Letter from the Editor, 2021, Vol. 9, No. 2
Letter from the editor for the first issue of Volume 9, 2020.
RAND Health Quarterly
RAND Health Quarterly is an online journal that showcases the breadth and depth of RAND's health-related research. Our work spans a wide range of topics each year, including health policy and health economics; health care delivery, quality, and patient safety; clinical care; global health; mental health; health promotion and disease prevention; public health and emergency preparedness; military health; research methods; and science policy.
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In This Issue: 2021, Vol. 9, No. 2
Access to Medical Treatment for Injured Workers in California: Year 3 Annual Report
This article describes access to medical care among injured workers in California using medical billing data from Version 2.0 of the Workers' Compensation Information System.
Development of Palliative Care Quality Measures for Outpatients in a Clinic-Based Setting: A Report on Information Gathering Activities
This article summarizes information gathering activities completed as of September 2019. It provides background information on the importance of and need for development of quality measures for palliative care based on patient-reported experience.
Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration Program: Impacts on Health Care Utilization, Cost, and Quality
This article describes an extension of the RAND Corporation's evaluation of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration grants program.
The Frequency and Economic Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders for California Firefighters: Trends and Outcomes Over the Past Decade
The authors update analyses from a 2010 study on firefighters in California and consider the impacts of the 2013 workers' compensation reforms and the economic shocks of the late 2000s on outcomes for firefighters with musculoskeletal disorders.
Prices Paid to Hospitals by Private Health Plans Are High Relative to Medicare and Vary Widely: Findings from an Employer-Led Transparency Initiative
Based on all hospitals analyzed in this study, RAND Corporation researchers found that the prices paid to hospitals by private employer-sponsored health plans rose from 236 percent of Medicare reimbursement rates in 2015 to 241 percent in 2017.
Is Mental Illness a Risk Factor for Gun Violence?
This article, part of RAND's Gun Policy in America project, synthesizes the available scientific data on whether mental illness is a risk factor for gun violence.
Estimating the Size of the Los Angeles County Jail Mental Health Population Appropriate for Release Into Community Services
Researchers studied the Los Angeles County jail mental health population to identify those who would likely be eligible for diversion based on legal and clinical factors with the aim of providing them with needed care and reducing recidivism.
Comparing the Army's Suicide Rate to the General U.S. Population: Identifying Suitable Characteristics, Data Sources, and Analytic Approaches
Researchers investigate how accounting for demographic factors beyond age and gender (race/ethnicity, time, marital status, and educational attainment) affects suicide rate differences between soldiers and the general U.S. population.
Improving Behavioral Health Care for U.S. Army Personnel: Identifying Predictors of Treatment Outcomes
This article identifies factors associated with changes in outcomes for soldiers who received Army behavioral health specialty care and provides recommendations to improve care and outcomes for posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety.
Health and Social Services in Puerto Rico Before and After Hurricane Maria: Predisaster Conditions, Hurricane Damage, and Themes for Recovery
This overview of health and social services in Puerto Rico includes 31 courses of action to better recover from health crises, build a more resilient system to future disasters, and actively promote health and well-being.
RAND Health Quarterly is produced by the RAND Corporation. ISSN 2162-8254.