Research Roundup: Hospital Readmissions; HPV Vaccine; Housing And Asthma

The New England Journal of Medicine: Effect Of A Hospital-Wide Measure On The Readmissions Reduction Program
The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program penalizes hospitals that have high 30-day readmission rates across specific conditions. There is support for changing to a hospital-wide readmission measure to broaden hospital eligibility and provide incentives for improvement across more conditions. ... We used Medicare claims from 2011 through 2013 to evaluate the number of hospitals that were eligible for penalties, in that they met a volume threshold of 25 admissions over a 3-year period for a specific condition or 25 admissions over a 1-year period for the cohorts included in the hospital-wide measure. ... Changing to the hospital-wide measure would result in 76 more hospitals being eligible to receive penalties. (Zuckerman et al., 10/19)

Annals Of Internal Medicine: Sex Differences In Prevalence And Concordance Of Oral Vs. Genital HPV
The burden of human papillomavirus (HPV)–positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is disproportionately high among men, yet empirical evidence regarding the difference in prevalence of oral HPV infection between men and women is limited. ... The overall prevalence of oral HPV infection was 11.5% ... in men and 3.2% ... in women (equating to 11 million men and 3.2 million women nationwide). (Sonawane et. al, 10/17)

The Kaiser Family Foundation: The HPV Vaccine: Access And Use In The U.S.
The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine is the first and only vaccination that helps protect women and men from getting many different types of cancer that are associated with different HPV strains. The vaccine protects young people against infection from certain strains of the HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States.1 Since HPV vaccines were first introduced in the U.S. in 2006 there have been changes in the range of protection they offer and the dosing regimen. Furthermore, the vaccines were originally recommended only for girls and young women and were subsequently broadened to include boys and young men. This factsheet discusses HPV and related cancers, use of the HPV vaccines for both females and males, and insurance coverage and access to the vaccines. (10/19)

Urban Institute: The Relationship Between Housing And Asthma Among School-Age Children
Interest in the intersection between health and housing is rising within both sectors as they work together to prevent asthma attacks and reduce related emergency room (ER) and hospital use. Initiatives to reduce asthma triggers in the home—including mold, pests, and tobacco smoke—are under way across the country, from home remediation to new regulations (e.g., a public housing smoking ban). Understanding the relationship between asthma, ER and urgent care visits, and housing-related triggers is difficult, but the 2015 American Housing Survey includes a special module with questions on asthma and triggers in the home. (Ganesh, Scally, Skopec and Zhu, 10/16)

Commonwealth Fund: Preventable Spending High-Cost Medicare Patients
A large share of Medicare spending is generated by a relatively small group of patients with expensive medical needs. These patients, many of whom are frail and elderly, account for the vast majority of potentially preventable Medicare spending. Interventions targeting the health conditions of these patients could significantly reduce avoidable expenditures in Medicare. (Jha et. al, 10/17)

JAMA Internal Medicine: Gestational Diabetes And Long-Term Cardiovascular Disease Risk
In this cohort study, with follow-up of nearly 90 000 US women older than 26 years, women with a history of gestational diabetes had 43% greater risk of CVD (myocardial infarction or stroke) compared with women without prior gestational diabetes , although absolute rates in this cohort were low. Adhering to healthy lifestyle factors over follow-up mitigated this modestly elevated risk. (Tobias et al., 10/16)