IMPORTANCE Widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) in medical care has resulted in increased physician documentation workload and decreased interaction with patients. Despite the increasing use of medical scribes for EHR documentation assistance, few methodologically rigorous studies have examined the use of medical scribes in primary care. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of use of medical scribes with primary care physician (PCP) workflow and patient experience. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis 12-month crossover study with 2 sequences and 4 periods was conducted from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, in 2 medical center facilities within an integrated health care system and included 18 of 24 eligible PCPs. INTERVENTIONSThe PCPs were randomly assigned to start the first 3-month period with or without scribes and then alternated exposure status every 3 months for 1 year, thereby serving as their own controls. The PCPs completed a 6-question survey at the end of each study period. Patients of participating PCPs were surveyed after scribed clinic visits.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES PCP-reported perceptions of documentation burden and visit interactions, objective measures of time spent on EHR activity and required for closing encounters, and patient-reported perceptions of visit quality. RESULTSOf the 18 participating PCPs, 10 were women, 12 were internal medicine physicians, and 6 were family practice physicians. The PCPs graduated from medical school a mean (SD) of 13.7 (6.5) years before the study start date. Compared with nonscribed periods, scribed periods were associated with less self-reported after-hours EHR documentation (<1 hour daily during week: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 18.0 [95% CI, 4.7-69.0]; <1 hour daily during weekend: aOR, 8.7; 95% CI, 2.7-28.7). Scribed periods were also associated with higher likelihood of PCP-reported spending more than 75% of the visit interacting with the patient (aOR, 295.0; 95% CI, 19.7 to >900) and less than 25% of the visit on a computer (aOR, 31.5; 95% CI,. Encounter documentation was more likely to be completed by the end of the next business day during scribed periods (aOR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.2-7.1). A total of 450 of 735 patients (61.2%) reported that scribes had a positive bearing on their visits; only 2.4% reported a negative bearing.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Medical scribes were associated with decreased physician EHR documentation burden, improved work efficiency, and improved visit interactions. Our results support the use of medical scribes as one strategy for improving physician workflow and visit quality in primary care.

Removing restrictive scope-of-practice laws may expand the overall capacity of the primary care workforce, but only modestly in the short run. Additional efforts are needed that recognize the locational tendencies of physicians and nonphysicains.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing among adults under age 45. Onset of type 2 diabetes at a younger age increases an individual's risk for diabetes-related complications. Given the lasting benefits conferred by early glycemic control, we compared glycemic control and initial care between adults with younger onset (21-44 years) and mid-age onset (45-64 years) of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSUsing data from a large, integrated health care system, we identified 32,137 adults (aged 21-64 years) with incident diabetes (first HbA 1c ‡6.5% [ ‡48 mmol/mol]). We excluded anyone with evidence of prior type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes mellitus, or type 1 diabetes. We used generalized linear mixed models, adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, to examine differences in glycemic control and care at 1 year. RESULTSOf identified individuals, 26.4% had younger-onset and 73.6% had mid-age-onset type 2 diabetes. Adults with younger onset had higher initial mean HbA 1c values (8.9% [74 mmol/mol]) than adults with onset in mid-age (8.4% [68 mmol/mol]) (P < 0.0001) and lower odds of achieving an HbA 1c <7% (<53 mmol/mol) 1 year after the diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.70 [95% CI 0.66-0.74]), even after accounting for HbA 1c atdiagnosis. Adults with younger onset had lower odds of in-person primary care contact (aOR 0.82 [95% CI 0.76-0.89]) than those with onset during mid-age, but they did not differ in telephone contact (1.05 [0.99-1.10]). Adults with younger onset had higher odds of starting metformin (aOR 1.20 [95% CI 1.12-1.29]) but lower odds of adhering to that medication (0.74 [0.69-0.80]). CONCLUSIONSAdults with onset of type 2 diabetes at a younger age were less likely to achieve glycemic control at 1 year following diagnosis, suggesting the need for tailored care approaches to improve outcomes for this high-risk patient population.Type 2 diabetes is no longer exclusively a disease of middle-aged and older adults. Between 1990 and 2009, the number of U.S. adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes before age 45 more than doubled (1). Mounting evidence suggests that earlier disease onset significantly increases future risk for diabetes-related micro-and macrovascular complications (2-5). Given this higher risk for future complications, the lasting benefits of establishing early glycemic control may be particularly critical for adults with younger-onset type 2 diabetes.

ImportanceWhile hospital-associated venous thromboembolism (HA-VTE) is a known complication of hospitalization, contemporary incidence and outcomes data are scarce and methodologically contested.ObjectiveTo define and validate an automated electronic health record (EHR)–based algorithm for retrospective detection of HA-VTE and examine contemporary HA-VTE incidence, previously reported risk factors, and outcomes.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cohort study was conducted using hospital admissions between January 1, 2013, and June 30, 2021, with follow-up until December 31, 2021. All medical (non–intensive care unit) admissions at an integrated health care delivery system with 21 hospitals in Northern California during the study period were included. Data were analyzed from January to June 2022.ExposuresPreviously reported risk factors associated with HA-VTE and administration of pharmacological prophylaxis were evaluated as factors associated with HA-VTE.Main Outcomes and MeasuresYearly incidence rates and timing of HA-VTE events overall and by subtype (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, both, or unknown), as well as readmissions and mortality rates.ResultsAmong 1 112 014 hospitalizations involving 529 492 patients (268 797 [50.8%] women; 75 238 Asian [14.2%], 52 697 Black [10.0%], 79 398 Hispanic [15.0%], and 307 439 non-Hispanic White [58.1%]; median [IQR] age, 67.0 [54.0-79.0] years), there were 13 843 HA-VTE events (1.2% of admissions) occurring in 10 410 patients (2.0%). HA-VTE events increased from 307 of 29 095 hospitalizations (1.1%) in the first quarter of 2013 to 551 of 33 729 hospitalizations (1.6%) in the first quarter of 2021. Among all HA-VTE events, 10 746 events (77.6%) were first noted after discharge. In multivariable analyses, several factors were associated with increased odds of HA-VTE, including active cancer (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.96; 95% CI, 1.85-2.08), prior VTE (aOR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.63-1.79), and reduced mobility (aOR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.50-1.77). Factors associated with decreased likelihood of HA-VTE included Asian race (vs non-Hispanic White: aOR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.61-0.69), current admission for suspected stroke (aOR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.65-0.81), and Hispanic ethnicity (vs non-Hispanic White: aOR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.77-0.86). HA-VTE events were associated with increased risk of readmission (hazard ratio [HR], 3.33; 95% CI, 3.25-3.41) and mortality (HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.57-1.70).Conclusions and RelevanceThis study found that HA-VTE events occurred in 1.2% of medical admissions, increased over time, and were associated with increased adverse outcomes. These findings suggest that approaches designed to mitigate occurrence and outcomes associated with HA-VTE may remain needed.

IMPORTANCE Among older individuals with type 2 diabetes, those with poor health have greater risk and derive less benefit from tight glycemic control with insulin. OBJECTIVE To examine whether insulin treatment is used less frequently and discontinued more often among older individuals with poor health compared with those in good health. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis longitudinal cohort study included 21 531 individuals with type 2 diabetes followed for up to 4 years starting at age 75 years. Electronic health record data from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Diabetes Registry was collected to characterize insulin treatment and glycemic control over time. Data were collected from