The American journal of managed care
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Optimizing number and timing of appointment reminders: a randomized trial.
To compare missed appointment rates for patients receiving a single reminder either 3 days prior to a primary care visit, 1 day prior to the visit, or both 3 days and 1 day prior to the visit. ⋯ Two automated reminders were more effective than 1 in reducing missed appointments and did not reduce visit satisfaction. A predictive model based on clinical characteristics and prior appointment history can accurately identify patients who are at highest risk of missing appointments. These individuals may benefit more from multiple reminders, but additional strategies are necessary to further reduce their rates of missed appointments.
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Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematologic malignancy that largely impacts the elderly population. Not all AML patients are candidates for the mainstay induction and consolidation treatment options. In addition, despite available therapies, most patients will eventually relapse on, or be refractory to, standard induction therapy, with limited subsequent choices and poor prognosis. ⋯ In addition, several phase 1 clinical trials with CDK9 inhibitors are currently recruiting for treatment of advanced AML. A phase 1b study is also ongoing to investigate alvocidib in combination with B-cell lymphoma-2 inhibitor venetoclax for R/R AML. Although further research is needed, CDK9 inhibitors represent a promising new approach for the treatment of AML.
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To examine temporal trends in the prevalence of nursing home (NH) patients participating in Medicare Advantage (MA) and to identify the characteristics of both these patients and the NHs that provide care for them. ⋯ MA plans may be selectively contracting with NHs, as evidenced by the larger shares of MA patients who have been placed in facilities with better performance on quality measures. This may reflect MA plans concentrating enrollees in specific facilities and building "networks" of postacute and long-term care providers that provide better and more efficient care.