Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

Health Care Technology
Innovations During COVID-19: Silver Lining or Threat to Patient Safety?
Jun 1, 2020

Nearly three months after the first cases of COVID-19, we still don't know what works best to treat it. Some of the ideas and innovations are outstanding, but they are, so far, untested. There is an urgent need to evaluate ongoing innovations to learn what works and what doesn't, and what may have costs that are acceptable only under crisis conditions.
Health Care Reform
Options for Designing a Public Option
May 28, 2020

State and federal policymakers are considering adding state-backed public options to the individual market in an effort to expand health coverage and improve affordability. We analyzed what would happen if public options became available in U.S. health insurance exchanges.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Modeling the Future of COVID-19: Q&A with RAND Experts
May 26, 2020

The phrase “flatten the curve” familiarized millions of Americans with epidemiological models used to estimate virus transmission, cases, and potential deaths from COVID-19. But new models are needed as the country enters a different stage of the crisis, one in which changed behaviors must be taken into account.
Vaccination
Vaccination and Coronavirus: Where the Public Good Clashes with Choice and Freedom
May 22, 2020

With scientists striving for a viable coronavirus vaccine, and public health officials considering its potential rollout, do calls for freedom of choice and anti-vaccination sentiments, as seen in recent televised protests, represent a worrying omen?
HIV and AIDS
RAND's Response to a Past Pandemic: HIV/AIDS
May 19, 2020

In the 1980s, HIV/AIDS killed 90 percent of those infected. RAND was at the forefront of the research response, providing key data on costs of care, barriers to access, and the disease's effects on quality of life. RAND continues to pursue ways to ease HIV's impact in the United States and Africa.
Decisionmaking
Relaxing COVID-19 Restrictions Presents Stark Choices
May 18, 2020

RAND's new COVID-19 interventions impact tool uses epidemiological and economic models and continually refreshed data to estimate what could happen as restrictions are eased. The tool won't make the choices confronting state leaders less painful. But it can provide clear, evidence-based estimates of the health and economic trade-offs.
Civilian Military Workforce
Civilians Returning from War Zones Need More Support
May 18, 2020

Deployed civilians often work alongside the military in combat zones or other high-stress, high-risk areas. But when they return, their experience is much different. They come home to support that is often incomplete and insufficient, and sometimes entirely nonexistent.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Global Challenges to Maintaining a Healthy Workforce During a Pandemic: Views from RAND Experts
May 15, 2020

As nations across the globe remain in lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions about the future of employment and workforce productivity emerge. During a recent webinar, RAND experts discussed how to get people back to work and improve productivity post COVID-19.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations
Public Health Lessons on Intimate Partner Violence Tucked into Tiger King
May 15, 2020

Substantial work has been done to figure out how best to address intimate partner violence, but with limited attention regarding how best to meet the unique needs of gay, lesbian, and bisexual victims. The popularity of Netflix's Tiger King, and its depiction of intimate partner violence between Joe Exotic and his two husbands, could help to focus attention on a very real, and often hidden, problem.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Should Communities Be Concerned About Digital Technologies to Fight COVID-19?
May 13, 2020

Personal, internet-connected electronic devices, such as smartphones and activity trackers, are offering an unprecedented opportunity to identify, track, map, and communicate about COVID-19 within communities. But these digital applications could pose privacy and security concerns.
Mental Health and Illness
Want to Stem the Rising Mental Health Crisis? Look Beyond the Usual Suspects for Help
May 12, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects spread, concerns about mental health impacts continue to grow. Many communities and policymakers are desperate to stem the tide of unaddressed mental health needs, and with the right investments in training, task-shifting models have enormous potential to bolster available, accessible mental health services.
Vaccination
Needed: A Blueprint for a Post-Vaccine World
May 11, 2020

When a COVID-19 vaccine is developed, many in rich countries may be able to afford it while the poor and uninsured may not. The time to plan for equitable access, financing, intellectual property rights, and global production is now.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Non-Emergency Medical Transportation in the Time of COVID-19
May 5, 2020

More widespread availability of rideshare for non-emergency medical transport may save lives, reserve emergency resources for those who need them and provide safe pathways to primary care for the chronically ill. It could also save livelihoods, providing employment in a time of economic hardship.
Health Care Services Capacity
Don't Waste This Crisis: How America Can Begin Building a System of Health
May 4, 2020

COVID-19 is shining a harsh spotlight on long-recognized but under-addressed gaps in the U.S. health system. There may never have been a more pressing time to think differently, broadening from health care services to a health-producing System of Health.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Reopening America—The Health and Economic Tradeoffs: Q&A with RAND Experts
May 4, 2020

Local and state officials are thinking through whether, when, and how to lift social-distancing restrictions. We asked three RAND researchers about the complex problem of reopening.
Food Supply Security
Feeding the Needy and Protecting Workers on the Front Lines of the Pandemic
Apr 30, 2020

Access to food could be critical to getting through the COVID-19 pandemic. Local leaders and policymakers may find themselves having to devote new resources to make sure all citizens have access to food and to protect those on the front lines.
Residential Housing
Coronavirus and the Looming Crisis in Rental Housing
Apr 30, 2020

Housing security is vital to individual and collective well-being. It's also a key component in the nation's economic performance. The looming coronavirus eviction crisis suggests the need to address the systemic problem of housing affordability and security now.
Advance Directives
COVID-19 and End-of-Life Decisions
Apr 30, 2020

Resuscitative efforts do not typically save a life. In anticipation of the pandemic surge, hospitals are discussing blanket do-not-resuscitate orders for patients dying from the coronavirus. It's time to discuss the limits of CPR so patients stricken with COVID-19 can make informed end-of-life decisions.
Women's Health
Do We Know How to Treat Alcohol Misuse in Women?
Apr 29, 2020

Despite the many clinical trials that have demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of treatments for alcohol use disorder, we still know little about whether men and women respond differently to treatment. Without knowing whether recommended treatments are effective for women, women are vulnerable to the consequences of alcohol misuse.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Supply Chain Disruptions Due to COVID-19 and Social Distancing
Apr 28, 2020

There are significant epidemiological and economic risks and uncertainties with physical distancing policies put into effect in the United States to reduce the growth of COVID-19. We have estimated the economy-wide impacts of a set of these policies to provide a sense of their likely economic toll.

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Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

Innovations During COVID-19: Silver Lining or Threat to Patient Safety?

Options for Designing a Public Option

Modeling the Future of COVID-19: Q&A with RAND Experts

Vaccination and Coronavirus: Where the Public Good Clashes with Choice and Freedom

RAND's Response to a Past Pandemic: HIV/AIDS

Relaxing COVID-19 Restrictions Presents Stark Choices

Civilians Returning from War Zones Need More Support

Global Challenges to Maintaining a Healthy Workforce During a Pandemic: Views from RAND Experts

Public Health Lessons on Intimate Partner Violence Tucked into Tiger King

Should Communities Be Concerned About Digital Technologies to Fight COVID-19?

Want to Stem the Rising Mental Health Crisis? Look Beyond the Usual Suspects for Help

Needed: A Blueprint for a Post-Vaccine World

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation in the Time of COVID-19

Don't Waste This Crisis: How America Can Begin Building a System of Health

Reopening America—The Health and Economic Tradeoffs: Q&A with RAND Experts

Feeding the Needy and Protecting Workers on the Front Lines of the Pandemic

Coronavirus and the Looming Crisis in Rental Housing

COVID-19 and End-of-Life Decisions

Do We Know How to Treat Alcohol Misuse in Women?

Supply Chain Disruptions Due to COVID-19 and Social Distancing

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