One "canary" patient safety indicator is a good indicator of overall hospital patient safety
The patient safety measure "selected infections due to medical care" could be used to illustrate general trends in safety outcomes across hospitals and over time.
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The average European now lives about 1.5 years longer than the average American
The effects of obesity and smoking are probably the reason. Reducing the gap could save the U.S. more than $1.1 trillion in long-run medical expenditures.
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Patients tend to bypass rural hospitals
Because patients have a propensity to bypass rural and small urban hospitals, increasing the number of services and technologies these hospitals offer would have only a small effect on patients' decisions to use them.
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More neighborhood influences on health research
Antiretroviral therapy helps HIV patients regain the ability to work, but other support is needed
ART therapy can restore physical health and functioning and the ability to work, often lost when HIV symptoms appear. But in areas of high unemployment such as Uganda, other economic resources—microcredit loans, for example—are needed.
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Coverage under Medicare Part D is comparable to coverage under non-Part D plans
Annual out-of-pocket spending in the 10 largest Part D plans was comparable to that of other private and public drug benefits; concerns remain about the gap in Part D coverage, which more than 3 million enrollees reached in 2007.
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Not everyone wants an H1N1 vaccination
As of early June 2009, only about half of U.S. adults say they intend to get an H1N1 vaccination this fall.
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Providers disagree about whether and when to treat hepatitis C among patients with HIV
Some providers delay treating hepatitis C, hoping for better treatment options in the future; others think all patients should receive treatment as soon as possible. The patient needs to make the ultimate decision.
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More HIV, STDs, and sexual behavior research
Surveying patient satisfaction in an American Indian population
The CAHPS survey, the most widely used survey of patient experience in the United States, can be successfully adapted for use by the Choctaw Nation Health Services.
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More quality of care research
Options for controlling health care spending in Massachusetts are examined
A RAND report prepared the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services evaluates 21 options for controlling health care costs across five broad approaches. Changing the way health care services are paid for was the most promising approach.
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Retail medical clinics may be viable option for growing numbers of Americans
Retail medical clinics can provide care at lower cost, similar quality as other medical settings. Additionally, new types of partnerships between existing providers and retail clinics have developed.
News release
Medicare prescription benefit program has exceeded expectations
The program created to provide Medicare recipients with prescription drug benefits exceeded expectations during its first two years, extending pharmacy coverage to most seniors while reducing their overall spending on drugs.
News release
Certain health reform policy options would significantly reduce number of uninsured Americans
A mandate requiring individuals to obtain health insurance would increase the number of Americans with coverage by 9 million to 34 million, while a mandate requiring employers to offer insurance would boost the figure by 1.8 million to 3.4 million.
News release
From time to time RAND Health likes to highlight special honors that our staff have received in acknowledgment of their outstanding contributions to their fields.
Beth McGlynn among most influential innovators in health care today
RAND Health Associate Director, Beth McGlynn, was named among the top 100 most creative and influential innovators in health care today by Healthspottr. Her national study of quality of care was the first to empirically measure the disparity between recommended care and care received in the U.S. She is also the driving force behind the COMPARE initiative.
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