HCFO - Policy Brief

Price Transparency Tool Attracts Users But Does Not Lead to Use of Lower-Priced Services

mcollado — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 14:19:42 +0000

This brief summarizes findings from a study’s evaluation of a large Midwestern health information technology firm that offered their employees a price transparency tool. While 62 percent of households used the price transparency tool with cost and quality information at least once, there was no difference in purchasing behavior between those who used the tool and those who did not.

Understanding the Use and Impact of Price Transparency in Health Care: Where Are We and Where Do We Go from Here?

cticse — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 13:29:37 +0000

In 2013, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) launched a call for proposals for empirical studies that would contribute to understanding the use and impact of price data in health care. The goal was to generate reliable and generalizable evidence to inform policymakers and other stakeholders and accelerate the pace of efforts to use price information effectively. As this program, managed by AcademyHealth, concludes, rising health care prices and the need for price transparency have garnered national attention.

Physicians’ and Hospitals’ Varied Responses to Changes in Medicare Payment: Findings from HCFO Research

mcollado — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:54:54 +0000

Policymakers are engaged in historic efforts to reduce the nation’s growing deficit, thus heightening the scrutiny on escalating health care costs. President Obama, congressional leaders in both parties, and other policymakers and stakeholders have proposed changes to Medicare as part of comprehensive approaches to deficit reduction.

Bridging Research and Policy to Advance Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program

mcollado — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 14:38:39 +0000

In November, 2013, health care practitioners, administrators, clinical and health services researchers, and policy experts from private sector and government agencies and offices participated in a one-day meeting focused on Medicare's Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP). The goals of the meeting were to help inform decision makers who are responsible for implementing Medicare’s HRRP about how the program is working now and to develop actionable recommendations for refining the program going forward.

Medicare's Value-Based, Physician Payment Modifier: Improving the Quality and Efficiency of Medical Care

christina.zimmerman — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:16:47 +0000

In March 2012, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization (HCFO) initiative sponsored an invitational meeting to foster a discussion on the development and implementation of Medicare's new physician payment modifier among economists, researchers, analysts, and federal policymakers. This report highlights key points of the discussion and is intended to faithfully capture the essence of the discussion without endorsing any position.

Considerations Related to Pricing Individual and Small Group Health Insurance under Health Reform

christina.zimmerman — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:53:17 +0000

In April 2011, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization (HCFO) Initiative sponsored an invitational meeting to foster discussion among expert researchers, policymakers, insurers, actuaries, and analysts focused on insurance pricing in the individual and small group markets once the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is fully implemented on January 1, 2014. The purpose of this brief is to provide a summary of the meeting discussion and inform other interested individuals.

Major Changes in Benefit Design: A Plausible Way to Control Costs?

Fri, 06 May 2011 20:29:45 +0000

To explore the potential changes benefit design could have on controlling health care spending and the policies that accompany these changes, a small invitational meeting was conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,through a joint effort of its Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization (HCFO) initiative and State Coverage Initiative (SCI) programs.

The Individual Insurance Market: A Building Block for Health Care Reform?

Fri, 06 May 2011 20:29:23 +0000

Health care reform is high on the agenda of policymakers at both the state and federal levels. The individual insurance market is central to many proposals, including some under discussion as well as some in early implementation. Massachusetts’ recently implemented health care reform mandates that individuals have health insurance coverage.

State Pharmacy Assistance Programs at a Crossroads: How Will They Respond to the Medicare Drug Benefit?

Fri, 06 May 2011 20:29:23 +0000

This policy brief is one in a series presenting results from a recent study of State Pharmacy Assistance Programs (SPAPs), their implementation experience and responses to the new Medicare drug benefit. The study included site visits, in-depth interviews with state program leaders and stakeholders and a questionnaire of state program directors to explore their plans and preferences for responding to the Medicare drug benefit. The Principal Investigator for the study is Jack Hoadley.

Medical Malpractice: Strengthening the Evidence Base

Fri, 06 May 2011 20:29:23 +0000

For decades, the myriad issues associated with medical malpractice have been hotly debated by advocates, researchers, and policymakers alike. Historically, legislative efforts have focused primarily on tort reform and insurance regulation. More recent proposals have begun to explore alternative policy approaches such as apology-compensation programs, health courts, and patient safety initiatives. Despite continued attention, most policy proposals are based on research findings facing the same drawbacks—data limitations and disparate methodologies.