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Coordination of Care by Primary Care PracticesApril 30, 2009Despite wide recognition that the fragmented U.S. health care system does a poor job of coordinating patients' care, little information is available about how physicians can improve care coordination, both within and across practices and care settings, according to a study released today by HSC. Research Brief No. 12Media Advisory General Hospitals, Specialty Hospitals and Financially Vulnerable PatientsApril 23, 2009Despite initial challenges recruiting staff and maintaining service volume and patient referrals, general hospitals were generally able to respond to the initial entry of specialty hospitals with few, if any, changes in the provision of care for financially vulnerable patients, according to a study by HSC of three markets with established specialty hospitals—Indianapolis, Phoenix and Little Rock, Ark. Research Brief No. 11News Release Two-Thirds of Primary Care Physicians Can't Get Mental Health Services for PatientsApril 14, 2009About two-thirds of U.S. primary care physicians reported in 2004-05 that they couldn’t get outpatient mental health services for their patients—a rate that was at least twice as high as for other services, according to a national study published today as a Web Exclusive in the journal Health Affairs. Journal Article AbstractNews Release Financial and Health Burdens of Chronic Disease GrowApril 2, 2009Almost three in 10 working-age Americans with diabetes, asthma, depression or other chronic conditions lived in families with problems paying medical bills in 2007—a significant increase from two in 10 in 2003, according to a national study released today by HSC and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Tracking Report No. 24News Release Ginsburg Testifies at House Energy and Commmerce Health Panel on TransparencyApril 2, 2009Despite well-intentioned efforts in recent years by government, employers, health plans and others to foster health care price and quality transparency, most Americans still choose doctors and hospitals the old-fashioned way—they rely on recommendations from friends and families and physicians, economist Paul Ginsburg, Ph.D., president of HSC, told Congress today. Congressional TestimonyNews Release Preventing and Managing Chronic Conditions: What’s Working in the Real World?March 16, 2009Innovative approaches to promote wellness and manage chronic conditions will be the focus of a Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) conference on April 8—the second of four HSC conferences on significant health policy topics sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance and the American College of Preventive Medicine. Click here for conference informationInsurer Personal Health Records: Can They Bridge the Information Gap?March 10, 2009While many major health insurers have created personal health records (PHRs) to allow enrollees to electronically store and organize their health care information, whether patients and physicians will embrace the new electronic tool remains an open question, according to an HSC study published today in the journal Health Affairs. Journal Article AbstractNews Release Access to Prescription Drugs for Medicare BeneficiariesMarch 5, 2009The introduction of the outpatient Medicare drug benefit in 2006 did little to close longstanding prescription drug access gaps between white and African-American seniors, healthier and sicker beneficiaries, and lower-income and higher-income beneficiaries, according to a national study released today HSC. Tracking Report No. 23News Release Care Coordination Daunting for PhysiciansFeb. 17, 2009Illustrating the formidable task of coordinating care, a typical primary care physician who treats elderly Medicare patients must coordinate care with 229 other physicians working in 117 different practices, according to a study by researchers at HSC, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the Feb. 17 Annals of Internal Medicine. A related editorial is also available. Journal Article AbstractNews Release Consumer-Directed Health Care: Promise and PerformanceJan. 27, 2009The performance of consumer-driven health care has fallen short of both the aspirations of its proponents and the fears of its critics, according to a study released today as a Web exclusive in the journal Health Affairs. Growth of the organizational forms favored by advocates of consumer-driven health care, such as high-deductible health plans and individually purchased insurance, has been anemic. Journal Article AbstractAccess to Prescription Drugs Declines Among Nonelderly AmericansJan. 22, 2009The proportion of children and working-age Americans who went without a prescription drug because of cost jumped to one in seven in 2007, up from one in 10 in 2003, according to a national study released today be HSC and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Tracking Report No. 22News Release Studies Examine Patient Trust in Physicians and Patient Views of Care CoordinationJan. 6, 2009Patients with high medical costs are less likely to trust that their physician will put their interests first, while less than half of patients reported that their primary care physician always seemed informed about specialist care received, according to two studies by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) published online in The Journal of General Internal Medicine. Journal Article Abstract - "High Medical Cost Burden, Patient Trust and Perceived Quality of Care"Journal Article Abstract - "Patient Experiences with Coordination of Care: The Benefit of Continuity and Primary Care Physician as Referral Source" Media Advisory Living on the Edge: Health Care Expenses Strain Family BudgetsDec. 18, 2008Financial pressures on families from medical bills increase sharply when out-of-pocket spending for medical care exceeds 2.5 percent of family income, according to a new national study by HSC. Research Brief No. 10Executive Summary News Release American Families' Use of Retail-Based Health Clinics Remains ModestDec. 15, 2008Despite rapid growth of retail clinics, only a tiny fraction of American families in 2007 had ever used the in-store clinics, typically located in pharmacies, supermarkets and big-box retailers, according to a national study released today by the Commonwealth Fund and conducted by HSC. Study AbstractNews Release Making Medical Homes Work: Moving from Concept to PracticeDec. 11, 2008Key operational issues facing medical home initiatives include how to qualify physician practices as medical homes; how to match patients to their medical homes; how to engage patients and other providers to work with medical homes in care coordination; and how to pay practices that serve as medical homes, according to a new Policy Perspective from researchers at the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) and Mathematica Policy Research (MPR). Policy Perspective No. 1Media Advisory Word of Mouth and Physician Referrals Still Drive Health Care Provider ChoiceDec. 4, 2008Despite myriad initiatives to encourage people to use health care price and quality information, most Americans still rely on word-of-mouth and physician recommendations to choose health providers, according to a new HSC study funded by the California HealthCare Foundation. Research Brief No. 9News Release The Fraying Link Between Work and Health InsuranceNov. 20, 2008Most nonelderly Americans still obtain health insurance coverage through an employer, but the percentage of nonelderly persons with employer-sponsored insurance coverage has declined steadily since 2000, according to a study released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The research, conducted by HSC Senior Fellow Peter J. Cunningham, Ph.D., and KFF Senior Policy Analysts Samantha Artiga and Karyn Schwartz, examines the factors driving the decrease in employer-sponsored insurance since 2000. Study AbstractMedicaid Payment Delays Deter Physician ParticipationNov. 18, 2008Although low fees discourage physicians from treating Medicaid patients, payment delays also play an important role in physician decisions to avoid Medicaid patients, according to an HSC study published as a Web exclusive in the journal Health Affairs. Journal Article AbstractNews Release Massachusetts Health Reform: High Costs and Expanding Expectations May Weaken Employer SupportOct. 30, 2008While employer support was key to enacting Massachusetts' landmark law to gain near-universal health coverage, high costs and expanding expectations may dampen employer support as the reform plays out, according to a new study by HSC. Issue Brief No. 124News Release How Engaged Are American Consumers in Their Health and Health Care?Oct. 16, 2008The level of patient activation—a person's ability to manage their health and health care—varies considerably in the U.S. population, with less than half of adults (41.4%) at the highest level, according to a new national study by HSC. Research Brief No. 8News Release More of What's New | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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