascular surgery. Venous and lymphatic disorders
2021
Abstract
Lymphatic malformations (LM) are common congenital vascular lesions, most often diagnosed at birth. They deform local anatomy and can be life-threatening if they compress the aerodigestive tract or other vital structures. Significant progress has been made in the treatment of LM in the past twenty years. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on the management of LM.On September 21, 2020, we searched PubMed/MEDLINE for studies published from 2000 to 2020 reporting outcomes of invasive and pharmacologic treatment of LM.A total of 251 studies met eligibility criteria. Surgery continues to be a mainstay in the management of LM, especially in the treatment of microcystic and mixed lesions. Sclerotherapy has emerged as a first-line treatment for macrocystic LM and as an adjunctive therapy used in combination with surgery for other lesions. Sirolimus, a strong inhibitor of mTOR, has shown tremendous promise in the treatment of LM, both as an oral and a topical agent. Recent investigations have shown the potential of targeted small molecule modulators of cellular pathways in the treatment of LM.Multiple invasive and pharmacologic therapies have been shown to be effective in the treatment of LM. Future research should focus on rigorous, prospective comparisons of these treatment modalities.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jvsv.2021.01.013
View details for PubMedID 33540133
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Application of the Quadruple Aim to evaluate the operational impact of a telemedicine program.
Healthcare (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
2021; 9 (4): 100593
Abstract
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine utilization has increased dramatically, yet most institutions lack a standardized approach to determine how much to invest in these programs.We used the Quadruple Aim to evaluate the operational impact of CardioClick, a program replacing in-person follow-up visits with video visits in a preventive cardiology clinic. We examined data for 134 patients enrolled in CardioClick with 181 video follow-up visits and 276 patients enrolled in the clinic's traditional prevention program with 694 in-person follow-up visits.Patients in CardioClick and the cohort receiving in-person care were similar in terms of age (43 vs 45 years), gender balance (74% vs 79% male), and baseline clinical characteristics. Video follow-up visits were shorter than in-person visits in terms of clinician time (median 22 vs 30 min) and total clinic time (median 22 vs 68 min). Video visits were more likely to end on time than in-person visits (71 vs 11%, p < .001). Physicians more often completed video visit documentation on the day of the visit (56 vs 42%, p = .002).Implementation of video follow-up visits in a preventive cardiology clinic was associated with operational improvements in the areas of efficiency, patient experience, and clinician experience. These benefits in three domains of the Quadruple Aim justify expanded use of telemedicine at our institution.The Quadruple Aim provides a framework to evaluate telemedicine programs recently implemented in many health systems.Level III (retrospective comparative study).
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2021.100593
View details for PubMedID 34749227
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Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Ambulatory Surgery Centers.
JACC. Cardiovascular interventions
2020
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).BACKGROUND: Little is known about patients who underwent ASC PCI before Medicare reimbursement was instituted in2020.METHODS: Using commercial insurance claims from MarketScan, adults who underwent hospital outpatient department (HOPD) or ASC PCI for stable ischemic heart disease from 2007 to 2016 were studied. Propensity score analysis was used to measure the association between treatment setting and the primary composite outcome of 30-day myocardial infarction, bleeding complications, and hospital admission.RESULTS: The unmatched sample consisted of 95,492 HOPD and 849 ASC PCIs. Patients who underwent ASC PCI were more likely to be younger than 65 years, to live in the southern United States, and to have managed or consumer-driven health insurance. ASC PCI was also associated with decreased fractional flow reserve utilization (odds ratio [OR]: 0.31; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20 to 0.48; p<0.001). In unmatched, multivariate analysis, ASC PCI was associated with increased odds of the primary outcome (OR: 1.25; 95%CI: 1.01 to 1.56; p=0.039) and bleeding complications (OR: 1.80; 95%CI: 1.11 to 2.90; p=0.016). In propensity-matched analysis, ASC PCI was not associated with the primary outcome (OR: 1.23; 95%CI: 0.94 to 1.60; p=0.124) but was significantly associated with increased bleeding complications (OR: 2.49; 95%CI: 1.25 to 4.95; p=0.009).CONCLUSIONS: Commercially insured patients undergoing ASC PCI were less likely to undergo fractional flow reserve testing and had higher odds of bleeding complications than HOPD-treated patients. Further study is warranted as Medicare ASC PCI volume increases.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jcin.2020.10.015
View details for PubMedID 33183992
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Electrical Storm in COVID-19.
JACC. Case reports
2020; 2 (9): 1256–60
Abstract
COVID-19 is a global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Infection is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular disease or evidence of myocardial injury are at risk for severe disease and death. Little is understood about the mechanisms of myocardial injury or life-threatening cardiovascular sequelae. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jaccas.2020.05.032
View details for PubMedID 32835266
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7259914
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Longer-term impact of cardiology e-consults.
American heart journal
2016; 173: 86-93
Abstract
Cardiac e-consults may be an effective way to deliver value-oriented outpatient cardiology care in an accountable care organization. Initial results of cardiac e-consults have demonstrated high satisfaction among both patients and referring providers, no known adverse events, and low rates of diagnostic testing. Nevertheless, differences between e-consults and traditional consults, effects of e-consults on traditional consult volume, and whether patients seek traditional consults after e-consults are unknown.We established a cardiac e-consult program on January 13, 2014. We then conducted detailed medical record reviews of all patients with e-consults to detect any adverse clinical events and detect subsequent traditional visits to cardiologists. We also performed 2 comparisons. First, we compared age, gender, and referral reason for e-consults vs traditional consults. Second, we compared changes in volume of referrals to cardiology vs other medical specialties that did not have e-consults. From January 13 to December 31, 2014, 1,642 traditional referrals and 165 e-consults were requested. The proportion of e-consults of all evaluations requested over that period was 9.1%. Gender balance was similar among traditional consults and e-consults (44.8% male for e-consults vs 45.0% for traditional consults, P = .981). E-consult patients were younger than traditional consult patients (55.3 vs 60.4 years, P < .001). After the introduction of cardiac e-consults, the increase in traditional cardiac visit requests was less than the increase in traditional visit requests for control specialties (4.5% vs 10.1%, P < .001). For e-consults with at least 6 months of follow-up, 75.6% patients did not have any type of traditional cardiology visit during the follow-up period.E-consults are an effective and safe mechanism to enhance value in outpatient cardiology care, with low rates of bounceback to traditional consults. E-consults can account for nearly one-tenth of total outpatient consultation volume at 1 year within an accountable care organization and are associated with a reduction in traditional referrals to cardiologists.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ahj.2015.11.019
View details for PubMedID 26920600
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Plasmacytoma of the Clivus Presenting as Bilateral Sixth Nerve Palsy.
Journal of neurological surgery reports
2015; 76 (1): e156-9
Abstract
Background and Importance Plasmacytomas are monoclonal proliferations of plasma cells that may arise within soft tissue or bone. The skull base is a rare site for plasmacytomas to occur, and few cases have been reported in the literature. When present in the skull base, plasmacytomas may result in cranial neuropathies and often progress to multiple myeloma more rapidly than other intracranial or skeletal plasmacytomas. Clinical Presentation A 69-year-old man presented with a primary complaint of diplopia and an examination consistent with bilateral abducens nerve palsy. No other deficits were noted. Magnetic resonance imaging of the skull base demonstrated a large T1 isointense moderately enhancing lesion centered within the clivus. Endoscopic biopsy of the mass revealed sheets and aggregates of mature monoclonal plasma cells. The patient's initial systemic work-up revealed that this was a solitary lesion, and he was treated with radiation therapy to the skull base with a durable local effect at 18-month follow-up. Unfortunately he progressed to multiple myeloma with peripheral osteolytic lesions but has been stabilized on chemotherapeutics. Conclusion The clivus is an unusual site for intracranial plasmacytomas, and enhancing lesions must be differentiated from chordoma. Characteristic findings on histopathology include an immunoglobulin light-chain restricted clonal proliferation of plasma cells. Treatment is most commonly radiotherapy with surgery reserved for biopsy and palliation. Clinicians should be aware of the increased risk of progression to multiple myeloma in skull base plasmacytomas.
View details for DOI 10.1055/s-0035-1554930
View details for PubMedID 26251795
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4520983
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FGF23 deficiency leads to mixed hearing loss and middle ear malformation in mice.
PloS one
2014; 9 (9): e107681
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a circulating hormone important in phosphate homeostasis. Abnormal serum levels of FGF23 result in systemic pathologies in humans and mice, including renal phosphate wasting diseases and hyperphosphatemia. We sought to uncover the role FGF23 plays in the auditory system due to shared molecular mechanisms and genetic pathways between ear and kidney development, the critical roles multiple FGFs play in auditory development and the known hearing phenotype in mice deficient in klotho (KL), a critical co-factor for FGF23 signaling. Using functional assessments of hearing, we demonstrate that Fgf[Formula: see text] mice are profoundly deaf. Fgf[Formula: see text] mice have moderate hearing loss above 20 kHz, consistent with mixed conductive and sensorineural pathology of both middle and inner ear origin. Histology and high-voltage X-ray computed tomography of Fgf[Formula: see text] mice demonstrate dysplastic bulla and ossicles; Fgf[Formula: see text] mice have near-normal morphology. The cochleae of mutant mice appear nearly normal on gross and microscopic inspection. In wild type mice, FGF23 is ubiquitously expressed throughout the cochlea. Measurements from Fgf[Formula: see text] mice do not match the auditory phenotype of Kl-/- mice, suggesting that loss of FGF23 activity impacts the auditory system via mechanisms at least partially independent of KL. Given the extensive middle ear malformations and the overlap of initiation of FGF23 activity and Eustachian tube development, this work suggests a possible role for FGF23 in otitis media.
View details for DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0107681
View details for PubMedID 25243481
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4171482
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Quantitative polarized light microscopy of unstained mammalian cochlear sections.
Journal of biomedical optics
2013; 18 (2): 26021
Abstract
Hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit in the world, and most frequently it originates in the inner ear. Yet, the inner ear has been difficult to access for diagnosis because of its small size, delicate nature, complex three-dimensional anatomy, and encasement in the densest bone in the body. Evolving optical methods are promising to afford cellular diagnosis of pathologic changes in the inner ear. To appropriately interpret results from these emerging technologies, it is important to characterize optical properties of cochlear tissues. Here, we focus on that characterization using quantitative polarized light microscopy (qPLM) applied to unstained cochlear sections of the mouse, a common animal model of human hearing loss. We find that the most birefringent cochlear materials are collagen fibrils and myelin. Retardance of the otic capsule, the spiral ligament, and the basilar membrane are substantially higher than that of other cochlear structures. Retardance of the spiral ligament and the basilar membrane decrease from the cochlear base to the apex, compared with the more uniform retardance of other structures. The intricate structural details revealed by qPLM of unstained cochlear sections ex vivo strongly motivate future application of polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography to human cochlea in vivo.
View details for DOI 10.1117/1.JBO.18.2.026021
View details for PubMedID 23407909
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3571355