Access to health care refers to the ease with which an individual can obtain needed medical services. RAND research has examined the social, cultural, economic, and geographic factors that influence health care access worldwide; the effects of changes in access; and the relationship between access and health for specific U.S. populations—including racial and ethnic minorities, people with limited English proficiency, the uninsured, the elderly, children, and veterans.
Emergency departments account for a rising proportion of hospital admissions and serve increasingly as an advanced diagnostic center for primary care physicians. While often targeted as the most expensive place to get medical care, emergency rooms remain an important safety net for Americans who cannot get care elsewhere.
This report summarizes four studies intended to help the Kurdistan Regional Government expand access to good education and health care, increase private-sector development, and design a data-collection system to support high-priority policies.
This report summarizes four studies intended to help the Kurdistan Regional Government expand access to good education and health care, increase private-sector development, and design a data-collection system to support high-priority policies.
Assesses the perspectives of Washington, D.C., stakeholders, including parents and providers, about the oral health of children.
Most of the millions of cataract cases worldwide can be cured by quick, inexpensive procedures. But a shortage of trained surgeons remains a challenge. The HelpMeSee approach, a high-volume training and development system, could help close this gap.
This document describes recent RAND work related to K-12 education, including teacher pay for performance, measuring teacher effectiveness, school leadership, school systems and reform, and out-of-school time.
A decade of unprecedented efforts in Arkansas has cut cigarette use by nearly one-third and reduced incidence of tobacco-related illnesses such as heart attacks and stroke. To maintain the gains it has made, Arkansas should continue its financial commitment of devoting the tobacco settlement funds to public health programs.
This summary of the external evaluation of Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission activities looks at program implementation and changes in health outcomes associated with seven health-related programs funded by the Master Settlement Agreement over the past decade.
Antiretroviral (ARV) treatment has transformed HIV from a death sentence to a chronic condition, allowing patients to live longer and healthier lives. Options for reducing costs of ARV medications should be explored in order to allow more people to receive treatment.
Inadequate numbers of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) trained in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and expanding health insurance coverage from health care reform will create a gap in NPs to meet SRH needs. Policy options that could help close this gap are examined.
With the health care safety net in California under stress from the state's continuing financial crisis, jurisdictions across the state face unprecedented challenges caring for the health and social service needs of people released from state prisons.
This report presents findings from a study of health innovations transferred from South to North. This briefing examines technologies developed for developing country settings, which may have an application in the UK National Health Service.
The Affordable Care Act builds on the employer-based health insurance system by developing exchanges through which small employers can offer coverage and by penalizing large employers that do not offer coverage. The exchanges could alleviate some of the difficulties faced by small firms that want to offer insurance.
Retail clinics' quality of care appears comparable to that of other provider types, but we know little about the effects of clinic use on preventive services, care coordination, and care continuity.
Updates RAND's evaluation of the antismoking and health programs established by the state of Arkansas with its share of the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement funds.
Are patients willing to travel for healthcare? RAND Europe's report on patient choice.
This document explores how requiring individuals to obtain health insurance (an individual mandate) would affect health system performance along nine dimensions.
This document explores how requiring employers to offer health insurance (an employer mandate) would affect health system performance along nine dimensions.
This document explores how increased use of bundled payment approaches would affect health system performance along nine dimensions.
This document explores how expanding Medicaid/SCHIP eligibility would affect health system performance along nine dimensions.
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