Markets

Research Findings

Research Activities, July 2009:
Fewer families can afford to purchase their own health insurance than previously thought
Both patient and hospital factors drive discharge costs of coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Research Activities, June 2009:
Competition among HMOs may have a negative impact on quality

Research Activities, April 2009:
Some patients choose safer hospitals when an insurer offers an incentive program
Older patients stop using inhalers and end up in the hospital when insurers enact deductibles and copayments
Negative effects are seen when patients reach drug benefit thresholds in Medicare Part D
Seniors use fewer generic drugs as a result of Medicare Part D

Research Activities, March 2009:
Available resources, not competition, drive nursing homes to advertise
Impact of direct-to-consumer advertising on drug use varies depending on the drug, scope of advertising, and culture
Economic and housing instability are linked to poor access to health care and higher rates of hospitalization

Research Activities, December 2008:
Combination antihypertensive drugs raise out-of-pocket costs for patients

Research Activities, November 2008:
Changes in cost to patients reduce new use of antidepressants among the elderly, but have less impact on continued use
Patients' hospital bills jumped $70 billion in just one year

Research Activities, October 2008:
Patients receiving free pharmaceutical samples have higher out-of-pocket prescription costs
Patient perceptions of office visit copayments alter care-seeking behaviors
The gap between charges and payments for emergency department pediatric visits widened between 1996 and 2003
One-third of health center CEOs view health disparities collaboratives as negatively affecting centers' finances
Health insurance premiums have more than doubled since 1996
Workers at small companies are less likely to kick in cash for health coverage

Research Activities, August 2008:
University's open season shows embrace of preferred provider organizations but no backlash against HMOs

Research Activities, July 2008:
State policies can influence the safety of hospitalized children via Medicaid payments

Research Activities, March 2008:
Most employers review but do not use quality data when selecting health care plans

Research Activities, February 2008:
Studies examine the impact of nurse staffing on complications, mortality, and length of hospital stay

Research Activities, December 2007:
Many underinsured U.S. children are not getting needed vaccines due to the current vaccine financing system

Research Activities, November 2007:
Studies examine patients' ratings of physicians
Insurers save with incentive-based formularies, but consumers pay more out of pocket

Research Activities, September 2007:
Hospitals that operate at or over capacity are more likely to have patient safety problems

Research Activities, August 2007:
Financial pressures on hospitals in the 1990s led to less investment in care resources and poorer quality of care

Research Activities, May 2007:
U.S. health care spending has become less concentrated among the top spenders in the past decade

Research Activities, March 2007:
Studies highlight the interaction between managed care and market forces and their impact on quality of care

Research Activities, January 2007:
African-American physicians were much more likely than white physicians to practice in HMOs in the 1990s

Research Activities, December 2006:
Journal supplement reviews evidence for the efficacy of telemedicine and telecare
Direct-to-consumer drug advertising on television may have led to increased prescribing of Vioxx® and Celebrex®
Tax subsidies for employer-sponsored health insurance will exceed $200 billion in 2006

Research Activities, November 2006:
Uninsured children's access to care is influenced by the availability and capacity of a local safety net

Research Activities, October 2006:
Greater competition among health plans is linked to more advertising that targets healthier patients

Research Activities, September 2006:
Financial incentives to physicians and hospitals to improve quality of care seem ineffective
Previous hospital performance, internal operations, and market competition are key in improving hospital performance

Research Activities, July 2006:
High-quality/low-cost hospital performance is linked to organizational characteristics and market forces
Workers who have health insurance are less likely to miss work than uninsured workers

Research Activities, October 2005:
Nursing home expenditures are sensitive to market competition and excess demand conditions
Level of HMO penetration in a hospital's market affects the relationships between nurse staffing, length of stay, and mortality

Research Activities, September 2005:
Survey reveals shortage of radiologists and certified mammography technologists at U.S. community mammography facilities

Research Activities, July 2005:
Physicians should disclose financial incentives, address patients' reactions, and negotiate a fair plan to win trust
Study questions whether competition among HMOs will inherently improve care quality

Research Activities, June 2005:
Physician supply increases in States with caps on malpractice lawsuit awards, with the greatest impact in rural areas
Publishing report cards about a surgeon's quality influences consumer selection of surgeons

Research Activities, March 2005:
Pharmacogenomic drug development raises new challenges for drug regulatory agencies
Studies of COX-2 inhibitors have ramifications for other drugs and pharmaceutical policies
Minority physicians in Maryland are more likely than white physicians to be denied managed care contracts

Research Activities, February 2005:
Adoption of medical innovation, which is driving much of health care costs, is largely outside the control of health plans
Policies that have a deductible inserted in the middle instead of at the front expose enrollees to more risk

Research Activities, January 2005:
During the mid-1990s, Medicare HMOs in California reduced inpatient use beyond that attributable to favorable selection