Background Existing publicly-reported readmission measures are condition-specific, representing < 20% of adult hospitalizations. An all-condition measure may better measure quality and promote innovation. Objective To develop an all-condition, hospital-wide readmission measure. Design Measure development Setting 4,821 US hospitals. Patients Medicare Fee for Service (FFS) beneficiaries ≥ 65 years. Measurements Hospital-level, risk-standardized unplanned readmissions within 30 days of discharge. The measure uses Medicare FFS claims and is a composite of five specialty-based risk-standardized rates for medicine, surgery/gynecology, cardiorespiratory, cardiovascular and neurology cohorts. We randomly split the 2007–2008 admissions for development and validation. Models were adjusted for age, principal diagnosis and comorbidity. We examined calibration in Medicare and all-payer data, and compared hospital rankings in the development and validation samples. Results The development dataset contained 8,018,949 admissions associated with 1,276,165 unplanned readmissions (15.9%). The median hospital risk-standardized unplanned readmission rate was 15.8 (range 11.6–21.9). The five specialty cohort models accurately predicted readmission risk in both Medicare and all-payer datasets for average risk patients but slightly overestimated readmission risk at the extremes. Overall hospital risk-standardized readmission rates did not differ statistically in the split samples (p=0.7 for difference in rank) and 76% of hospitals’ validation set rankings were within two deciles of the development rank (24% >2 deciles). Of hospitals ranking in the top or bottom deciles, 90% remained within two deciles (10% >2 deciles), and 82% remained within one decile (18% > 1 decile). Limitations Risk-adjustment was limited to that available in claims data. Conclusions We developed a claims-based hospital-wide unplanned readmission measure for profiling hospitals that produced reasonably consistent results in different datasets and was similarly calibrated in both Medicare and all-payer data. Primary funding source Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

An unresolved paradox in the measurement and interpretation of unintended pregnancy is that women frequently report feeling happy about pregnancies they also classify as unintended (i.e. they have incongruent intentions and feelings). This study explores the underlying reasons why women profess such happiness and how these relate to their motivations to avoid pregnancy. Between September 2013 and February 2014, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 women (8 white, 19 Latina) selected from a longitudinal study measuring prospective pregnancy intentions and feelings among 403 women in Austin, Texas. Women were selected for interview on the basis of wanting no more children and consistently professing either happiness (n=17) or unhappiness (n=10) at the prospect of pregnancy. Interviews were coded and analyzed following the principles of grounded theory. We found that it is possible for women to express happiness at the idea of pregnancy while simultaneously earnestly trying to prevent conception. Happiness at the idea of an unintended pregnancy was explained as the result of deep and heartfelt feelings about children taking precedence over practical considerations, the perception that the psychosocial stress resulting from another child would be low, and the ability to rationalize an unintended pregnancy as the result of fate or God’s plan. The major exception to the sincerity of professed happiness was that conveyed as a result of social pressure despite truly negative feelings, predominantly expressed by foreign-born Latina women. Overall, equating incongruence with ambivalence about avoiding conception may undermine the sincerity of women’s intentions and their desires for highly-effective contraception. At the same time, unintended pregnancies that are greeted with happiness may have different implications for maternal and child health outcomes compared to pregnancies that are greeted with unhappiness. Identifying which unintended pregnancies are most likely to result in adverse outcomes is a target for future research.

Objective To assess women’s preferences for contraception after delivery, and to compare use with preferences. Methods In a prospective cohort study of women aged 18–44 years who wanted to delay childbearing for at least 2 years, we interviewed 1,700 participants from eight hospitals in Texas immediately postpartum and at 3 and 6 months after delivery. At 3 months, we assessed contraceptive preferences by asking what method women would like to be using at 6 months. We modeled preference for highly effective contraception and use given preference according to childbearing intentions using mixed-effects logistic regression, testing for variability across hospitals and differences between those with and without immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) provision. Results Approximately 80% completed both the 3 and 6-month interviews (1367/1700). Overall, preferences exceeded use for both LARC: 40.8% [n=547] vs. 21.9% [n=293] and sterilization: 36.1% [n=484] vs. 17.5% [n=235]. In the mixed-effects logistic regression models, several demographic variables were associated with a preference for LARC among women who wanted more children, but there was no significant variability across hospitals. For women who wanted more children and had a LARC preference, use of LARC was higher in the hospital that offered immediate postpartum provision (p<0.035), as it was for US-born women (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.17–3.69) and women with public prenatal care providers (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.13–3.69). In the models for those who wanted no more children, there was no significant variability in preferences for long-acting or permanent methods across hospitals. However, use given preference varied across hospitals (P<0.001) and was lower for Black women (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.12–0.55), and higher for US-born women (OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.36–3.96), those over 30 (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.07–3.09), and those with public prenatal care providers (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.18–3.51). Conclusion Limited use of long-acting and permanent contraceptive methods after delivery is associated with indicators of provider and system-level barriers. Expansion of immediate postpartum LARC provision as well as contraceptive coverage for undocumented women could reduce the gap between preference and use.

Background The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is an effective intervention to support maternal practices around breastfeeding. However, adherence of hospitals to the Baby-Friendly 10 Steps, as determined from the perspective of women participating in the United States Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, has not been assessed. Research Aims (1) To compare maternal perceptions about maternity practices in Baby-Friendly Hospitals and non-Baby-Friendly Hospitals; (2) to evaluate the associations between degree of exposure to the Baby-Friendly 10 Steps and breastfeeding practices through the first 6 months; and (3) to evaluate whether the receipt of specific Steps was associated with breastfeeding practices through 6 months. Methods This study was a cross-sectional 2 group comparison, using prospective data collected through a self-report telephone survey and retrospective data gathered from participants’ records. Women ( N = 182) participating in four Maryland Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children agencies were recruited. One hundred and eight (59%) participants delivered at designated Baby-Friendly Hospitals; 74 (41%) delivered in non-Baby-Friendly designated hospitals. Logistic regression models were utilized to determine the influence of perceived Step adherence on exclusive breastfeeding. Results Reported adherence to 10-Steps policies ranged from 10%–85% (lowest for Step 9, highest for Step 10) and only Step 9 (give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants) differed according to Baby-Friendly Hospital status. Greater exposure to the 10 Steps was positively associated with exclusive breastfeeding during hospitalization. The lack of perceived adherence to Step 6 (no food or drink other than human milk), Step 9, and the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (no formula, bottles, or artificial nipples) significantly decreased the likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding through 6 months. Conclusion Maternal perception of Baby-Friendly Step adherence was associated with exclusive breastfeeding.

CONTEXT: Early access to contraception may increase postpartum contraceptive use. However, little is known about women’s experiences receiving their desired method at the first postpartum visit or how access is associated with use. METHODS: In a 2014–2016 prospective cohort study of low-income Texas women, data were collected from 685 individuals who desired a reversible contraceptive and discussed contraception with a provider at their first postpartum visit, usually within six weeks of birth. Women’s experiences were captured using open- and close-ended survey questions. Thematic and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to examine contraceptive access and barriers, and method use at three months postpartum. RESULTS: Twenty-three percent of women received their desired method at the first postpartum visit; 11% a prescription for their desired pill, patch or ring; 8% a method (or prescription) other than that desired; and 58% no method. Among women who did not receive their desired method, 44% reported clinic-level barriers (e.g., method unavailability or no same-day provision), 26% provider-level barriers (e.g., inaccurate contraceptive counseling) and 23% cost barriers. Women who used private practices were more likely than those who used public clinics to report availability and cost barriers (odds ratios, 6.4 and 2.7, respectively). Forty-one percent of women who did not receive their desired method, compared with 86% of those who did, were using that method at three months postpartum. CONCLUSION: Ameliorating the various barriers that postpartum women face may improve their access to contraceptives. Further research is needed to improve the understanding of clinic- and provider-level barriers.