Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

Health Care Workforce
Review of Behavioral Health Technician Training, Policies, and Practice Identifies New Opportunities
Oct 15, 2019
Behavioral health technicians are trained to be an essential part of the mental health clinical team, serving as provider extenders who work alongside and support licensed mental health providers. What are the factors that affect these roles? And how can the Military Health System most effectively incorporate them into mental health care settings?
Opioids
Synthetic Opioid Crisis Still Growing, Often Among Unwitting Users
Oct 14, 2019
Although opioid prescriptions in the U.S. have fallen, opioid overdose deaths remain at historic levels. The continued spread of fentanyl and other illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids suggests the problem could still get worse.
Veterans Health Care
How High-Quality Mental Health Care Improves Veterans' Lives
Sep 25, 2019
A growing body of RAND research shows that veterans who receive high-quality care have the best chance of improving their mental health outcomes.
Pharmaceutical Drugs
The Promise and Peril of Offshoring Prescription Drug Pricing
Sep 16, 2019
Most Americans, including Congress and the president, agree that prescription drug prices are too high. Policy proposals from both major parties could promise some relief. Several of them look to drug prices in other countries to help set prices in the United States.
Tackle Fentanyl like a Poisoning Outbreak, Not a Drug Epidemic
Sep 3, 2019
America's fentanyl problem is far deadlier than past crises with other illegal drugs. New ideas, be they public policies, technologies or law enforcement strategies, are desperately needed. Continuing to treat fentanyl just like previous drug epidemics will likely be insufficient and may condemn thousands more to early deaths.
Sleep
I'm a Sleep Specialist. Here's How I Prepare My Two Teenagers for the First Day of School
Aug 15, 2019
Sleep deprivation has measurable negative effects on teens' behavior and health. Early school start times make it difficult for teens to get sufficient sleep. A RAND sleep expert shares how she helps her teens transition from summer back to waking up early for school.
Child Health
Sleep Deprivation Could Do Long-Term Damage to Migrant Children
Jul 22, 2019
The challenges faced by detained children at the U.S. southern border are immense. Sleep disruption may significantly hinder their ability to function physically and mentally. Policymakers shouldn't overlook the importance of providing appropriate sleeping conditions.
Childhood Trauma
After School Shootings, Children and Communities Struggle to Heal
Jul 19, 2019
School shootings leave wounds that affect students, school staff, families, and communities for years. Building community resilience, implementing evidence-based mental health support early, and providing access for survivors and the community immediately and in the long term could help promote healing and prevent more tragedy.
Health Care Price Competition
Price-Fixing Case Reveals Vulnerability of Generic Drug Policies
Jul 15, 2019
A massive lawsuit filed by 44 states accuses 20 major drug makers of colluding to inflate prices on more than 100 generic drugs, including HIV, cancer, and depression treatments. If these allegations are true, then this isn't just a violation of antitrust law. It's a betrayal of the policies that created and defended the entire generic drug industry.
Child Well-Being
Augmented Reality on the Playground
Jul 10, 2019
As children's screen time increases, their time spent outdoors decreases. How might new technologies merge with nature to help kids get outside and be more active?
Drug Markets and Supply
China's Ban on Fentanyl Drugs Won't Likely Stem America's Opioid Crisis
May 22, 2019
Given China's recent decision to ban the unauthorized manufacture of fentanyl, authorities there appear to recognize a growing problem. But China cannot solve the U.S. opioid problem. The United States could do more to reduce demand for opioids as well as drug users' exposure to these powerful drugs.
Pharmaceutical Drugs
Why Are Drug Prices So High in the United States?
May 3, 2019
Ezekiel J. Emanuel is vice provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. In 2018, he delivered the Albert P. Williams Lecture on Health Policy at RAND, where he offered a framework for thinking about drug pricing.
Patient Experience
A New Way to Capture the Patient Experience
May 2, 2019
Researchers have developed a more effective and reliable way for patients to provide narrative feedback about the care they receive. When the right questions are asked, patients' answers can help health care providers better understand the patient experience and learn how they could improve.
Child Welfare
A Champion for Children and Practitioners: Q&A with Dionne Barnes-Proby
Apr 29, 2019
Dionne Barnes-Proby started her career as a child welfare social worker and is now a social policy researcher at RAND. She brings the voices of clients and practitioners to the conversation, so that policies will reflect an understanding of the needs of the populations they're intended to improve.
Childhood Trauma
Childhood Trauma Is More Common Than You Think. This School-Based Intervention Can Help
Apr 23, 2019
A program developed at RAND helps children exposed to trauma confront and subdue their stress and anxiety. The program grew out of the 1990s street violence of South Los Angeles and has since helped kids from Newtown to Fukushima. Researchers are tailoring this intervention for children in Puerto Rico whose lives were upended by hurricanes.
Opioids
A Holistic Approach to Solving the Opioid Crisis
Apr 15, 2019
While federal, state and, local governments deploy strategies to tackle the opioid crisis, the problem continues to proliferate. RAND researchers suggest that these strategies fail to solve the larger problem because they've largely been developed in silos. The opioid crisis is an ecosystem, and mitigating the problem will require a holistic approach.
Maternal Health
Meghan Markle May Avoid the Spotlight After Giving Birth and Send a Powerful Public Health Message
Apr 11, 2019
Meghan Markle plans to break from royal tradition by declining to present her baby to the public on the the steps of the maternity ward, hours after giving birth, with flawless hair and makeup. This could bring attention to many of the postpartum challenges faced by women everywhere.
Opioids
(Grey's) Anatomy of an Opioid Crisis
Apr 8, 2019
More than 130 Americans die every day after overdosing on opioids. So when one of the most popular shows on TV made opioid misuse a major plotline, RAND experts paid attention to how it presented this public health crisis. The show mirrored reality pretty closely, for the narrow slice of the opioid crisis it addressed.
Suicide
Preventing Suicide: Treat Mass Shooting Trauma Beyond Initial Tragedy
Apr 4, 2019
The need for mental health support and suicide-prevention efforts targeting survivors of mass shootings, and the friends and families of victims, is great. Putting such programs in place could go a long way toward helping them heal, and preventing more tragedy.
Health Care Costs
Addressing Surprise Medical Bills Without Raising the Cost of Health Care
Apr 1, 2019
Patients who try to stay within their insurers' networks can be hit with surprise bills when they unknowingly receive care from out-of-network physicians. How much should a physician be paid for providing a service that is critical but rendered without the patient's ready ability to choose an in-network provider?

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Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

Review of Behavioral Health Technician Training, Policies, and Practice Identifies New Opportunities

Synthetic Opioid Crisis Still Growing, Often Among Unwitting Users

How High-Quality Mental Health Care Improves Veterans' Lives

The Promise and Peril of Offshoring Prescription Drug Pricing

Tackle Fentanyl like a Poisoning Outbreak, Not a Drug Epidemic

I'm a Sleep Specialist. Here's How I Prepare My Two Teenagers for the First Day of School

Sleep Deprivation Could Do Long-Term Damage to Migrant Children

After School Shootings, Children and Communities Struggle to Heal

Price-Fixing Case Reveals Vulnerability of Generic Drug Policies

Augmented Reality on the Playground

China's Ban on Fentanyl Drugs Won't Likely Stem America's Opioid Crisis

Why Are Drug Prices So High in the United States?

A New Way to Capture the Patient Experience

A Champion for Children and Practitioners: Q&A with Dionne Barnes-Proby

Childhood Trauma Is More Common Than You Think. This School-Based Intervention Can Help

A Holistic Approach to Solving the Opioid Crisis

Meghan Markle May Avoid the Spotlight After Giving Birth and Send a Powerful Public Health Message

(Grey's) Anatomy of an Opioid Crisis

Preventing Suicide: Treat Mass Shooting Trauma Beyond Initial Tragedy

Addressing Surprise Medical Bills Without Raising the Cost of Health Care

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