RAND advances understanding of health and health behaviors and examines how the organization and financing of care affect costs, quality, and access. RAND's body of research—conducted primarily through the RAND Health division—includes innovative studies of health insurance, health care reform, health information technology, and women's health, as well as topical concerns such as obesity, complementary and alternative medicine, and PTSD in veterans and survivors of catastrophe.
EVENT
A panel discussion about integrative medicine will include Ian Coulter of the RAND Corporation, Wayne Jonas of the Samueli Institute, and David Eisenberg of Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital.
BLOG
A better solution than restricting emergency department use by Medicaid enrollees is to reverse what for many years has been a trend of shrinking access to primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries.
BLOG
In honor of National Underage Drinking Prevention Day, there will be a live, interactive webcast today (May 21) about successful approaches and resources to prevent underage drinking. The issue of underage drinking may sometimes be overshadowed by other forms of substance use, but it remains a steady and significant problem in the United States.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
A review of menu nutrition information in U.S. sit-down chain restaurants found that 96 percent of main entrées exceeded the daily limits for calories, sodium, fat, and saturated fat recommended by the USDA.
REPORT
This report, by researchers from Partners HealthCare and the RAND Corporation, primarily describes the work associated with Task 4.8 of the Advancing Clinical Decision Support effort, a project intended to accelerate the effective use of computer-based clinical decision support (CDS) interventions to facilitate evidence-based clinical practice. Twenty-two CDS artifacts and 16 value sets were developed that cover the five CDS intervention…
COMMENTARY
The fact that many ED (emergency department) visits could be managed in primary care settings does not mean that such care is available, write Arthur L. Kellermann and Robin M. Weinick.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Vaccine-preventable diseases take a heavy toll on U.S. adults despite the widespread availability of vaccines. Office-based providers can do more to promote adult vaccinations but need clearer guidance and a better business case to offer them.
MULTIMEDIA
In this Resilient Communities podcast, Jennifer Steele discusses the differences in policies and practices between charter and traditional schools in New Orleans, where charter-based reform spread in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
COMMENTARY
Reliable birth control contributed to economic development by reducing women's risk of dropping out of school associated with early childbearing and high fertility rates, contributing in turn to increases in women's labor force participation, the continuity of their careers, and the standard of living of women, children and families, writes Chloe Bird.
PERIODICAL
Ten RAND authors highlight seven ways in which the United States can help to ensure that veterans and their families receive health care, employment and education opportunities, and other benefits.
PERIODICAL
If the individual mandate requiring all Americans to have health insurance were eliminated, it would sharply reduce the number of people gaining coverage and slightly increase the cost for those who do buy policies through the new insurance exchanges.
REPORT
The report work aims to inform the development of quality indicators for postmenopausal osteoporosis management in Europe.
REPORT
Testimony presented before the California State Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee on May 9, 2012.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Probiotics are believed to improve health by maintaining a normal balance of microorganisms in the human intestines. Evidence shows that they can reduce the risk of developing diarrhea, which is a common side effect of taking antibiotics.
NEWS RELEASE
Probiotics are believed to improve health by maintaining a normal balance of microorganisms in the human intestines. Evidence shows that they can reduce the risk of developing diarrhea, which is a common side effect of taking antibiotics.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
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—about 4 percent of all health care spending among the nonelderly.
NEWS RELEASE
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—about 4 percent of all health care spending among the nonelderly.
BLOG
As the U.S. Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) individual mandate, one of the questions being debated is what effect the mandate would have on employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. A factor to consider in this is the effect the ACA would have on small businesses, which employ the majority of America's private-sector workforce.
PROJECT
The performance of health systems is a key determinant of the inclusiveness of economic growth. With Kenya and Tanzania as case studies, RAND Europe is exploring whether potential synergies between industrial development and health systems can contribute to faster and more inclusive growth.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
This editorial uses a recent meta-analysis on the effects of vitamin C on blood pressure to highlight pitfalls in nutrition research design.