Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

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?
Neighborhood Influences on Health
Pittsburgh's Hill District Is Losing More Than a Supermarket
Apr 1, 2019
When the Shop 'n Save in Pittsburgh's Hill District closed its doors for good, residents lost the ability to go to a supermarket near their homes. But they also lost something less tangible: a symbol of hope, opportunity, and change for their neighborhood.
Substance Use Harm Reduction
Addressing Federal Conflicts Over Supervised Drug Consumption Sites
Mar 14, 2019
With drug overdose deaths mounting, some American cities are trying to create designated spaces where people who use heroin and other drugs can have their consumption supervised by medical professionals. The Department of Justice argues these sites would violate federal law, but federal decisionmakers have several options.
Opioids
Opioid-Dependent Newborns in My West Virginia Hometown Point to a Path Out of Drug Crisis
Mar 6, 2019
In small, rural towns like Bluefield, West Virginia, economies are hurting, the opioid epidemic is growing, and together they are taking a toll on a surprising population: pregnant women and their babies.
Mental Health Treatment
How a New Tool Could Help Mental Health Providers Deliver More Effective Care
Mar 1, 2019
The mental health workforce needs the proper tools to meet the needs of the communities it serves. A key element of this is high-quality training in how to deliver evidence-based treatments. RAND developed a new tool designed to assess how well a specific training aligns with the most critical features of effective training.
Bioethics
Biology, in the Language of the People
Feb 21, 2019
As technology and the ability to gather ever-growing amounts of data move further into the realms of biology and human performance, communication and transparency become increasingly important. Experts should consider whether they are using the words, examples, and models that connect with a broad audience most effectively.
Illegal Drugs
Opioids and a Crisis of Unintended Consequences
Feb 20, 2019
The pain medicine OxyContin was reformulated in 2010 to make it more difficult to crush or dissolve. But this had unintended consequences, including a rise in hepatitis C infections as drug abusers switched from taking OxyContin to injecting heroin.
Bioethics
Ethics of Germline Editing Must Keep Up with Technology
Jan 10, 2019
Mainstream interest in genome editing is now surging. If this research is to go forward, the science should be well understood by those conducting the research. Best practices and the highest scientific standards should be employed to limit risks and prevent unintended consequences.
Community-Based Health Care
Faith-Based Organizations Promote Well-Being in Underserved Communities
Jan 4, 2019
Kathryn Derose, a senior policy researcher at RAND and an Episcopal deacon, works with Latino and African-American churches to address health issues in their communities. Her research has shown the power of the pulpit to fight health disparities, counter stigma, and encourage healthy living.
Tobacco and Smoking
Vaping May Have Its Place, Just Not With Teens
Dec 17, 2018
While e-cigarettes may be a “safer” option for adult smokers, they are not safe for young people. Teens who vape are significantly more likely to start smoking traditional cigarettes in the future.
Mental Health and Illness
Is Los Angeles County Successfully Creating a Youth Movement Around Mental Health Issues?
Dec 6, 2018
A new community engagement campaign called WhyWeRise seeks to increase awareness of mental health access as a civil rights issue and increase civic engagement. The campaign reached its target audience—people aged 14 to 24—and showed signs of changing attitudes toward mental illness.
Marijuana
Navigating Cannabis Legalization 2.0
Dec 4, 2018
As the next round of states debate marijuana legalization, they would do well to contemplate allowing state governments to control the wholesale prices and linking the price of cannabis to its potency.

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Commentary from RAND Health Care Researchers

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

Pittsburgh's Hill District Is Losing More Than a Supermarket

Addressing Federal Conflicts Over Supervised Drug Consumption Sites

Opioid-Dependent Newborns in My West Virginia Hometown Point to a Path Out of Drug Crisis

How a New Tool Could Help Mental Health Providers Deliver More Effective Care

Biology, in the Language of the People

Opioids and a Crisis of Unintended Consequences

Ethics of Germline Editing Must Keep Up with Technology

Faith-Based Organizations Promote Well-Being in Underserved Communities

Vaping May Have Its Place, Just Not With Teens

Is Los Angeles County Successfully Creating a Youth Movement Around Mental Health Issues?

Navigating Cannabis Legalization 2.0

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