RAND Research Topic: Health Care Facilities 2012-05-25T23:36:45Z Copyright (c) 2012, The RAND Corporation RAND Corporation http://www.rand.org/topics/health-care-facilities.html Helping Hospitals Deliver Better Care: A New Toolkit for Quality Improvement http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9669.html May 25, 2012 May 25, 2012 A team from RAND and the University HealthSystem Consortium developed a toolkit to help hospitals enhance their quality improvement efforts using quality indicators from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Attempts by States to Save Money by Locking Medicaid Enrollees out of the ED Are Likely to Backfire http://www.rand.org/blog/2012/05/attempts-by-states-to-save-money-by-locking-medicaid.html May 21, 2012 May 21, 2012 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. Using Patient Surveys to Rate Hospitals http://www.rand.org/commentary/2012/03/22/NYT.html Mar 22, 2012 Mar 22, 2012 Hospitals that perform better on the survey tend to do better on clinical measures, have fewer readmissions within 30 days and have lower risk-adjusted mortality, write Marc Elliott and Alan Zaslavsky. Cost Implications of ACGME's 2011 Changes to Resident Duty Hours and the Training Environment http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120081.html Feb 1, 2012 Feb 1, 2012 Examines net costs to teaching hospitals and cost-effectiveness to society across a range of hypothetical changes in preventable adverse events (PAEs). Preventing emergency readmissions to hospital: A scoping review http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1198.html Jan 25, 2012 Jan 25, 2012 The study reports on the evidence and potential for use of 'emergency readmissions within 28 days of discharge from hospital' as an indicator within the NHS Outcomes Framework, drawing on a rapid review of systematic reviews. Gender Differences in Patients' Perceptions of Inpatient Care http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120072.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 Targeting the experiences of women may be a promising means of improving overall patient experience scores (because women comprise a majority of all inpatients); the experiences of older and sicker women, and those in for-profit hospitals, may merit additional examination. Multiple Patient Safety Events Within a Single Hospitalization: A National Profile in US Hospitals http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120096.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 Examines co-occurrence of iatrogenic events in US hospitals. Using Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality patient safety indicators (PSIs), the authors defined multiple patient safety events (MPSEs) as the occurrence of multiple PSIs during a single hospitalization. Online Guide Helps Health Organizations Adopt Electronic Health Records http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/12/14.html Dec 14, 2011 Dec 14, 2011 A new online tool, called the "Unintended Consequences Guide," is available from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to help hospitals and other health care organizations anticipate, avoid, and address problems that can occur when adopting and using electronic health records. Provider Consolidation Key Factor in Affordable Coverage http://www.rand.org/commentary/2011/11/28/CAHL.html Nov 28, 2011 Nov 28, 2011 Hospitals operating with little competition are able to charge health plans much higher prices, which are passed on to consumers in the form of higher insurance premiums, writes Glenn Melnick. 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. Use of Retail Medical Clinics Rises Tenfold Over Two-Year Period http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100245.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. A Markov Decision Process to Dynamically Match Hospital Inpatient Staffing to Demand http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100229.html Oct 1, 2011 Oct 1, 2011 This paper applies a Markov decision process to the challenge of matching hospital staffing levels to inpatient demand. Quality of Care Provided in a Special Needs Plan Using a Nurse Care Manager Model http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100221.html Oct 1, 2011 Oct 1, 2011 Vulnerable older adults enrolled in plans that use nurse care managers receive, on average, 69% of recommended care for geriatric conditions, compared with 53% for elders in plans without nurse care managers. Today's 'Meaningful Use' Standard for Medication Orders by Hospitals May Save Few Lives; Later Stages May Do More http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100190.html Oct 1, 2011 Oct 1, 2011 Current federal standards for hospital "meaningful use" of health information technology--which requires electronic medication orders for 30 percent of eligible patients--are probably too low to reduce deaths from heart failure and heart attack among hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries. Policy Options for Addressing Medicare Payment Differentials Across Ambulatory Settings http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR979.html Sep 30, 2011 Sep 30, 2011 Under Medicare, many health care services can be provided in a range of ambulatory settings, but payment differentials exist for the facility-related components of care. Building on prior RAND analyses, this report presents options for modifying Medicare payment policies to improve the value of services and to address cost and payment differentials for similar services provided in various ambulatory settings. 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. Why Are Many Emergency Departments in the United States Closing? http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9607.html Sep 9, 2011 Sep 9, 2011 Between 1990 and 2009, the number of emergency rooms (ERs) in nonrural U.S. hospitals declined by 27 percent (from 2,446 to 1,779). Economic factors play a central role in an ER's ability to remain open. Consolidation of Health Plans May Help Lower Hospital Costs http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/09/08/index1.html Sep 8, 2011 Sep 8, 2011 Increased consolidation among health plans nationally may benefit consumers by lowering hospital prices, at least in those regions where health plans are the most consolidated. Consolidation of Health Plans May Help Lower Hospital Costs http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100177.html Sep 8, 2011 Sep 8, 2011 Increased consolidation among health plans nationally may benefit consumers by lowering hospital prices, at least in those regions where health plans are the most consolidated. Increases in Mortality, Length of Stay, and Cost Associated with Hospital-Acquired Infections in Trauma Patients http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100166.html Jul 1, 2011 Jul 1, 2011 Many hospital-acquired infections are preventable; reducing them would reduce in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and inpatient costs for trauma patients.