Access to life-sustaining anti-HIV drugs is slowly improving for poor and uninsured patients
HIV/AIDS Research
Choice of hospital, not just insurance status, determines care received by people with HIV
Health Care Quality
Reliability of current physician report cards questioned
Hospitals share quality of care report cards with administrators and key staff but doubt their value
State-required hospital forms do not accurately document eligibility and consent for organ donation
AHCPR's CAHPS® project is developing surveys designed to help consumers choose the right health plan
Long-Term Care
Quality of care is most important nursing home measure
Residents of nursing homes with special care units and more physicians are less likely to be hospitalized
Primary Care
Primary care physician referral rates are a physician-driven behavior
Outcomes/Effectiveness Research
Researchers compare outcomes for pneumonia patients who receive outpatient treatment with those who are hospitalized
More long-term research is needed on cryosurgery as a second-line therapy for prostate cancer
Health Care Use and Delivery
Use of hormone replacement therapy may be more strongly linked to sociodemographic than clinical factors
Self-reported health status is a strong predictor of health care utilization
Concerns about mental and social well-being may strongly influence patients' treatment decisions
Adolescents accurately characterize the preventive care they receive
Early DNR orders do not seem to affect medical resource use
Skepticism about the value of conventional medical care may be a risk factor for early death
Health Care Costs and Financing
Annual health care costs associated with sinusitis and conjunctivitis are enormous
Investor-owned and tax-exempt hospitals differ in their approach to diversification of services
Managed Care
Managed care has spread from the United States to Latin America with an uncertain effect on quality and access to care
Doctors who feel pressured by insurers to reduce services are more apt to be dissatisfied with medical practice
Researchers examine impact of managed care on hospital-physician relationships and types of services offered
Rural Health
Joining a hospital network may improve the fiscal viability of rural hospitals
Conference attendees outline research agenda for community and migrant health centers
AHCPR News and Notes
AHCPR to fund centers of excellence for research on health care markets and managed care
Announcements
AHCPR unveils its updated health care quality improvement database
AHCPR expands public access to two hospital databases
New online service offers quick answers to questions about hospital care
New MEPS chartbook of nursing home data is now available from AHCPR
AHCPR funds new study on treating depression in teenagers
AHCPR announces MEPS workshops
Connecting Ethics and Health Policy, Pooks Hill Marriott, Bethesda, MD, October 1, 1999
New projects funded
Research Briefs
Assessing the generalizability of prognostic information
Distributed decision support using a Web-based interface: Prevention of sudden cardiac death
Conditional length of stay
Methods for combining rates from several studies
Return to Research Activities Index
Research Findings
AHRQ Home Page
Department of Health and Human Services