Effects of a Consumer Driven Health Plan on Pharmaceutical Spending and Utilization
Stephen T. Parente, Ph.D.

Stephen T. Parente, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Minnesota, and colleagues published the article, “Effects of a Consumer Driven Health Plan on Pharmaceutical Spending and Utilization,” in the October 2008 issue of Health Services Research. The article details findings from a HCFO-sponsored study that examined the impact of consumer-driven health plans on the quality of care, cost, and utilization of health care in the long-term.

Access Intervention in an Integrated, Prepaid Group Practice: Effects on Primary Care Physician Productivity
Douglas A. Conrad, Ph.D.

Douglas A. Conrad, Ph.D., professor at the University of Washington, and colleagues published the article, “Access Intervention in an Integrated, Prepaid Group Practice: Effects on Primary Care Physician Productivity,” in the October 2008 supplemental issue of Health Services Research. This article highlights findings from a HCFO-sponsored study—led by David E. Grembowski, Ph.D., also a professor at the University of Washington —that examined the impact of the Group Health Cooperative's Access Initiative on patient and physician satisfaction, physician productivity, costs, and quality of care.  

Specialty and Full-Service Hospitals: A Comparative Cost Analysis
Kathleen Carey, Ph.D.

Kathleen Carey, Ph.D., associate professor at Boston University School of Public Health, and colleagues published the article, “Specialty and Full-Service Hospitals: A Comparative Cost Analysis,” in the October 2008 supplemental issue of Health Services Research. The article details findings from a HCFO-sponsored study that examined whether physician-owned, single specialty hospitals (SSHs) were more cost efficient than competing, full-service, acute care hospitals.

Core Dimensions of Connectivity in Public Health Collaboratives
Danielle Varda, Ph.D.

Danielle Varda, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Colorado at  Denver and formerly of RAND, and colleagues published the article, “Core Dimensions of Connectivity in Public Health Collaboratives,” in the September/October 2008 issue of Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. This article highlights findings from a HCFO study—funded under a special topic solicitation in public health systems research (PHSR)—that examined partnerships and connectivity among state and local public health agencies and other organizations, agencies, and groups.

The Impact of Medicare Coverage Policies on Health Care Utilization
Susan Bartlett Foote, J.D.

Susan Bartlett Foote, J.D. associate professor at the University of Minnesota, and colleagues recently published the article, “The Impact of Medicare Coverage Policies on Health Care Utilization,” in the August 2008 issue of Health Services Research. The article details HCFO-sponsored research that examined how Medicare coverage policies—under national coverage determinations and local medical review policies—affect claims, access, and cost.

Effect of Eliminating Behavioral Health Benefits for Selected Medicaid Enrollees
K. John McConnell, Ph.D.

K. John McConnell, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Oregon Health & Science University, and colleagues published the article, “Effect of Eliminating Behavioral Health Benefits for Selected Medicaid Enrollees,” in the August 2008 issue of Health Services Research. This article details findings from a HCFO grant led by Jeanene A. Smith, M.D., administrator for the Office for Oregon Health Policy and Research, that examined how benefit changes and increased cost-sharing impacted the Oregon Health Plan in terms of economic viability, access, and coverage.

Does Enrollment in a CDHP Stimulate Cost-Effective Utilization
Judith Hibbard, Dr.P.H.

Judith H. Hibbard, Dr.P.H., professor at the University of Oregon, and colleagues published the article, “Does Enrollment in a CDHP Stimulate Cost-Effective Utilization,” in the August 2008 issue of Medical Care Research and Review. This article details findings from a HCFO-sponsored study that examined whether consumer-directed health plan (CDHP) beneficiaries changed their health care utilization—particularly in favor of evidence-based care—after enrolling in a CDHP.  

Michael A. Stoto, Ph.D.

Michael A. Stoto, Ph.D., professor at Georgetown University, and colleagues published three articles in the July/August issue of Public Health Reports. The articles, “Emergency Preparedness as a Catalyst for Regionalizing Local Public Health: The Massachusetts Case Study,” “Regionalization in Local Public Health Systems: Variation in Rationale, Implementation, and Impact on Public Health Preparedness,” and “Regionalization in Local Public Health Systems: Public Health Preparedness in the Washington Metropolitan Area,” present findings from a HCFO-sponsored study that examined the effect of regionalization on public health systems.
 

The Impact Of Consumer-Directed Health Plans On Prescription Drug Use
Judith Hibbard, Dr.P.H.

Do Consumer-Directed Health Plans Drive Change In Enrollees' Health Care Behavior?
Anna Dixon

Judith Hibbard, Dr.P.H., and colleagues published two articles in the July/August 2008 issue of Health Affairs. The articles highlight and discuss results from a HCFO-sponsored study that assessed whether the underlying assumptions of consumer-directed health plans were true. Jessica Greene, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Oregon, and colleagues published the article, “The Impact Of Consumer-Directed Health Plans On Prescription Drug Use,” and Anna Dixon and colleagues published the article, “Do Consumer-Directed Health Plans Drive Change In Enrollees' Health Care Behavior?”

Episode-Based Physician Profiling: A Guide to the Perplexing
Lewis G. Sandy, M.D.

The article, “Episode-Based Physician Profiling: A Guide to the Perplexing,” by Lewis G. Sandy, M.D., executive vice president at UnitedHealth Group, and colleagues was published online by the Journal of General Internal Medicine. This article details findings from HCFO-sponsored research led by J. William Thomas, Ph.D., M.B.A., professor at the University of Southern Maine, that examined physician profiling methodologies.  

Regionalization of Local Public Health Systems in the Era of Preparedness
Howard K. Koh, M.D.

Howard K. Koh, M.D., professor and associate dean at Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues published the article “Regionalization of Local Public Health Systems in the Era of Preparedness,” in the April 2008 volume of Annual Review of Public Health. The article details HCFO-sponsored research led by Michael A. Stoto, Ph.D., formerly at RAND and currently a professor at Georgetown University, that examines the effect of regionalization on public health systems.

Is the Impact of Managed Care on Hospital Prices Decreasing?
David Dranove, Ph.D.

David Dranove, Ph.D., of Northwestern University 's Kellogg School of Management and colleagues published the article, “Is the Impact of Managed Care on Hospital Prices Decreasing?” in the March 2008 issue of Journal of Health Economics. The article highlights findings from a HCFO-sponsored study led by William White, Ph.D., professor at Cornell University, that examined how demand and supply affect prices for inpatient care for privately insured patients in California and Florida and determined whether the underlying assumptions about managed care's ability to control costs have changed.

 

Public Health Workforce Shortages Imperil Nation's Health

The Center for Studying Health System Change released the brief, “Public Health Workforce Shortages Imperil Nation's Health,” by Debra A. Draper, Ph.D., associate director, and colleagues at the Center for Studying Health System Change. This brief is based on findings from a HCFO grant —awarded under the second special topic solicitation in public health systems research and led by Robert E. Hurley, Ph.D., senior consulting researcher—that examines local communities' strategies for meeting expanding public health workforce needs.

How Effective Are Copayments in Reducing Expenditures for Low-Income Adult Medicaid Beneficiaries? Experience from the Oregon Health Plan
Neal T. Wallace, Ph.D.

Neal T. Wallace, Ph.D., associate professor at Portland State University, and colleagues recently published an article in the April 2008 issue of Health Services Research titled, “How Effective Are Copayments in Reducing Expenditures for Low-Income Adult Medicaid Beneficiaries? Experience from the Oregon Health Plan.” The article highlights findings from a HCFO-sponsored study led by a collaborative team that examined how benefit reductions and increased cost sharing affected the Oregon Health Plan.

Telephone and Web: Mixed-Mode Challenge
Jessica Greene, Ph.D.

Jessica Greene, Ph.D., assistant professor at The University of Oregon, and colleagues published the article, “Telephone and Web: Mixed-Mode Challenge,” in the February 2008 issue of Health Services Research. The article examines the effectiveness of the data collection method, mixed-mode surveys, used for a HCFO-sponsored study led by Judith H. Hibbard, Dr.P.H., professor at the University of Oregon. This HCFO study assessed whether the underlying assumptions of consumer-driven health plans were true.

Impact of Medicaid Cutbacks on Emergency Department Use: The Oregon Experience
Robert A. Lowe, M.D.

The article, “Impact of Medicaid Cutbacks on Emergency Department Use: The Oregon Experience,” by Robert A. Lowe, M.D., Director of the Center for Policy and Research in Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, and colleagues, was recently featured online by the Annals of Emergency Medicine. This article highlights HCFO-sponsored research that examined whether benefit reductions and increased cost sharing impacted the Oregon Health Plan in terms of economic viability, coverage, and access. The researchers found that in the 26 emergency departments in the study, there was a 36 percent increase in the number of uninsured visits per month after the reductions in Oregon Health Plan coverage. The probability of admission for uninsured patients increased 48 percent, suggesting that the uninsured may have delayed care until they became sicker.

Drug Use Patterns in Severely Mentally Ill Medicare Beneficiaries: Impact of Discontinuities in Drug Coverage
Linda Simoni-Wastila, Ph.D.

Linda Simoni-Wastila, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and colleagues recently published the article, “Drug Use Patterns in Severely Mentally Ill Medicare Beneficiaries: Impact of Discontinuities in Drug Coverage,” in the April 2008 issue of Health Services Research. The article highlights HCFO-sponsored research that identified gaps in pharmaceutical coverage for Medicare beneficiaries and examined the impact of these gaps on drug utilization, spending, and treatment patterns. The researchers found that individuals with severe mental illnesses who experienced a gap in pharmaceutical coverage were less likely to receive medications than individuals with severe mental illnesses who were continuously insured.

Medicaid HMO Penetration and Its Mix: Did Increased Penetration Affect Physician Participation in Urban Markets?
E. Kathleen Adams, Ph.D. and Bradley Herring, Ph.D.

E. Kathleen Adams, Ph.D., Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, and Bradley Herring, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, Bloomsberg School of Public Health, published the article, "Medicaid HMO Penetration and Its Mix: Did Increased Penetration Affect Physician Participation in Urban Markets?" in the February 2008 issue of Health Services Research. This article details HCFO-sponsored research that examines the effect of Medicaid HMOs on access, mix of utilization, and health care expense.

Hospital Pricing and the Uninsured: Do the Uninsured Pay Higher Prices?
Glenn A. Melnick, Ph.D.

Glenn A. Melnick, Ph.D., of RAND, co-authored the February 5, 2008 Health Affairs Web Exclusive titled, "Hospital Pricing and the Uninsured: Do the Uninsured Pay Higher Prices?" This article details HCFO-sponsored research that examines trends in hospital charges and net revenues to determine whether hospital prices paid by uninsured individuals systematically differ from those paid by insured individuals.

Hospital Ownership and Quality of Care: What Explains the Different Results in Literature?
Karen Eggleston, Ph.D.

Karen Eggleston, Ph.D., formerly of Tufts University and currently at Stanford University, and colleagues published the article, "Hospital Ownership and Quality of Care: What Explains the Different Results in Literature?" in the January 11, 2008 edition of Health Economics. This article highlights HCFO-sponsored research that analyzes the main findings of the empirical literature to determine the effect of hospital ownership on performance.

How Federal and State Policies Affected Hospital Uncompensated Care Provision in the 1990s
Anthony T. Lo Sasso, Ph.D.

Anthony T. Lo Sasso, Ph.D., currently at the University of Chicago at Illinois, recently co-authored the article, "How Federal and State Policies Affected Hospital Uncompensated Care Provision in the 1990s" in the December 2007 issue of Medical Care Research and Review. This article details HCFO-sponsored research, funded while Lo Sasso worked at Northwestern University, that examines the impact of the health care safety net, specifically hospital uncompensated care, on health insurance coverage of children.

Implementing Evidence-Based Medicine Through Medicare Coverage Decisions
Susan Bartlett Foote, J.D., and Robert J. Town, Ph.D.

Susan Bartlett Foote, J.D., and Robert J. Town, Ph.D., professors at the University of Minnesota, co-authored the article, "Implementing Evidence-Based Medicine Through Medicare Coverage Decisions," in the November/December 2007 issue of Health Affairs. The article details HCFO-sponsored research that examines how Medicare coverage policies, under national coverage determinations and local medical review policies, affect claims, access, and cost.

Predicting Risk Selection Following Major Changes in Medicare
Steven D. Pizer, Ph.D.

Steven D. Pizer, Ph.D., assistant professor, and Austin B. Frakt, health systems research scientist, both of Boston University School of Public Health, co-authored the article, "Attribute Substitution in Early Enrollment Decisions into Medicare Prescription Drug Plans." The article appears in the October 12, 2007 issue of Health Economics and details HCFO-sponsored research examining market entry and exit behavior of private health plans, including prescription drug plans, in Medicare.

Patient Samples for Measuring Primary Care Physician Performance: Who Should Be Included?
Ted von Glahn

Ted von Glahn, director of consumer engagement for the Pacific Business Group on Health, and colleagues recently published the article, "Patient Samples for Measuring Primary Care Physician Performance: Who Should Be Included?" in the October 2007 issue of Medical Care. This article highlights HCFO-sponsored research examining the impact of patient-reported physician performance information on patient selection of physicians.

Effects of State Managed Care Patient Protection Laws on Physician Satisfaction
Mark A. Hall, J.D.

Mark A. Hall, J.D., professor at Wake Forest University, and colleagues published the article, "Effects of State Managed Care Patient Protection Laws on Physician Satisfaction," in the October 2007 issue of Medical Care Research and Review. The article details HCFO-sponsored research on the effects of state managed care patient protection laws on patients, providers, plans, and network, corporate, and market structures.

What We Know and Do Not Know About Tiered Provider Networks
J. William Thomas, Ph.D.

J. William Thomas, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Southern Maine's Institute for Health Policy authored the article, "What We Know and Do Not Know About Tiered Provider Networks," that appears in the Summer 2007 issue of the Journal of Health Care Finance. The article details HCFO-sponsored research examining the structure, implementation, and operation of tiered provider networks. Findings are based on surveys of health plan executives, employer clients, and providers.

What Length of Hospice Use Maximizes Reduction in Medical Expenditures Near Death in the US Medicare Program
Donald H. Taylor, Ph.D.

Donald H. Taylor, Ph.D., assistant professor of public policy at Duke University, and colleagues authored the article, "What Length of Hospice Use Maximizes Reduction in Medical Expenditures Near Death in the US Medicare Program," that appears in the June 2007 issue of Social Science and Medicine. The article details HCFO-sponsored research regarding the relationship between the length of hospice care and Medicare expenditures.

What Do Nonprofits Maximize? Nonprofit Hospital Service Provision and Market Ownership Mix
Jill R. Horwitz, Ph.D., J.D., M.P.P. and Austin Nichols, Ph.D., M.P.P.

Jill R. Horwitz, Ph.D., J.D., M.P.P., assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan, and Austin Nichols, Ph.D., M.P.P., of the Urban Institute, authored the article, "What Do Nonprofits Maximize? Nonprofit Hospital Service Provision and Market Ownership Mix." The July 2007 paper appears in the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Working Paper Series and examines HCFO-sponsored research regarding the provision of services and market share for non-profit, for-profit, and government-owned hospitals.  

Hospital Ownership and Financial Performance: What Explains the Different Findings in the Empirical Literature?
Karen Eggleston, Ph.D.

Karen Eggleston, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics at Tufts University, co-authored an article titled "Hospital Ownership and Financial Performance: What Explains the Different Findings in the Empirical Literature?" The article details HCFO-sponsored research on hospital ownership and financial performance.

Nursing Home Use by Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries in the Last Year of Life
Korbin Liu, Ph.D.

Korbin Liu, Ph.D., principal research associate at The Urban Institute, co-authored an article titled "Nursing Home Use by Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries in the Last Year of Life." The article details HCFO-sponsored research on the financial implications of end-of-life care in a nursing home rather than an acute care facility.

Consumer-Directed Health Plans: New Evidence on Spending and Utilization
Stephen Parente, Ph.D.

Stephen Parente, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Minnesota, co-authored an article titled "Consumer-Directed Health Plans: New Evidence on Spending and Utilization." The article details HCFO-sponsored research on consumer use of health care services and spending under consumer-directed health plans.

Do State Parity Laws Reduce the Financial Burden on Families of Children with Mental Health Care Needs?
Susan H. Busch, Ph.D.

Susan H. Busch, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Yale University School of Medicine, co-authored an article titled, "Do State Parity Laws Reduce the Financial Burden on Families of Children with Mental Health Care Needs?" that appeared in the June 2007 issue of the Health Services Research. The article describes HCFO-sponsored research examining the financial impact of state parity laws on families of children requiring mental health services.

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