Letter from the Editor

This issue of RAND Health Quarterly features research across health care delivery, health policy, military health, and disease prevention, addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing health systems and vulnerable populations.

In health care delivery, quality, and patient safety, Rebecca Anhang Price and colleagues present the Patient-Reported Outcome Measures of Timely Experience of Diagnosis (PROMOTE-Dx) for Cancer, a new survey-based tool for measuring timeliness of cancer diagnosis.

In health policy and health economics, Elizabeth Chase and co-authors evaluated the effects of Massachusetts's health care cost growth benchmark—established in 2012 to constrain health care spending—on hospital revenues, hospital prices, and health insurance premiums. Also in this category, Sara E. Heins et al. examined the role of Qualified Medical Evaluators in California's workers' compensation Medical-Legal system, using data analyses and stakeholder interviews to assess whether the system is sustainable and meeting its intended purpose. And Preethi Rao and colleagues present state-level estimates through 2034 of Medicaid fund impact and enrollment changes associated with key provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July 2025.

In health promotion and disease prevention, Louis Abramson and his research team report findings from the Los Angeles Longitudinal Enumeration and Demographic Survey (LA LEADS) 2025 Annual Report, documenting that although tent dwelling has fallen 55 percent since 2021, rough sleeping and vehicle dwelling have risen significantly, leading the authors to recommend pivoting from tent-centric aid to a mixed approach with centralized service hubs and low-barrier integrated behavioral health-housing options.

In military health, Claire E. O'Hanlon and co-authors examined how proposed policy changes to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care program might affect access to and quality of health care for New York veterans. Jason Michel Etchegaray and colleagues assessed quality and patient safety review processes for care delivered in military treatment facilities and via operational clinical services, identifying opportunities for improvement including updating lists of active settings, clarifying requirements, and addressing institutional knowledge loss. Michelle Priest, Terry L. Schell, Ben Senator, and Beau Kilmer present new data from the 2025 RAND Psychedelics Survey on U.S. veterans' use of specific psychedelic substances (such as psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, and ibogaine), their psychedelics policy preferences, and how these compare with nonveterans.

Lisa S. Meredith, Ph.D., Editor