RAND Research Topic: Cost-effectiveness in Health Care 2012-05-24T20:24:55Z Copyright (c) 2012, The RAND Corporation RAND Corporation http://www.rand.org/topics/cost-effectiveness-in-health-care.html Expanding Consumer-Directed Health Plans Could Help Cut Overall Health Care Spending http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201200104.html May 7, 2012 May 7, 2012 If consumer-directed health plans grow to account for half of all employer-sponsored insurance in the United States, health costs could drop by $57 billion annually&mdash;about 4 percent of all health care spending among the nonelderly. Expanding Consumer-Directed Health Plans Could Help Cut Overall Health Care Spending http://www.rand.org/news/press/2012/05/07/index1.html May 7, 2012 May 7, 2012 If consumer-directed health plans grow to account for half of all employer-sponsored insurance in the United States, health costs could drop by $57 billion annually&mdash;about 4 percent of all health care spending among the nonelderly. Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Interferon Beta-1b for the Treatment of Patients with a First Clinical Event Suggestive of Multiple Sclerosis http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201200110.html May 1, 2012 May 1, 2012 This study assesses, from a Swedish societal perspective, the cost effectiveness of interferon β-1b (IFNB-1b) after an initial clinical event suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) (ie, early treatment) compared with treatment after onset of clinically definite MS (CDMS) (ie, delayed treatment). National Evaluation of the DH Integrated Care Pilots http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1164.html Mar 22, 2012 Mar 22, 2012 This report is the result of an evaluation of the 16 DH integrated care pilots (ICPs). National Evaluation of the DH Integrated Care Pilots: Appendices http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1164z2.html Mar 22, 2012 Mar 22, 2012 This report contains appendices to the result of an evaluation of the 16 DH integrated care pilots (ICPs). National Evaluation of the DH Integrated Care Pilots: Summary http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1164z1.html Mar 22, 2012 Mar 22, 2012 This report is a summary of the result of an evaluation of the 16 DH integrated care pilots (ICPs). Do Physicians Need a &quot;Shopping Cart&quot; for Health Care Services? http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120045.html Feb 1, 2012 Feb 1, 2012 The technology of the ubiquitous electronic shopping cart could be adapted to help physicians understand the cost of the services they order for patients, and possibly change the mix and total costs of the products in the cart. Use of Retail Medical Clinics Rises 10-Fold Over Two-Year Period http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/11/22.html Nov 22, 2011 Nov 22, 2011 Use of retail medical clinics located in pharmacies and other retail settings increased tenfold between 2007 and 2009. The determining factors in choosing one over a physician's office were found to be age, health status, income, and proximity to the clinic. Can the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Become Relevant to Controlling Medical Costs and Improving Value? http://www.rand.org/commentary/2011/11/09/JAMA.html Nov 9, 2011 Nov 9, 2011 A scientific and political case could be made to amend health care legislation to require that cost be included in the studies that the PCORI funds, writes Robert H. Brook. Bundling Payments to Curb Health Care Costs Proves Difficult to Realize http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/11/07.html Nov 7, 2011 Nov 7, 2011 Under bundled payments, doctors, hospitals, and other providers share one fee for treating all aspects of a procedure such as a hip replacement or a chronic disease like diabetes. The approach should eliminate unnecessary care and improve quality, but putting it into practice is proving to be more difficult than anticipated. Can the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Become Relevant to Controlling Medical Costs and Improving Value? http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100253.html Nov 1, 2011 Nov 1, 2011 Research sponsored by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute can help patients make better decisions by comparing the effectiveness of alternative therapies, but it is constrained from considering the costs of therapies it compares. Updating Comparative Effectiveness Reviews: Current Efforts in AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100154.html Oct 31, 2011 Oct 31, 2011 Comparative effectiveness reviews need to be regularly updated as new evidence is produced. Lack of attention to updating may lead to outdated and sometimes misleading conclusions that compromise health care and policy decisions. Challenges to Value-Enhancing Innovation in Health Care Delivery: Commonalities and Contrasts with Innovation in Drugs and Devices http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP341.html Oct 4, 2011 Oct 4, 2011 Limiting the growth of health care costs while improving population health poses important and difficult challenges for policymakers. The paper considers innovation in drugs, devices, and methods of delivering health care, with an emphasis on delivery. The authors argue that policymakers should try to encourage innovative activities that are worth their social costs and discourage activities that are not worth their social costs. Assessing the Performance of Military Treatment Facilities http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG803.html Sep 21, 2011 Sep 21, 2011 Considers potential efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense to assess the performance of military treatment facilities (MTFs) in cost-effectively managing health care. The authors first provide an overview of performance assessment in the nonmilitary health care sector; they then analyze the use of average MTF utilization and costs as performance measures, focusing on how MTF size and catastrophic cases affect these metrics. Gays in the Military: Eventually, New Facts Conquer Old Taboos http://www.rand.org/pubs/corporate_pubs/CP22-2011-04.html Apr 29, 2011 Apr 29, 2011 This <em>RAND Review</em> cover story describes RAND's research and analysis of sexual orientation and U.S. military personnel policy relating to the likely repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' High-Deductible Health Plans Cut Spending but Also Reduce Preventive Care http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9588.html Apr 5, 2011 Apr 5, 2011 High-deductible plans significantly reduce health care spending but also lead consumers to cut back on their use of preventive health care &mdash; even though high-deductible plans waive the deductible for such care. Comparative Effectiveness Research: Does the Emperor Have Clothes http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20110060.html Feb 28, 2011 Feb 28, 2011 The move toward comparative effectiveness research may be a positive one for complementary and alternative medicine, but a more critical evaluation might be in order. Cost Implications of Improving Blood Pressure Management Among U.S. Adults http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20110030.html Feb 8, 2011 Feb 8, 2011 Payers will find it slightly more cost-effective to improve care for moderate than for severe hypertension. Is Choice of Physician and Hospital an Essential Benefit? http://www.rand.org/commentary/2011/01/12/JAMA.html Jan 12, 2011 Jan 12, 2011 The movement toward reporting results of surgeons and hospitals will probably lead to a society in which the wealthy receive care from the better hospitals and physicians, writes Robert H. Brook. Cost Implications to Health Care Payers of Improving Glucose Management among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20110077.html Dec 31, 2010 Dec 31, 2010 Improving glucose management among adults with type 2 diabetes has modest costs compared to diabetes-related health care expenditures.