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Tag: UC San Diego Health

  • Pilot Project to Help Patients with Transportation Barriers Get to Appointments

    Pilot Project to Help Patients with Transportation Barriers Get to Appointments

    Newswise — A collaboration between UC San Diego Health and 211 San Diego, a region-wide, non-profit referral service that connects anyone living in San Diego County to community, health, social and disaster services, will help to improve patient outcomes by addressing social determinants.

    The region’s only academic medical center is the first hospital system in the county to participate in the pilot project, which will improve access to transportation resources for UC San Diego Health patients who have been discharged from the hospital and may have barriers getting to follow-up appointments.

    The recently launched effort is made possible through the San Diego Community Information Exchange (CIE), which 211 San Diego spearheads and of which UC San Diego Health is a member.

    The CIE works to improve how services, such as transportation, food, legal assistance, and more, are delivered in our region. The services are coordinated through an integrated technology platform that shares information electronically to network partners with the goal of improving the health and well-being of people across San Diego County.

    The CIE is a growing network of 132 local partner organizations, working together to break down silos of care across health, social and educational sectors.

    “The collaborative effort between UC San Diego Health, 211 San Diego/CIE and CIE partners, will allow us to identify the social needs of patients. Then, using innovative technology, we can seamlessly connect our patients to needed resources,” said Christopher Longhurst, MD, chief medical officer and chief digital officer at UC San Diego Health.

    The process works by screening patients to ensure they have access to transportation resources to get to their follow-up appointments. If a patient is found in need of services, they can be connected to more than 410 services offered by the CIE network of providers.

    “The overall goal is to provide proactive, patient-centered care and advance equity for patients in our health system,” said Donna Beifus, chief administrative officer for care management at UC San Diego Health.

    The pilot project will allow for the sharing of challenges and best practices, inform policy decisions and contribute to the ongoing development of the CIE technology platform.

    “211 San Diego’s mission is to connect people to resources and to partner with our community to transform how people access help,” said William York, president and chief executive officer of 211 San Diego.

    “We are proud to work with UC San Diego Health to launch this project that is our mission in action. It uses the full strength of our cross-sector CIE network to remove access barriers and get people connected to critical health services.”

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    UC San Diego Health

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  • Phase II Trial Studies Effects of Semaglutide Medication in Patients with NASH

    Phase II Trial Studies Effects of Semaglutide Medication in Patients with NASH

    Newswise — Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-related cirrhosis can lead to serious liver-related outcomes. In a phase 2 trial, lead author Rohit Loomba, MD, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, and collaborators, report semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly in patients with NASH-related cirrhosis did not improve fibrosis without worsening of NASH. However, the drug did lead to marked improvements in cardiometabolic risk parameters, liver enzymes, serum fibrosis biomarkers and liver fat.

    UC San Diego Health

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  • Cannabis-Related Emergency Department Visits among Older Adults on the Rise

    Cannabis-Related Emergency Department Visits among Older Adults on the Rise

    Newswise — As a growing number of older adults are experimenting with cannabis to help alleviate chronic symptoms, a new University of California San Diego School of Medicine study has identified a sharp increase in cannabis-related emergency department visits among the elderly.

    The study, published Jan. 9, 2023 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, identified a 1,808% relative increase in the rate of cannabis-related trips to the emergency department among California adults ages 65 and older from 2005 to 2019. Researchers used a trend analysis of data from the Department of Healthcare Access and Information and found that cannabis-related emergency department visits went from a total of 366 in 2005 to 12,167 in 2019.

    The significant increase is particularly troublesome to geriatricians, given that older adults are at a higher risk for adverse health effects associated with psychoactive substances, including cannabis.

    “Many patients assume they aren’t going to have adverse side effects from cannabis because they often don’t view it as seriously as they would a prescription drug,” said Benjamin Han, MD, MPH, the study’s first author and a geriatrician in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

    “I do see a lot of older adults who are overly confident, saying they know how to handle it — yet as they have gotten older, their bodies are more sensitive, and the concentrations are very different from what they may have tried when they were younger.”

    The use of cannabis by older adults has increased sharply over the past two decades in the United States with the legalization for medical and recreational purposes in many states. California legalized medical marijuana in 1996 and recreational cannabis in 2016. While there is limited evidence that cannabis may be helpful for specific conditions, older adults are increasingly using the plant-based drug to treat a wide range of symptoms and using it socially — while their perceived risk of regular use is decreasing.

    The study highlights that cannabis use among older adults can lead to unintended consequences that require emergency care for a variety of reasons. Cannabis can slow reaction time and impair attention, which may lead to injuries and falls; increase the risk for psychosis, delirium and paranoia; exacerbate cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases and interact with other prescription medications.

    “We know from work in alcohol that older adults are more likely to make a change in substance use if they see that it is linked to an undesirable medical symptom or outcome — so linking cannabis use similarly could help with behavioral change,” said Alison Moore, MD, MPH, co-author of the study and chief of the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

    “We truly have much to learn about cannabis, given all the new forms of it and combinations of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol), and this will inform our understanding of risks and possible benefits, too.”

    The study highlights that education and discussions with older adults about cannabis use should be included in routine medical care. Yet, according to Moore, current substance uses screening questionnaires typically lump cannabis/marijuana with non-legal drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, which can lead to patients being hesitant to answer.

    “Instead, asking a question like, ‘Have you used cannabis — also known as marijuana — for any reason in the last 12 months?’ would encourage older adults to answer more frankly,” Moore said.

    “Providers can then ask how frequently cannabis is used, for what purpose — such as medically for pain, sleep, or anxiety or recreationally to relax — in what form (smoked, eaten, applied topically) and if they know how much THC and CBD it contains. Once the provider has this type of information, they can then educate the patient about potential risks of use.”

    “Although cannabis may be helpful for some chronic symptoms, it is important to weigh that potential benefit with the risk, including ending up in an emergency department,” Han said.

    Interestingly, the study found while emergency department visits increased sharply between 2013 and 2017, they leveled off in 2017 after the implementation of Proposition 64. The availability of recreational cannabis does not appear to correlate with a higher rate of cannabis-related emergency department visits among older adults.

    Co-authors of the study include Jesse Brennan, Mirella Orozco and Edward Castillo, all with UC San Diego.

    This research was funded, in part, by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K23DA043651).

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    UC San Diego Health

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  • UC San Diego Health Awarded Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery

    UC San Diego Health Awarded Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery

    Newswise — UC San Diego Health has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery (ACSS) by meeting or exceeding the highest level of national performance standards. The Gold Seal represents a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s demonstrated ability to implement result-driven processes and advance patient outcomes.

    “As the region’s only academic medical center, we proactively seek advanced certifications in specialty care that confirm our commitment to providing extraordinary care for all of our patients,” said Patty Maysent, CEO, UC San Diego Health. “This designation celebrates and recognizes UC San Diego Health as a premiere destination for routine or complex spine surgery cases.”

    To be eligible for ACSS, organizations must implement evidence-based care, clinical practice guidelines and participate in the American Spine Registry, a national quality improvement registry for spine care. Additionally, organizations need to collect performance measurement data on surgical site infection rates, new neurological deficits, unplanned return visits to the operating room, and pre-operative and post-operative patient reported outcomes.

    “This certification affirms the presence of highly reliable processes successfully implemented by a multidisciplinary team of expert specialists, whose organized focus provides the best level of care for each patient,” said Alexander Khalessi, MD, MBA, neurosurgeon and chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at UC San Diego Health.

    The certification was achieved through an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Department of Neurological Surgery and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at UC San Diego Health.

    “More than 100 people came together as part of our spine care teams to prepare for this certification process,” said Susan Bukata, MD, orthopedic surgeon and chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at UC San Diego Health. “The team-centered approach ensured coordination of best practices and brought diverse perspectives and expertise together to provide the highest quality of care to patients with spine disorders.”

    The multidisciplinary team included specialists from orthopedics, neurosurgery, medicine, nursing, anesthesia, pharmacy, rehabilitative services and case management.

    Offered in collaboration with the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the certification is granted to organizations with data-driven care processes, patient safeguards and demonstrated high quality patient outcomes with low complication profiles.

    “This certification demonstrates our institution is strongly positioned to hit the mark for every patient, every time,” said Khalessi. “We also meticulously track outcomes and follow-up to allow for continuous improvement that elevates the standard of care in the field.”

    UC San Diego Health underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review in September 2022. During the visit, a Joint Commission reviewer evaluated compliance with related certification standards, including anonymized patient cases, surgical outcomes, quality data collection methods and a review of care pathway processes.

    Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The reviewer also conducted onsite observations and interviews with team members.

    “As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend UC San Diego Health for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”

    UC San Diego Health is the regional referral center for complex spine reconstructions and a national leader in minimally invasive spine surgery, as well as other surgical and non-surgical treatments for spinal disorders.

    In the 2022-2022 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” survey, UC San Diego Health was ranked the #1 hospital system in San Diego and #5 in California. The hospital system was ranked 21st for neurology and neurosurgery care and 39th for orthopedics, among the nation’s top 50 programs out of more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide.

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    UC San Diego Health

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