RAND Research Topic: Measuring Health Care Costs 2012-05-24T14:56:58Z Copyright (c) 2012, The RAND Corporation RAND Corporation http://www.rand.org/topics/measuring-health-care-costs.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. Consumers' and Providers' Responses to Public Cost Reports, and How to Raise the Likelihood of Achieving Desired Results http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120080.html Apr 1, 2012 Apr 1, 2012 Public reporting of health care costs is intended to motivate consumers to choose lower cost providers, and motivate providers to lower costs to retain market share. Measures should be chosen based on which pathway policymakers intend to influence. Ways to Improve Health Care Provider 'Report Cards' http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120051.html Mar 5, 2012 Mar 5, 2012 As health care reform expands the use of "report cards" to grade health care providers, greater attention to reporting methods may be needed to assure the quality of such efforts. Do Physicians Need a 'Shopping Cart' for Health Care Services? http://www.rand.org/commentary/2012/02/22/JAMA.html Feb 22, 2012 Feb 22, 2012 Providing physicians with cost data in real time automatically as a part of the electronic medical record could make them better purchasers for their patients and provide better value, writes Robert H. Brook. 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. How Will the Effects of the Affordable Care Act Be Monitored? http://www.rand.org/commentary/2012/01/04/JAMA.html Jan 4, 2012 Jan 4, 2012 Most will agree with the undeniable fact that a new era in US medicine and US health care begins in less than 2 years. The key question is what potential measures should be monitored to determine both anticipated and unanticipated effects of the new law on the health of the US population, writes Robert H. Brook. 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. Three Essays on Economics of Health Behavior in China http://www.rand.org/pubs/rgs_dissertations/RGSD287.html Nov 4, 2011 Nov 4, 2011 Three essays each focusing on one topic in economics of health behaviors in China. 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. Consumers May Have More Control Over Health Care Costs Than Previously Thought http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/09/29.html Sep 29, 2011 Sep 29, 2011 The historic RAND Health Insurance Experiment found that patients had little or no control over their health care spending once they began to receive a physician's care, but this has changed for those enrolled in consumer-directed health plans. Consumers May Have More Control Over Health Care Costs Than Previously Thought http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100208.html Sep 29, 2011 Sep 29, 2011 The historic RAND Health Insurance Experiment found that patients had little or no control over their health care spending once they began to receive a physician's care, but this has changed for those enrolled in consumer-directed health plans. Accelerating Health Care Costs Wiping Out Much of Americans' Income Gains http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/09/08.html Sep 7, 2011 Sep 7, 2011 Fast-rising health care costs have eaten nearly all the income gains made by a median-income American family of four over the past decade, leaving them with just $95 per month in extra income, after accounting for taxes and price increases. Accelerating Health Care Costs Wiping Out Much of Americans' Income Gains http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9605.html Sep 7, 2011 Sep 7, 2011 Fast-rising health care costs have eaten nearly all the income gains made by a median-income American family of four over the past decade, leaving them with just $95 per month in extra income, after accounting for taxes and price increases. A Decade of Health Care Cost Growth Has Wiped Out Real Income Gains for an Average US Family http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100172.html Aug 31, 2011 Aug 31, 2011 This article translates aggregate numbers about health spending into concrete measures that consumers can relate to. Is Physician Cost Profiling Ready for Prime Time? http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9523-1.html Sep 21, 2010 Sep 21, 2010 <p>Physician cost profiling is intended to identify physicians with lower spending patterns, but RAND analysts found that common profiling methods result in 22 percent of physicians being assigned to the wrong cost category in a two-tier system.</p> Cost Profiles: Should the Focus Be on Individual Physicians or Physician Groups? http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20100102.html Jul 31, 2010 Jul 31, 2010 <p>Cost profiles of physician groups are statistically more reliable than profiles of individual physicians but they don't predict individual physician performance within the group.</p> Is Physician Cost Profiling Ready for Prime Time? http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9523.html Jun 10, 2010 Jun 10, 2010 <p>Physician cost profiling is intended to identify physicians with lower spending patterns, but RAND analysts found that common profiling methods result in 22 percent of physicians being assigned to the wrong cost category in a two-tier system.</p> Grandfathering in the Small Group Market Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP313.html Jun 3, 2010 Jun 3, 2010 To avoid changes in current health coverage, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exempts existing plans from some regulations. These exemptions may lead to higher employer-sponsored insurance enrollment and lower government spending. 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> Funding intensive care -- approaches in systems using diagnosis-related groups http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR792.html Mar 5, 2010 Mar 5, 2010 <p>This report reviews approaches to funding intensive care in systems that use activity-based payment based on diagnosis-related groups to reimburse hospital care (Victoria/Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, US-Medicare).</p>