RAND Research Topic: Massachusetts 2012-05-24T14:56:57Z Copyright (c) 2012, The RAND Corporation RAND Corporation http://www.rand.org/topics/massachusetts.html What is the Impact of Health Care Reform on Workers' Compensation Medical Care? http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1216.html Apr 23, 2012 Apr 23, 2012 When enacting, implementing, and evaluating health care reform, policymakers should consider potential spillover effects on workers' compensation insurance. The experience of Massachusetts's heath care reform suggests that reform may reduce medical costs. National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches: Assessing Program Outcomes http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR991-1.html Jan 4, 2012 Jan 4, 2012 Safe Start Promising Approaches (SSPA) is the second phase of a community-based initiative focused on developing and fielding interventions to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence. This report shares the results of SSPA, which was intended to implement and evaluate promising and evidence-based programs in 15 program sites across the country. How Does Health Reform Affect the Health Care Workforce? Lessons from Massachusetts http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9635.html Dec 13, 2011 Dec 13, 2011 Since Massachusetts enacted health reform legislation in 2006, health care employment in the state has grown more rapidly than in the rest of the United States, primarily in administrative positions. Health Care Reform and the Health Care Workforce &mdash; The Massachusetts Experience http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100185.html Aug 31, 2011 Aug 31, 2011 Analysis of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Plan suggests national health care reform may require larger numbers of support personnel, rather than requiring greater numbers of physicians and nurses themselves. Most MA Physician Groups Engaged in Improving Patient Experience, but Focus Is Not on Physician Role http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201000122.html Dec 20, 2010 Dec 20, 2010 Most Massachusetts physician groups are using results from a statewide patient survey to help improve patient experiences, but a significant number are not making use of the information or are making relatively limited efforts. Most Massachusetts Physician Groups Engaged in Improving Patient Experience, but Focus is Not on Physician Role http://www.rand.org/news/press/2010/12/20.html Dec 20, 2010 Dec 20, 2010 Most Massachusetts physician groups are using results from a statewide patient survey to help improve patient experiences, but a significant number are not making use of the information or are making relatively limited efforts. Local Law Enforcement's Counterterrorism Initiatives Have Evolved into All-Hazards Strategies http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1031.html Oct 28, 2010 Oct 28, 2010 Law enforcement agencies in areas where terrorist threats are considered to be high have expanded their focus beyond traditional crime prevention and investigation to include counterterrorism and homeland security operations. Local Law Enforcement's Counterterrorism Initiatives Have Evolved into All-Hazards Strategies http://www.rand.org/news/press/2010/10/28.html Oct 27, 2010 Oct 27, 2010 Law enforcement agencies in areas where terrorist threats are considered to be high have expanded their focus beyond traditional crime prevention and investigation to include counterterrorism and homeland security operations. Coordination Efforts Could Boost After-School Programming http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1037.html Oct 21, 2010 Oct 21, 2010 Coordinating the work of the many different institutions involved in after-school activities—including schools, nonprofits and municipal agencies like parks and libraries—holds the promise of making programs better and more accessible to urban children and teens who need them. Coordination Efforts Could Boost After-School Programming http://www.rand.org/news/press/2010/10/21.html Oct 20, 2010 Oct 20, 2010 Coordinating the work of the many different institutions involved in after-school activities -- including schools, nonprofits and municipal agencies like parks and libraries -- holds the promise of making programs better and more accessible to urban children and teens who need them. Hours of Opportunity: How Cities Can Use Data to Improve Services in Out-of-School Time Programs http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9551z1.html Oct 19, 2010 Oct 19, 2010 Five cities that received a grant from The Wallace Foundation, along with three other cities that were not part of the initiative, were successful in using data from management information systems to improve out-of-school-time programs. Hours of Opportunity: How Cities Can Build Systems to Improve Out-of-School-Time Programs http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9551.html Oct 18, 2010 Oct 18, 2010 Five cities that received a grant from The Wallace Foundation to increase collaboration, access, quality, information sharing, and sustainability in their out-of-school-time systems used different planning approaches to meet the initiative's goals. Hours of Opportunity, Volume 3: Profiles of Five Cities Improving After-School Programs Through a Systems Approach http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR882.html Sep 27, 2010 Sep 27, 2010 <p>The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase collaboration, access, quality, information sharing, and sustainability in their out-of-school-time (OST) systems. The third in this three-volume series presents in-depth case studies of the grantees (Providence, Boston, New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.) and reveals lessons learned and best practices for the OST field.</p> Hours of Opportunity, Volume 2: The Power of Data to Improve After-School Programs Citywide http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1037z1.html Sep 13, 2010 Sep 13, 2010 The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase collaboration, access, quality, information sharing, and sustainability in their out-of-school-time systems. The second in this three-volume series describes how Wallace Foundation grantees and three other cities used management information systems to collect and use data on out-of-school-time programs, including enrollment, attendance, and student outcomes. Information Patients Use to Choose Physicians Not Always Good Predictors of Quality http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20100121.html Sep 12, 2010 Sep 12, 2010 When looking for a new physician, patients are often encouraged to select those who are board certified or who have not made payments on malpractice claims&mdash;characteristics that are not always a good predictor of which physicians will provide the highest quality medical care. Performance-Based Payments for Primary Care Providers May Worsen Disparities in Medical Care http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20100028.html May 3, 2010 May 3, 2010 Rewarding primary care physicians for providing better care to patients could end up widening medical disparities experienced by poorer people and by minorities. Increasing the number of primary care physicians is also not enough to boost U.S. health care quality and lower costs. Efforts to Promote Use of Lower-Cost Physicians May Be Based on Misleading Profiles http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20100012.html Mar 16, 2010 Mar 16, 2010 <p>Increasingly common insurance plans that encourage patients to receive care from physicians who keep medical costs lower are based on unreliable estimates of doctor performance and may not achieve the intended savings.</p> Feasibility and Design Options for a Potential Entity to Research the Comparative Effectiveness of Medical Treatments http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR803.html Jan 15, 2010 Jan 15, 2010 <p>An exploration of the options available to Massachusetts as it considers establishing a comparative effectiveness center to guide health care purchasing decisions, as mandated by its legislature, reveals that all of the options are potentially feasible, but design decisions must consider the prioritization of comparative effectiveness research relative to other approaches to improving health care quality and reducing spending growth.</p> Incorporating Statistical Uncertainty in the Use of Physician Cost Profiles http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20100013.html Dec 31, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 <p>Health plans and other payers should address statistical uncertainty when they use physician cost-profiles to categorize physicians into low or high-cost tiers.</p> RAND Review: Vol. 33, No. 3, Winter 2009-2010 http://www.rand.org/pubs/corporate_pubs/CP22-2009-12.html Dec 23, 2009 Dec 23, 2009 <p>Features focus on stabilization missions, grade retention, health financing, and RAND's president; other items discuss the European Union, sodium, health insurance, retail medical clinics, energy efficiency, disaster recovery, and alcohol pricing.</p>