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Health Disparities

Population-specific differences in access to quality health care, whether caused by gender, race, geography, environment, or other factors, can affect individual and community health. RAND research aims to understand the causes of—and thereby reduce disparities in—health outcomes, access, and care at the individual, community, and international levels.

Multimedia

Allocating Scarce Resources During a Pandemic

RAND senior behavioral/social scientist Lori Frank and senior policy researcher Thomas Concannon discuss their work in developing the Core Guidance Checklist for health care resource allocation decisionmaking during a pandemic.

Feb 23, 2021
Journal Article

Racial/ethnic Differences in Prescription Opioid Misuse and Heroin Use Among a National Sample, 1999–2018

We compared relative prevalences across 6 racial/ethnic groups for prescription opioid misuse analyses and 4 racial/ethnic groups for heroin analyses.

Feb 19, 2021
Journal Article

Perspectives on Opportunities and Challenges for Medicare Advantage Plans to Address Social Determinants of Health Via the CHRONIC Care Act

The effect of the 2018 CHRONIC Care Act and how it may evolve before implementation begins in 2020 remains uncertain as we wait to see how MA plans will interpret eligibility criteria and services offered without any additional allotted funding.

Feb 12, 2021
Multimedia

COVID-19 and Mental Health

Senior behavioral/social scientist Joshua Breslau explains how findings from a RAND study of mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic can help in determining who in the population is most likely to experience significant psychological distress during future disasters.

Feb 4, 2021
Research Brief

Using an Innovative Database and Machine Learning to Predict and Reduce Infant Mortality

Researchers created a unique database linking medical, social, and demographic information, then used machine learning techniques to evaluate risk of infant mortality and develop intervention recommendations to reduce each infant's risk of mortality

Feb 4, 2021
Journal Article

Education and Health Over the Life Cycle

We extend the Grossman (1972) model of the demand for health and use it to analyze the effect of education on health at different ages.

Jan 26, 2021
Journal Article

Drivers of Differential Views of Health Equity in the U.S.: Is the U.S. Ready to Make Progress? Results from the 2018 National Survey of Health Attitudes

This study uses data from a nationally representative sample of American adults to examine the factors that people think drive health outcomes and their beliefs about the importance of health equity.

Jan 26, 2021
Journal Article

Does Medicare Advantage Reduce Racial Disparity in 30-Day Rehospitalization for Medicare Beneficiaries?

This study determined potential racial and ethnic disparities in risk for all-cause 30-day readmission among traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries initially hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, or pneumonia.

Jan 14, 2021
Commentary

COVID-19 Has Offered Opportunities for Communities to Come Together

The past year has been among the most turbulent in recent memory. Might recent crises provide a catalyst for a renewed sense of civic engagement that transcends some of the race and class divisions COVID-19 has exacerbated?

Jan 13, 2021
News Release

Even Among Those Most Affected by COVID-19, Many Don't See Racism as a Barrier to Good Health

A national ongoing poll that is surveying people with lower and middle incomes with a focus on communities of color is bringing to light deep-rooted views on health, equity and race amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the uneven effects of a global pandemic on communities of color and those with lower incomes, many people do not recognize the fact that racism and health are connected.

Jan 13, 2021
Report

COVID-19 and the Experiences of Populations at Greater Risk: Description and Top-Line Summary Data — Wave 2, Fall 2020

This report presents the results of the second of four surveys on how Americans' health views and values have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on populations deemed vulnerable or underserved.

Jan 13, 2021
Report

Examining Interventions to Address Infant Mortality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Poor birth and infant outcomes and pronounced racial disparities persist in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, despite robust maternal and child health and social service systems. Which interventions are the most effective and how does effectiveness vary for women with different risk and other factors?

Jan 6, 2021
Journal Article

Disparities in 30-Day Rehospitalization Rates Among Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Residents by Race and Site of Care

This article examines racial and site-of-care disparities in all-cause and potentially avoidable 30-day rehospitalization rates among a national cohort of Medicare skilled nursing facility residents.

Dec 30, 2020
Journal Article

Racial Disparities in the Use of Blood Transfusion in Major Surgery

We detected racial disparities in the use of blood transfusion for patients undergoing major surgery.

Dec 30, 2020
Journal Article

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Care for Health System-Affiliated Physician Organizations and Non-Affiliated Physician Organizations

This article assesses racial and ethnic disparities in care for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries and whether disparities differ between health system-affiliated physician organizations (POs) and nonaffiliated POs.

Dec 29, 2020
Journal Article

Trends in Family Ratings of Experience With Care and Racial Disparities Among Maryland Nursing Homes

We analyzed trends of consumer ratings publicly reported for Maryland nursing homes during 2007-2010, and determined whether racial/ethnic disparities in experiences with care changed.

Dec 29, 2020
Q&A

Medical Mistrust Could Reduce Vaccine Uptake: Q&A with Laura Bogart

Laura Bogart, a senior behavioral scientist, studies how discrimination feeds medical mistrust and conspiracy beliefs. Her research on how mistrust became a barrier to treatment for Black Americans during the HIV epidemic sheds light on why some might question the safety of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dec 23, 2020
Journal Article

Distress, Impairment, and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Perceived Need for Mental Health Treatment in a Nationally Representative Sample

Differences in perceived need across racial/ethnic groups are not attributable to differences in psychological distress and impairment.

Dec 16, 2020
Journal Article

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Outcomes in Older Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke

Long-term outcomes of acute ischemic stroke vary by race/ethnicity among older patients with AIS.

Dec 16, 2020
Journal Article

Trends in Racial Disparities for Injured Patients Admitted to Trauma Centers

We performed an observational cohort study to determine whether outcome disparities between black and white trauma patients have decreased over the last 10 years.

Dec 10, 2020

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