Research Briefs

2013

The Evolving Roles of Emergency Departments — May 20

How the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania May Fare Under the Affordable Care Act — May 10

How the Great State of Arkansas May Fare Under the Affordable Care Act — April 4

Improving Cross-System Care for Parental Depression and Early Childhood Developmental Delays — March 19

2012

Eliminating Discretionary Use of Anesthesia Providers During Gastroenterology Procedures Could Generate $1.1 Billion in Savings per Year — March 20

Flattening the Trajectory of Health Care Spending: Foster Efficient and Accountable Providers — November 15

Flattening the Trajectory of Health Care Spending: Engage and Empower Consumers — November 15

Flattening the Trajectory of Health Care Spending: Promote Population Health — November 15

Flattening the Trajectory of Health Care Spending: Facilitate High-Value Innovation — November 15

Flattening the Trajectory of Health Care Spending: Insights from RAND Health Research — November 15

Helping Hospitals Deliver Better Care: A New Toolkit for Quality Improvement — May 25

How Would Eliminating the Individual Mandate Affect Health Coverage and Premium Costs? — February 16

Improving Medical and Dental Readiness in the Reserve Components — June 5

An Innovative Way to Curb Problem Drinking: South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety Project — December 12

A Shot in the Arm for Adult Vaccination — May 16

Skin in the Game: How Consumer-Directed Plans Affect the Cost and Use of Health Care — June 28

When Patients Don't Take Their Medicine: What Role Do Doctors Play in Promoting Prescription Adherence? — August 28

Which Path Leads to Cost Containment: Selection or Reputation? — May 31

2011

Addressing Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Among Servicemembers and Their Families: Existing Department of Defense Programs and Options for Improvement — November 9

Are Breast Implants Linked to a Rare Form of Lymphoma? — April 20

Better Understanding the Needs of Veterans in New York State — April 5

Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Roadmap to Guide Local Planning — February 22

The Cost and Quality of VA Mental Health Services — October 19

Developing Custodians of Care: Military Medical Leadership — February 18

High-Deductible Health Plans Cut Spending but Also Reduce Preventive Care — April 5

How Does Growth in Health Care Costs Affect the American Family? — September 8

How Does Health Reform Affect the Health Care Workforce? Lessons from Massachusetts — December 13

How Should Drugs be Identified in Electronic Prescribing Systems? — July 20

How Will Health Care Reform Affect Costs and Coverage? Examples from Five States — April 1

Improving Value for Money in Funding HIV Services in Developing Countries — December 12

Malpractice Risk, by Physician Specialty — September 14

Pittsburgh Community Perspectives on the Design of the New Environmental Center at Frick Park — December 5

Preventing Obesity and Its Consequences: Highlights of RAND Health Research — August 3

Reducing Costs, Increasing Capability: A New Equipping Strategy for Combat Support Hospitals — November 21

Reducing the Impact of Children's Exposure to Violence: Results of the National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches — September 13

Seasonal Flu Vaccination: Why Don't More Americans Get It? — February 14

Should the Joint Medical Education and Training Campus Have an Office of Institutional Research? — June 9

Views from the Homefront: How Military Youth and Spouses Are Coping with Deployment — January 19

The War Within: Suicide Prevention in the U.S. Military — February 17

What Are the Public Health Implications of Prisoner Reentry in California? — December 7

What Is the Impact of Using Evidence-Based Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression in Veterans? — July 6

What Is the Impact of Workplace Policies to Promote Influenza Vaccination Among Health Care Personnel? — April 20

Why Are Many Emergency Departments in the United States Closing? — September 9

Will Adoption of Electronic Health Records Improve Quality in U.S. Hospitals? — February 9

A Worksite Parenting Program That Works — March 23

2010

Analysis of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) — January 7

Analysis of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) — February 11

Are Adolescents Talking with Their Parents About Sex Before Becoming Sexually Active? — March 11

The Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Programs: The Impact of One State's Investment in the Health of its Residents — June 23

Cost and Health Consequences of Air Pollution in California — February 15

Coverage, Spending, and Consumer Financial Risk: How Do the Recent House and Senate Health Care Bills Compare? — February 12

Diagnosing and Treating Food Allergies: The State of the Research — June 8

The Effects of Multiple Anxiety Disorders on Patient Functioning and Well-Being — April 8

Health Care on Aisle 7: The Growing Phenomenon of Retail Clinics — June 8

How Can Faith-Based Organizations Help Address the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Central America? — May 20

How Can Faith-Based Organizations Help Address the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Central America? (Spanish translation) — May 26

How Might Marijuana Legalization in California Affect Public Budgets and Marijuana Consumption? — July 1

How Will the Affordable Care Act Affect Employee Health Coverage at Small Businesses? — September 8

Improving the Quality of Care for Dementia — May 11

The Influence of Personal, Family, and School Factors on Early Adolescent Substance Use — November 10

Is Physician Cost Profiling Ready for Prime Time? — September 21

Is There a Shortage of Anesthesia Providers in the United States? — July 7

Lessons Learned from Disaster Case Management in Louisiana — July 20

Perceived Effects of Paid Family Leave Among Parents of Children with Special Health Care Needs: California's Experience — April 28

Post-Katrina Project Demonstrates a Rapid, Participatory Assessment of Health Care and Develops a Partnership for Post-Disaster Recovery in New Orleans — March 10

Private Sector Participation and Health System Performance in Sub-Saharan Africa — December 14

A "Quiet Revolution" in Nephrology: Challenges and Opportunities for Advancing the Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease — July 30

RAND COMPARE Analysis of President Obama's Proposal for Health Reform — March 3

Sexual Orientation and U.S. Personnel Policy Revisited — December 23

Studies' Estimates of PTSD Prevalence Rates for Returning Service Members Vary Widely — February 11

The Teen Depression Awareness Project: Building an Evidence Base for Improving Teen Depression Care — January 15

Where Do Americans Get Acute Care? Not at Their Doctor's Office — September 2

2009

Are Communities Ready to Conduct Rapid and Large-Scale Dispensing of Medications During a Public Health Emergency? — April 1

Assessing Parolees' Health Care Needs and Potential Access to Health Care Services in California — June 17

Children's Health in Washington, D.C.: Access and Health Challenges Despite High Insurance Coverage Rates — October 28

Controlling Health Care Spending in Massachusetts — September 10

The Costs of Methamphetamine Use: A National Estimate — April 8

The Department of Defense Can Improve Its Response to and Management of Anthrax Incidents — April 13

Electronic Health Records are Associated with Higher Quality in Primary Care Practices — October 27

Enhancing Interoperability Among Enlisted Medical Personnel in the U.S. Military: A Case Study of Military Surgical Technologists — May 21

Expanding Access to Mental Health Counselors Under TRICARE — July 22

Health Care Cost Growth and the Economic Performance of U.S. Industries — July 30

Hold the Salt: Lowering Sodium Intake Would Improve Health and Save Money — October 9

How Parental HIV Affects Children — July 30

Improving Mass Delivery of Antiretroviral Therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa — April 9

Improving Mental Health Care for Returning Veterans — May 12

Making It Easier for School Staff to Help Traumatized Students — June 4

A Policy-Relevant Picture of California's Ambulatory Surgery Centers — October 1

Prescription Drug Cost Sharing: A Powerful Policy Lever to Use with Care — October 21

Risk Communication in the Early Stages of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Alert: How Effective Were State and Local Public Health Departments? — August 11

Rural Hospitals Struggle to Attract Patients and Remain Viable — October 9

The Socioeconomic, Health, Safety, and Education Disparities Faced by Boys and Men of Color in California — January 27

South Los Angeles Ban on Fast-Food Chains Misses the Mark — November 2

Using Civilian Facilities to Maintain Military Medical Skills — August 25

When Drug Cost-Sharing Increases, Patients Newly Diagnosed with a Chronic Illness Delay Starting Medication — June 29

2008

The Behavioral Health Care System Is Poised for Change — August 5

Constrained Choice: Why Are Some Women and Men Able To Create and Maintain Healthy Lifestyles, While Others Are Not? — April 10

Delivery of Genomic Medicine for Common Chronic Adult Diseases — April 2

Do Neighborhood Economic Conditions Influence the Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables? — August 11

Exposure to Sex on TV May Increase the Chance of Teen Pregnancy — November 3

Gauging Future Demand for Veterans' Health Care: Does the VA Have the Forecasting Tools It Needs? — October 21

Identity Crisis? Approaches to Patient Identification in a National Health Information Network — October 8

Immigrants and Health Care: A Complex Picture — January 15

Improving the Quality of Health Care for Older Adults — February 6

Insurance Companies' Fears of Covering Acupuncture Appear Unfounded — June 26

Invisible Wounds: Mental Health and Cognitive Care Needs of America's Returning Veterans — April 8

Life Expectancy Is Better Than Age as a General Predictor of Health Care Expenditures — July 8

Modeling the Health and Medical Care Spending of the Future Elderly — March 9

A National Health Information Network -- What Are the Real Privacy Issues? — August 18

Organizing for Quality: Inside the ''Black Box'' of Health Care Improvement in Europe and the United States — March 10

Out of the Ivory Tower, Into the Real World: Examples of Street-Smart Community Health Research — November 20

Pathways to Obesity: Are People "Hardwired" to Overeat? — June 10

Regulating Drug Prices: U.S. Policy Alternatives in a Global Context — December 11

The Societal Promise of Improving Care for Depression: Nine Years Out — November 19

A Step Forward in Accountability for Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Developing Standards for Mass Antibiotic Dispensing — November 10

Teens Who Work Are More Likely to Smoke — January 9

Validating the Link Between Good Physician Process of Care and Better Health-Related Quality of Life for Patients — July 6

Why People Overeat: Rethinking the Causes of Obesity — February 7

2007

Behavioral Health Parity: Consequences for Federal Employee Health Plans — April 17

Bioterrorism with Zoonotic Disease: Public Health Preparedness Lessons from a Multiagency Exercise — August 5

Consumer-Directed Health Care: Early Evidence Shows Lower Costs, Mixed Effects on Quality of Care — February 8

Estimating the Global Health Impact of Improved Diagnostic Tools for the Developing World — October 30

Health Coverage Options for Military Retirees — July 4

Health System Reconstruction and Nation-Building — February 26

How Neighborhoods Can Reduce the Risk of Obesity — June 12

How Schools Responded to Student Mental Health Needs Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita — October 8

A Look inside the "Doughnut Hole": How Drug-Benefit Limits Affect Retiree Prescription Use — September 11

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Issues Among People with HIV: Lessons from HCSUS — December 8

New Perspectives on Marijuana and Youth: Abstainers Are Not Maladjusted, but Lone Users Face Difficulties — August 16

Obesity and Disability: The Shape of Things to Come — April 8

Promoting Accountability in Public Health Emergency Preparedness — September 5

A Systematic Review of the Adverse Effects of Prescription Drug Cost Sharing — September 11

Using Outcomes to Assess Teen Substance-Use Treatment Programs -- How Feasible? — July 11

Using the ''Getting to Outcomes™'' Approach to Help Communities Prevent Underage Drinking — May 20

2006

Anxiety Disorders Can Have Broad, Negative Health Effects — February 10

Consumer Decisionmaking in the Insurance Market — April 24

Curbing Teen Dating Violence: Evidence from a School Prevention Program — August 29

Cutting Drug Co-Payments for Sicker Patients on Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Could Save a Billion Dollars Every Year — January 12

Disparities in Care for HIV Patients: Results of the HCSUS Study — April 3

Effects of Medicare's Prospective Payment System on the Quality of Hospital Care — June 13

Emergency Preparedness Is Stimulating Changes in Public Health Practice — September 6

The First National Report Card on Quality of Health Care in America — April 11

Forging the Link Between Alcohol Advertising and Underage Drinking — January 19

Getting To Outcomes™: Improving Community-Based Substance-Use Prevention — February 7

The Health Insurance Experiment: A Classic RAND Study Speaks to the Current Health Care Reform Debate — December 6

How Schools Can Help Children Recover from Traumatic Experiences — December 4

Improving Access to Needed Health Care Improves Low-Income Children’s Quality of Life — October 12

Integrating Treatment for People with Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders in Public Systems of Care — July 12

Measuring the Quality of Cancer Care: The National Initiative for Cancer Care Quality (NICCQ) — November 15

Meeting the Health Care Needs of Adults with Severe Mental Illness — July 12

Project ALERT Plus May Leverage the Effect of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign — January 19

Quality Improvement Methods Can Be Used to Improve Public Health Emergency Preparedness — September 6

Quality Primary Care Requires More Than Insurance — January 12

Redefining and Reforming Health Care for the Last Years of Life — May 16

Three Steps for Improving the Quality of Mental Health Care in the United States — July 12

Triple Jeopardy for Vulnerable Children: Greater Health Needs, Less Access, Poorer Primary Care — January 1

Vaccinating Residents and Staff Can Reduce Influenza Outbreaks in Nursing Homes — November 9

2005

Analyzing -- and Influencing -- How the VA Allocates Its Health Care Dollars — November 25

The Arc: A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State — November 25

The Arc: A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State (Arabic Version) — December 1

Building A Successful Palestinian State — November 25

Building A Successful Palestinian State: Arabic Version — December 1

Cost-Effective Allocation of Government Funds for Preventing HIV — November 25

Do Cardiologists Perceive Racial or Ethnic Disparities in the Treatment of Heart Patients? Results of A RAND Survey — November 24

Does Neighborhood Deterioration Lead to Poor Health? — November 25

Do People with HIV Get the Dental Care They Need? Results of the HCSUS Study — November 25

Electronic Prescribing Systems: Making It Safer to Take Your Medicine? — November 25

Examining Possible Causes of Gulf War Illness: RAND Policy Investigations and Reviews of the Scientific Literature — November 25

Future Health and Medical Care Spending of the Elderly: Implications for Medicare — October 10

Health Information Technology: Can HIT Lower Costs and Improve Quality? — September 14

HIV Testing Among Indigent Women: Who Gets Tested? — November 25

How Cost Sharing Affects Use of Drugs by the Chronically Ill — November 25

Improving Quality of Care: How the VA Outpaces Other Systems in Delivering Patient Care — November 25

The Managed Care Backlash: Did Consumers Vote with Their Feet? — November 25

Obese Women Receiving Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Are Often Undertreated — November 25

Pharmacy Benefits for Military Retirees: Controlling Costs Without Compromising Health — November 25

Prospects for Change in the Individual Health Insurance Market — November 25

Reducing Sexual Risk Among Injection Drug Users — November 25

The Relationship Between Volume and Quality in Mental Health Care — November 25

Some Prescription Diet Drugs Promote Weight Loss — November 25

State Efforts to Insure the Uninsured: An Unfinished Story — November 25

Stopping Violence Before It Starts: Identifying Early Predictors of Adolescent Violence — November 30

Weight Loss Surgery is More Effective Than Diet and Exercise in Helping Severely Obese People Lose Weight — November 25

Will Smallpox Vaccinations Save Lives? — November 25

2004 & Older

Classroom Drug Prevention Works — 2004

Developing Quality of Care Indicators for the Vulnerable Elderly: The ACOVE Project — 2004

Does Watching Sex on Television Influence Teens’ Sexual Activity? — 2004

Gaps in Public Health Preparedness: Lessons Learned in California — 2004

Inside the Black Box of Managed Care Decisions: Understanding Patient Disputes over Coverage Denials — 2004

Is Patient Volume a Useful Quality Measure for Very Low Birthweight Infants? — 2004

Quality of Health Care Received by Older Adults — 2004

Role of Doctors Critical in Effective Public Health — 2004

Saturated in Beer — 2004

"Voltage Drops" in Children's Health Care: Barriers That Impede Children's Access to Quality Health Care — 2004

Will Public Health's Response to Terrorism Be Fair? — 2004

Ephedra: Is It Worth the Risk? — 2003

How Many Frozen Human Embryos Are Available for Research? — 2003

After 9-11: Stress and Coping Across America — 2002

Consumer Choice and Health Care Quality — 2002

Cost Sharing Cuts Employers' Drug Spending -- But Employees Don't Get the Savings — 2002

Costs of a Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: A Comparison of Alternatives — 2002

Does Early Smoking Signal Later Problems? — 2002

The Health Risks of Obesity: Worse Than Smoking, Drinking or Poverty — 2002

How to Improve Childhood Asthma Outcomes: A Blueprint for Policy Action — 2002

Improving Access to Drugs for Medicare Beneficiaries: Can State Law Help? — 2002

Low Levels of Insurance Reimbursement Impede Access to Cochelar Implants — 2002

Report Cards for Health Care: Is Anyone Checking Them? — 2002

Understanding the Sexual Behavior of Adolescents — 2002

Changing Views of Chiropractic ...and a National Reappraisal of Nontraditional Health Care — 2001

Does Involuntary Outpatient Treatment Work? — 2001

Guns in the Family: Firearm Storage Patterns in U.S. Homes with Children — 2001

Health Maintenance Organizations and the Changing Physician Workforce — 2001

Improving Health Care Options for the Nation's Over-65 Military Retirees: First-year Results from the TRICARE Senior Prime Subvention Demonstration — 2001

Mental Health Care for Youth: Who Gets It? How Much Does It Cost? Who Pays? Where Does the Money Go? — 2001

Access to HIV Care: Initial Results from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study — 2000

Are People With Mental Illness Getting the Help They Need? New Findings About Parity Laws, Insurance Coverage, and Access to Care — 2000

Extending Health Care Insurance to Specific Populations: Profile of RAND Work — 2000

Health Care Coverage for the Nation's Uninsured: Can We Get to Universal Coverage? — 2000

Helping Adolescents Resist Drugs — 2000

Measuring Quality of Care for Prostate Cancer — 2000

Partners in Care: Hope for Those Who Struggle with Hope — 2000

Tracking Changes in Behavioral Health Services: How Has Managed Care Changed Care? — 2000

Caring for HIV Patients: Good News and Bad News — 1999

Introducing Managed Care in the Military Health System — 1999

A Portrait of the HIV+ Population in America: Initial Results from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study — 1999

Taking the Pulse of Health Care in America — 1999

Assessing the Appropriateness of Care: How Much Is Too Much? — 1998

The Effect of Case Management on Immunization Rates and Well-Child Care — 1998

Effects of Access to Post-Retirement Health Insurance on Retirement Behavior and Insurance Coverage — 1998

How Does Managed Care Affect the Cost of Mental Health Services? — 1998

How Much Would Individual Insurance Premiums Cost Under Kassebaum-Kennedy? — 1998

Preventing Very Low Birthweight Births: A Bundle of Savings — 1998

Youth Violence: A Public-Health Problem with Disturbing Correlates — 1998