19 Aug Anxious, Frequent ER Users At Greater Risk of Readmission After Angioplasty
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jason H. Wasfy, MD
Assistant Medical Director
Massachusetts General Physicians Organization
Massachusetts General Hospital
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Wasfy: Hospital readmission after angioplasty (heart stents) is very common in the United States and is associated with poorer patient outcomes and substantial health care costs. We can predict which patients will get readmitted, but only with moderate accuracy. Analyzing the electronic medical records of large health care systems may provide clues about how to predict readmissions more accurately.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Wasfy: Patients who are anxious or have visited the emergency department frequently before the procedure may be at higher risk of readmission. For those patients, reassurance and support may help them stay out of the hospital. This has the potential to improve health outcomes after angioplasty and improve value in cardiology care generally. High quality care for patients with coronary artery disease involves not only procedures and medicines, but also creating a support system for patients to cope with their disease.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Wasfy: This type of work shows that automated analyses of large numbers of electronic patient records can create “learning laboratories” where doctors can understand how to make health care delivery better, safer, and more cost-effective. The work of moving medical records to electronic records has been hard and expensive. But that transition creates an enormous opportunity for us to build on these techniques to create a health care system that is more effective, less costly, and more responsive to patient needs.
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Jason H. Wasfy, MD (2015). Anxious, Frequent ER Users At Greater Risk of Readmission After Angioplasty
Last Updated on August 19, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD