Financing the efficient delivery of medical services while reducing costs for consumers as well as health care providers is among the most challenging domestic policy problems many countries face. RAND addresses health economics issues through innovative, high-profile research in an effort to improve the efficiency of health care organizations, reduce costs for providers and consumers, and improve financing in health care markets.
In its second term, the Obama Administration can restrain further health care spending growth—without compromising quality—by employing four broad strategies: fostering efficient and accountable providers, engaging and empowering consumers, promoting population health, and facilitating high-value innovation.
Journal Article
Evaluates factors that affect the financial performance of hospice.
Report
California's workers' compensation group health program is suitable for three models of a pay-for-performance initiative that include agreed on performance measures, expandable data-collection infrastructure, and incentives in order to ensure physician buy-in.
Research Brief
This fact sheet describes how patients' use of acupuncture affects use of conventional medical services and suggests that acupuncture often substitutes for other, more expensive services, thereby reducing total medical costs.
Journal Article
Advocates of high-deductible health plans, which shift more of the cost of care to individuals, believe that consumers will more carefully assess the balance of health care benefits versus costs, ultimately improving efficiency and quality of care.
Report
This report explores trends in the economic burden faced by small and large businesses that provide health insurance, as well as the quality of plans that small and large firms offer.
Research Brief
This research brief summarizes studies showing that medical innovations will improve health and extend life but will likely increase Medicare spending; eliminating obesity and better prevention could save Medicare money and improve health.
Journal Article
In this paper the authors examine the incremental cost of marijuana comorbidity for alcohol, mood and thought diagnoses in hospital settings.
Journal Article
Uses data from California to compare actual prices paid by uninsured patients with prices paid by commercial and Medicare patients. Uninsured patients pay prices similar to those of Medicare patients, and hospital prices to the uninsured have risen.
Journal Article
Data from the Employment Cost Index show that health insurance costs relative to payroll increased 34 percent between 1996 and 2005 and that the increase was largest for businesses paying low wages; simultaneously, data from the Employee Benefits Survey show that benefit packages became less generous, yet cost growth was not paralleled by a commensurate decrease in employer offers.
Journal Article
Examines the discipline of health services research. Often loosely referred to as outcomes research, it is primarily focused on the study of access to care, costs of care, and quality of care.
Journal Article
Most breast cancer care providers in Los Angeles County outside of staff- or group-model HMOs are not subject to explicit financial incentives based on quality-of-care measures. New approaches are needed to direct incentives toward these specialists.
Journal Article
Medicare beneficiaries who died while enrolled in independent practice association model HMOs, including the Kaiser model, had many fewer hospital days during the two years before death than beneficiaries who died with fee-for-service coverage.
Journal Article
Despite the enormous and ongoing increase in health care expenditures, patients receive only half of recommended care, and many receive care that is equivocal or harmful. Ideas to improve quality are examined.
Journal Article
Examines financial implications of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hierarchical Condition Categories risk-adjustment model on Medicare payments for individuals with comorbid chronic conditions. Some payments were underpredicted.
Journal Article
Presents the results of a targeted national effort to identify pay-for-performance programs in behavioral health. Many programs struggled to obtain accurate data on quality and outcomes of care, and public reporting of results was not widespread.
Report
This Policy Insight examines the pros and cons of explicit pay-for-performance schemes for federal civil servants compared with seniority-based salary systems, as well as the proposals to change the General Schedule system.
Research Brief
This research brief describes the effects of state health-insurance mandates and consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) on the access to and affordability of health insurance for small businesses.
Journal Article
To assess the evidence for the effect of disease management on quality of care, disease control, and cost, with a focus on populationbased programs.
Research Brief
This fact sheet summarizes a systematic review of published studies to analyze how the cost-sharing features of prescription drug benefits may affect access to prescription drugs and, consequently, health outcomes.
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2013 RAND Corporation.