Briefs & Reports

2010

May

Examining the Impact of Part D on Nursing Home Residents
How did nursing home residents fare following implementation of the Medicare Part D program? Becky Briesacher, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Medical School, and colleagues examined the experience of nursing home residents transitioning to the Medicare Part D prescription benefit and found that nursing home residents have experienced much more modest gains than community-dwelling beneficiaries since implementation of the program. More

Research Insights: Using Evidence to Design Benefits
The ability of evidence-based research about the effectiveness of health care interventions to improve quality and control costs will depend not only on the strength of the research, but also on the development of effective strategies to integrate evidence into decisions about how people use health care. More

April

Major Illness and Financial Disaster: How Close is the Connection?
Do the uninsured near elderly experience a significant loss in personal wealth when they experience an adverse health event compared to the insured near elderly? David Dranove, Ph.D., professor at Northwestern University, and colleagues compared the financial experience of insured and uninsured individuals who suffer a major illness and found that uninsured, near-elderly individuals who suffer a new, major illness lose between one-third and one-half of their assets to medical expenses. More

The Group Employed Model as a Foundation for Health Care Delivery Reform
With a focus on delivering low-cost, high-quality care, several organizations using the group employed model (GEM)—with physician groups whose primary and specialty care physicians are salaried or under contract—have been recognized for creating a culture of patient-centeredness and accountability, even in a toxic fee-for-service environment. The elements that leaders of such organizations identify as key to their success are physician leadership that promotes trust in the organization, integration that promotes teamwork and coordination, governance and strategy that drive results, transparency and health information technology that drive continual quality improvement, and a culture of accountability that focuses providers on patient needs and responsibility for effective care and efficient use of resources. These organizations provide important lessons for health care delivery system reform. More

March

Research Insights: Quality Improvement in Public Health: Lessons Learned from the Multi-State Learning Collaborative
The growing field of Public Health Systems and Services Research (PHSSR) offers the potential to contribute to and support Quality Improvement (QI) efforts in public health. One initiative credited with achieving progress in QI in public health is the Multi-State Learning Collaborative (MLC). This brief examines lessons learned from the MLC and ways that QI strategies may play a vital role in supporting the public health system and improving outcomes. Insights from the brief come from a panel discussion during the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting in Chicago, June 28-30, 2009. More

Viewing Health Care through the Economics of Strategy
Research has shown that more integrated delivery systems provide higher-quality care. Despite these findings, delivery systems remain fragmented. “Viewing Health Care Consolidation through the Lens of the Economics of Strategy,” by David Dranove, Ph.D., Northwestern University, provides a historical account of efforts to integrate the delivery system through the lens of the economics of strategy, a management concept based on the premise that firms succeed in the long run only if they provide consumers with value. Dranove posits that integration is more effective than market transactions if contracts are not adequate to achieve desired outcomes and if coordination is required to achieve the desired product. More

What Are the Costs to Physicians of Administrative Complexity in Their Interactions with Payers?
What is the cost of physicians' interactions with health plans? Lawrence P. Casalino, M.D., Ph.D., Weill Cornell Medical College and formerly of the University of Chicago, conducted a national survey of physician practices to estimate both the time spent by physicians in interacting with health plans and the cost of the interactions. The researchers found that the total cost of physicians' interactions with health plans is $31.0 billion per year. Learn more in this HCFO findings brief. More

National Institutes of Health ARRA Challenge Grants on Comparative Effectiveness Research for HSR, March 2010: Fact Sheet
The National Institutes of Health recently awarded 5 billion in new funding for health research under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. NIH ARRA funding for Challenge Grants focused on HSR-related CER represents more than $35.4 million in new investment in the field. This fact sheet provides an overview of ARRA funded Challenge Grants focused in CER that qualify as HSR, including a breakdown of funding amounts and award distributed by each Institute. More

February

Reshopitalization from Skilled Nursing Facilities: Implications for Policy
Evidence shows that most readmissions after an initial hospitalization are unplanned and avoidable, yet reversing the current pattern is challenging. Vincent Mor, Ph.D., Brown University, and colleagues examined the rehospitalization experience of patients discharged to a skilled nursing facility. They found that incentives are not aligned to ensure a smooth transition across care settings or to reduce the likelihood of rehospitalizations. More

January

A Needs Assessment for Data and Methods in Public Health Systems Research
This study is the first assessment of data and methods needs for the field of Public Health Systems Research (PHSR). It draws on three data collection efforts: a review of the literature; a survey of members of the AcademyHealth PHSR Interest Group; and key informant interviews. Those sources provide insights to guide discussion as well as recommendations for addressing data and methods gaps in PHSR. More

2009

December

Health Risk Appraisals: How Sharp Is This Tool in Shaping Employee Behavior?
Do health risk appraisals (HRAs) improve quality and decrease costs? Meredith Rosenthal, Ph.D., and Haiden Huskamp, Ph.D., at Harvard University, examined whether enrollees in employer-sponsored health insurance who voluntarily participated in HRAs differed in regard to demographic characteristics and utilization of health services from those who chose not to participate and those not offered an HRA. The researchers found that though HRAs have been shown to increase use of medical services, they are unlikely the sole solution to engaging consumers in their health. Learn more in this HCFO Findings Brief. More

Harnessing Health Care Markets for the Public Interest: Insights for U.S. Health Reform from the German and Dutch Multipayer Systems
AcademyHealth's David Helms and Amanda Folsom and the Commonwealth Fund's Cathy Schoen describe the use of quasi-governmental authorities to achieve the goals of better access, quality, and efficiency in health care in Germany and the Netherlands. More

National Institutes of Health ARRA Awards for Health Services Research, December 2009: Fact Sheet
The National Institutes of Health recently awarded 5 billion in new funding for health research under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Of these projects, 1.6 percent of funding can be classified as health services research (HSR). This fact sheet provides an overview of HSR projects funded under ARRA, including a breakdown of funding amounts and award distributed by each Institute. More

November

Will the United States Have a Shortage of Physicians in 10 Years?
Will there be a physician shortage, and if so, should the government act now to expand medical school capacity and encourage hospitals to train more residents? This paper by Sean Nicholson, Ph.D., was commissioned for the RWJF/HCFO 2009 Policy Reform: Implications of the Supply and Organization of the Delivery System on Health Care Reform work group. The paper provides a brief history of government involvement in physician workforce planning, describes and assesses the methods used by the two sides of the physician-shortage debate, and addresses the fundamental underlying views that determine many observers’ positions in this debate. More

Research Insights: Addressing Disparities through Public Health Systems and Services Research
The emerging science of public health systems and services research (PHSSR) has the potential to inform the public health system’s contribution to eliminating health disparities, which was set forth as one of two overarching goals in Health People 2010. This brief discusses how PHSSR can contribute to efforts to measure, assess, and reduce disparities in health and health care. Insights from the brief come from a panel discussion during the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting in Chicago, June 28-30, 2009. More

Research Insights: Medical Homes and Accountable Care Organizations: If We Build It, Will they Come?
This brief highlights the challenges likely to develop as medical homes and accountable care organizations emerge in the care delivery landscape, and discusses possible solutions to resolve those challenges. More

October

Geographic Variation and Health Care Cost Growth: Research to Inform a Complex Diagnosis
As policymakers consider various cost containment measures, it is important to understand the drivers of health care costs and growth. This policy brief, "Geographic Variation and Health Care Cost Growth: Research to Inform a Complex Diagnosis," presents preliminary findings from several HCFO grants that examined the factors contributing to costs and cost growth. More

August

Impact of the Economy on Health Care
The great loss of jobs and financial investments resulting from the current economic recession has adversely affected access to employer-sponsored health insurance, provider behavior and workforce trends, and population health. At the same time, a major challenge for researchers and policymakers is to distinguish between these cyclical trends and long-term structural changes to the economy. The HCFO brief, "Impact of the Economy on Health Care," by Jill Bernstein, Ph.D., examines the interconnections among economic forces, health care access, costs, and outcomes and identifies gaps in our understanding of how the economy impacts health care. More

July

Comparative Effectiveness Research: International Experiences and Implications for the United States
In this report, authors Gerald Anderson, Ph.D. and Kalipso Chalkidou, M.D., Ph.D. examine how CE programs operate in other countries and offer lessons for U.S. policymakers based on their analysis. More

Research Insights: Comparative Effectiveness Research: International Experiences and Implications for the United States
In 2008, AcademyHealth commissioned a comparative analysis of the United State’s and other industrialized nations’ experiences in Comparative Effectiveness Research by Gerard Anderson Ph.D., and Kalipso Chalkidou M.D., Ph.D. This brief is based on their final report, Comparative Effectiveness: International Experiences and Implications for the United States, which was published in July 2009. More

Research Insights: Prevention and Health Reform
At its annual National Health Policy Conference (NHPC) in Washington, D.C. on February 2-3, 2009, AcademyHealth convened a panel of four experts with different perspectives on prevention, particularly primary, community-based prevention efforts, and its role in health reform. This issue brief summarizes the presentations and discussion from the NHPC session. More

An Analysis of the Distribution of Cost-Sharing Levels in Individual and Small-Group Coverage
As policymakers contemplate health reform proposals that would significantly expand health insurance coverage, it is important to recognize that there is little distributional detail available on the types of coverage and benefit structures currently available and purchased by individuals and small groups. The HCFO report, "An Analysis of the Distribution of Cost-Sharing Levels in Individual and Small-Group Coverage," by John Bertko, Hannah Yoo, and Jeff Lemieux provides details on the types of coverage and benefit structures in the individual and small group markets. More

Getting Tools Used: Lessons Learned from Successful Decision Support Tools Unrelated to Health Care
What lessons can be learned from decision support tools unrelated to health care? Jessie Gruman, Ph.D., and colleagues conducted case studies of four decision support tools widely used in other industries, evaluated which variables were key to the success of these tools, and discussed the implications for health care. They found that current approaches to structuring decision support tools within health care would benefit from a better understanding of the interests and capacities of target audiences. In addition, information should be aligned with both the timing and range of decisions health care consumers face. More

Health Care Benefits—Creating the Optimal Design
Among the questions likely to arise during the debate on health care reform are whether current benefits are optimally designed to maximize beneficial coverage and whether current benefit structures create appropriate incentives for improved health and efficiency. The HCFO issue brief, "Health Care Benefits—Creating the Optimal Design," discusses "benefit design" as an important tool and explores market innovations and how they are being implemented and expanded. More

June

Public Perspectives on Health Delivery System Reforms: Issue Brief
Developing a fuller understanding of values, preferences, concerns, and misconceptions about health care is critical for policymakers as they shape legislation and seek support for change from the public. The HCFO issue brief "Public Perspectives on Health Delivery System Reforms," by Jill Bernstein, Ph.D., highlights findings from a companion report that provides a detailed analysis of public opinion and health services research studies of public views of health delivery system reforms. More

Public Perspectives on Health Delivery System Reforms
Better understanding public views could help policymakers avoid potential problems both in designing, describing, and marketing reform proposals. This new report, “Public Perspectives on Health Delivery Reform,” by Jill Bernstein, Ph.D., provides a detailed analysis of public opinion and health services research studies of public views of health delivery system reforms. More

Research Insights: The Role of Employer-Based Health Insurance under Health Care Reform
AcademyHealth provides a review of the differing perspectives on employers’ desires for comprehensive health care reform and the commitment of support from employers and businesses. Insights from the brief come from a panel discussion during the National Health Policy Conference, Feb. 2-3, 2009. More

A First Look at the Volume and Cost of Comparative Effectiveness Research in the United States
While the health policy community debates the potential contributions of comparative effectiveness research to health care quality and costs, there is limited understanding of the current capacity for conducting comparative effectiveness research in the United States. This report is intended to help fill this gap by providing an environmental scan of the volume and the range of cost of recent comparative effectiveness research. More

May

How Valid are the Assumptions Underlying Consumer-Driven Health Plans?
How valid are the assumptions underlying consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs)? Judith Hibbard, Dr.P.H. and colleagues examined whether individuals newly enrolled in a CDHP became more active consumers and made cost-effective decisions about medical care and prescription drug utilization. They found that these plans attract individuals who are already active consumers and that the financial incentives inherent in CDHPs cause consumers to decrease utilization of both high and low priority services. Learn more in the HCFO Findings Brief. More

Research Insights: Incorporating Cost into Comparative Effectiveness
AcademyHealth provides a review of the differing perspectives on cost effectiveness analysis and its role (or lack thereof) in CER. Insights from the brief come from a panel discussion during the National Health Policy Conference, Feb. 2-3, 2009. More

Compendium of Health Services Research to Inform Health Reform
AcademyHealth developed this compendium of ongoing or recently-completed health services research that has been funded by federal agencies and national foundations as a resource to inform health reform activities over the next few years. More

April

2008 Annual Report
View the 2008 Annual Report to learn more about AcademyHealth and the programs and initiatives that help advance the knowledge base of health policy and practice. More

Insurance Choices: Behaviors of Firms and Their Workforces
When trying to understand the potential impact of proposed health care reforms, policymakers need to understand how firms will respond, as well as the likely responses of employees within the firms. The issue brief, “Insurance Choices: Behaviors of Firms and Their Workforces,” identifies the key questions policymakers will need to answer when predicting firm and workforce behavior, as well as the data available and needed to answer these questions. More

Is Health Information Technology Associated with Patient Safety in the United States?
Does health information technology (HIT) save money through quality improvements and efficiencies? Jeffrey McCullough, Ph.D., and colleagues examined this question using national data as part of a HCFO-funded study and found some evidence of a small but statistically positive significant relationship between the use of electronic health records and one measure of patient safety. Learn more in the HCFO Findings Brief. More

2008

December

Reducing the Administrative Burden of Health Care Quality Reporting
How great are the financial and administrative burdens of quality measurement and reporting on hospitals? Paul Ginsburg, Ph.D., and colleagues examined hospitals’ quality reporting activities, the strategies hospitals use to manage the demands associated with reporting activities, and the role of external stakeholders in streamlining quality reporting demands. They found that while quality performance measurement and reporting have the potential to improve the quality of health care and reduce costs, these activities can pose a significant administrative and financial burden on participating hospitals. Learn more in the HCFO Findings Brief. More

Rising to the Challenge
This report outlines the past year’s efforts to think beyond the current paradigm and find new tools to address health care reform, while pointing to historically difficult policy questions that remain unanswered. More

November

Should Healthy Medicare Beneficiaries Postpone Enrollment in Part D?
Is it cost-effective for “healthy” Medicare beneficiaries, who do not regularly take prescription drugs, to enroll in Part D as soon as they are eligible? Bryan Dowd, Ph.D., and colleagues examined the differences in lifetime out-of-pocket prescription drug expenditures and found that total lifetime expected out-of-pocket costs are minimized if healthy 65-year-old Medicare beneficiaries enroll in Part D immediately upon eligibility rather than waiting until they contract a drug-intensive condition. Learn more in the HCFO findings brief. More

Medicare Spending on HMOs and Stand-Alone Drug Plans: What Is It Worth to Beneficiaries?
What are the costs and benefits of supporting private Medicare health insurance plans? Steven D. Pizer, Ph.D., and colleagues examined how well stand-alone prescription drug plans and increased payments to HMOs improved the welfare of Medicare beneficiaries per dollar of additional federal spending. They found that the stand-alone prescription drug plans generate more value per government dollar. Learn more in the HCFO Findings Brief. More

October

Are Single Specialty Hospitals More Cost-Efficient than Full-Service Hospitals?
Can physician-owned, single specialty hospitals (SSHs) promote competition within local health care markets and subsequently decrease costs and improve quality? Kathleen Carey, Ph.D., and colleagues examined whether SSHs were more cost efficient than competing, full-service hospitals and found that SSHs, including cardiac and orthopedic hospitals, are not more cost efficient than full-service, acute care hospitals. Learn more in the HCFO Findings Brief. More

Using 21st-Century Information Technology to Help Eligible People Receive Health Coverage
This report, authored by Stan Dorn, senior associate at the Urban Institute, provides state and local case studies for using 21st-century information technology to help eligible people receive health coverage. Building on a report published last year, as well as additional group and individual technical assistance meetings with states, Mr. Dorn shows how state and local officials who are responsible for administering public health programs are developing strategies to use personal data about income and other information to identify potential beneficiaries and help them qualify for benefits. More

September

Reducing Hospital Readmissions
More

The Medicaid Undercount: Real or Perceived Bias in Estimates of Coverage in General Population Surveys?
This brief provides findings from a study conducted by HCFO researcher Kathleen Thiede Call, Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. Call explored the accuracy of estimates of the number of uninsured derived from population surveys. More

August

Improving Access to Improve Quality: Evaluation of an Organizational Innovation
More

July

Can a Sales Tax on Medical Services Help Fund State Coverage Expansions?
More

Charting a Course: Preparing for the Future, Learning from the Past
While election year politics and the decline in the economy slowed the rate of health reforms enacted in states last year, this report shows many states nevertheless made significant progress towards health care reform in 2008. More

Including Employer Financing in State Health Reform Initiatives
This brief, authored by ERISA expert, Pat Butler, discusses the Act’s preemption principles, describes state and local laws that have imposed employer fees, and notes the key findings and conclusions from the court of appeals opinions. The brief then offers suggestions for how states can include employer assessments in financing health care programs while minimizing grounds for ERISA challenges. More

Profiles in Coverage: Arizona Healthcare Group
Created in 1985, Healthcare Group (HCG) of Arizona has provided health insurance to sole proprietors, small businesses with 50 or fewer employees, and Arizona political subdivisions for more than 20 years. Since that time, HCG has undergone significant changes. HCG has drastically increased enrollment without a federal or state subsidy. The State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) program discussed the revitalized HCG program with Anthony Rodgers, Director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), who oversees HCG. More

Profiles in Coverage: Indiana Check-Up Plan
The Indiana Check-Up Plan, as passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2007, is funded through an increase in the cigarette tax and contains several public and private reforms aimed at improving access to health insurance. The centerpiece of the plan is the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) coupled with a Health Savings-type Account (HSA) offered to low-income residents who have been without health insurance for six months, and earn less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. The State Coverage Initiatives ( SCI) program recently spoke with Mitchell Roob, Jr., secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration about the HIP program. More

Surviving the Perfect Storm: Impacts of Benefit Reductions and Increased Cost Sharing in a Medicaid Program
More

June

Issue Brief: Public Perspectives on Health Delivery System Reforms
Public opinion indicates underlying support for greater emphasis on primary care, prevention, health information systems and other components of proposed health reform. However, there is also evidence of public concern (1) about the trustworthiness of health care products, providers, and sources of health information; (2) about privacy and confidentiality of medical records; (3) about consumers’ capacity and willingness to take on greater responsibility for making health care decisions; and, (4) about the effects of reform on choice of providers and treatment options. More

May

Annual Report 2007
More

Microsimulation Model for Reinsurance
More

Reinsurance in State Health Reform
This report highlights the lessons learned during SCI's Reinsurance Institute and in particular, provides analysis on the reinsurance modeling and lessons learned from state-specific work with Washington, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. These states received in-depth technical assistance from SCI’s consultant partner, the Urban Institute, on how a reinsurance strategy might work in their individual state. The modeling was designed to answer questions about costs, take up, and the overall impact of a publicly-subsidized reinsurance program. More

The Individual Insurance Market: A Building Block for Health Care Reform?
More

The Individual Insurance Market: A Building Block for Health Care Reform? Insights from HCFO Research Results
Adele M. Kirk, Ph.D. More

April

Administrative Simplification Project Case Study – Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH)
Bonnie J. Austin, J.D. and Emily A. Bosk More

Assessing the Impact of Coverage Gaps in the Medicare Part D Drug Benefit
More

Consumer-Preparedness for Long-Term Care
More

March

Rewarding Results Pay-for-Performance: Lessons for Medicare
More

February

2007 Federal Funding for Health Services Research
More

The Impact of Hospital Ownership: Looking for Consistency Among Conflicting Findings
More

January

Measuring the Value of Public Health Systems
More

State of the States 2008
Margaret Trinity, Enrique Martinez-Vidal, Isabel Friedenzohn, Amanda Folsom, Brynnan Cox More

2007

November

Geographic Variation in Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Services Utilization: What is the Role of Physician Practice Patterns?
More

Marketing State Insurance Coverage Programs: Experiences from Four States
More

October

Choice in Medical Care: When Should the Consumer Decide?
More

Consumer Choice in the Health Insurance and Provider Markets: A Look at the Evidence Thus Far
More

Improving Quality Health Care: The Role of Consumer Engagement
More

Medicare Advantage and the Impact of Medicare HMOs on Inpatient Utilization
More

Navigating Health Care: Why It’s So Hard and What Can Be Done to Make It Easier for the Average Consumer
This issue brief examines the work of Shoshanna Sofaer, Dr.P.H., Baruch College, on challenges consumers face when navigating the health care system, commissioned for an RWJF/HCFO meeting to examine the role of consumer engagement in improving the quality of health care. More

The Current and Future Role of Consumers in Making Treatment Decisions
More

The Elusive Health Care Consumer: What Will It Take to Activate Patients?
This issue brief examines the work of HCFO researcher Judith H. Hibbard, Dr.P.H., University of Oregon, on consumer activation, commissioned for an RWJF/HCFO meeting to examine the role of consumer engagement in improving the quality of health care. More

September

Early Experiences with Federal Health Insurance Tax Credits
More

Health Insurance Connectors and Exchanges: A Primer for State Officials
Amy Lischko for State Coverage Initiatives More

August

Automatic Enrollment Strategies: Helping State Coverage Expansions Achieve Their Goals
More

Financial Relief: The Effect of State Mental Health Parity Laws on Families of Children with Mental Health Care Needs
More

July

Historical Analysis of Ownership & Publication Rights in Government Contracts for Health Services Research
More

Meeting the Future Long-Term Care Needs of the Baby Boomers
More

June

Affordable Clustered Housing-Care: A Viable Alternative for Long-Term Care in a Residential Setting?
More

TennCare Reform, One Year Later: An Assessment of the Impact of the 2005-2006 Changes in the TennCare Program
More

May

Physician Payment: Is There a Better Way to Pay?
This findings brief discusses approaches to physician payment, existing and evolving, including structural changes and incentives that should be examined as new payment systems are explored. More

Year in Review 2006
More

April

Investment Returns and Size of Damage Caps Impact Rising Cost of Malpractice Premiums
More

March

Efforts to Expand Coverage to the Uninsured: Program Design Challenges and Tradeoffs in Six States
Prepared by Todd Eberly, Asher Mikow, John O'Brien, and Susan Tucker for HRSA and SCI More

Pharmacogenomics: an Assessment of Market Conditions and Competition
More

February

ERISA Update: Federal Court of Appeals Agrees ERISA Preempts Maryland’s “Fair Share Act”
Prepared for AcademyHealth and the National Academy for State Health Policy Patricia A. Butler, JD, DrPH More

ERISA Update: Federal Court of Appeals Agrees ERISA Preempts Maryland’s “Fair Share Act”
Prepared for AcademyHealth and the National Academy for State Health Policy Patricia A. Butler, JD, DrPH More

Regional PPOs in Medicare: What are the Prospects
More

January

A Sustainable Future?: The Role of Premium Subsidies in Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
More

Design of a Pharmacy Benefit for Low-Income Seniors: Lessons from State Pharmacy Assistance Programs
More

State of the States 2007
Amanda Brodt, Alice Burton, Donald Cohn, Brynnan Cox, Amanda Folsom, Isabel Friedenzohn, Enrique Martinez-Vidal, Margaret Trinity More

2006

December

Medical Malpractice: Strengthening The Evidence Base
More

November

ERISA Implications for State Health Care Access Initiatives: Impact of the Maryland “Fair Share Act” Court Decision
More

Major Changes in Benefit Design: A Plausible Way to Control Costs?
More

Oklahoma Employer/Employee Partnership for Insurance Coverage (O-EPIC)
More

Strengthening the Field of Health Services Research: A Needs Assessment of Key Producers and Users
More

Who Decides: Do Individual Physicians in Group Practices Have Discretion Over Acceptance of New Medicaid Patients?
More

August

Corporate Finance and Consolidation in Health Care
More

Cutting Edge "Evidence" for Policymakers
More

Discovering an Untapped Resource for Health Services Researchers
More

The Pennsylvania Community Health Reinvestment Agreement: Establishing Non-Profit Insurers' Community Benefit Obligations
Carol Pryor and Catherine Dunham, The Access Project More

The Pennsylvania Community Health Reinvestment Agreement: Establishing Non-Profit Insurers' Community Benefit Obligations
By Carol Pryor and Catherine Dunham More

Turning Medicaid Beneficiaries into Purchasers of Health Care: Critical Success Factors for Medicaid Consumer-Directed Health Purchasing
Charles Milligan, Cynthia Woodcock, and Alice Burton More

July

Evaluating the Cost Efficiency of Specialist Physicians
More

June

The Dynamics of Health Insurance Coverage: 1996 to 2000
More

May

Efficiency in Health Care: What Does it Mean? How is it Measured? How Can it be Used for Value-Based Purchasing? Highlights from a National Conference
More

Hospital Consolidation: Investigating Causes and Consequences
More

April

Year in Review 2005
More

March

HSR Impact: Specialty Hospitals
More

HSR Impact: The Business Case for Nurse Staffing
More

New Mexico State Coverage Insurance
SCI recently talked with Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., secretary, Human Services Department, about New Mexico State Coverage Insurance. More

Uncharted Territory: Current Trends in Section 1115 Demonstrations
Theresa Sachs, Jenna Walls, and Isabel Friedenzohn More

February

Bridging the Gap: The Role of Individual Health Insurance Coverage
," AcademyHealth, Vol. IX, No. 1, . More

January

State of the States 2006
Alice Burton, Daniel Campion, Donald Cohn, Isabel Friedenzohn, Enrique Martinez-Vidal, Margaret Trinity, Kari Root More

Turning Medicaid Beneficiaries into Purchasers of Health Care: Critical Success Factors for Medicaid Consumer-Directed Health Purchasing
Charles Milligan, Cynthia Woodcock, and Alice Burton More

2005

December

Federal Funding for Health Services Research
More

November

Managed Care for Children in Medicaid: Some Good News, but Not a Cure-All
(HCFO) Susan Edwards More

October

State Pharmacy Assistance Programs vs. Medicare Prescription Drug Plans: How Do They Contain Rising Costs?
(HCFO) Sarah Goodell, Jack Hoadley, Ellen O’Brien, and Claudia Williams More

September

Placement, Coordination, and Funding of Health Services Research within the Federal Government
More

Risk Selection in Employer-Sponsored Managed Care Plans
(HCFO) Monica Marchetta More

West Virginia Small Business Plan
Fall 2005 (SCI) SCI talks with Sonia Chambers, chair of the West Virginia Health Care Authority, and Sally Richardson, executive director of the Institute for Health Policy Research at West Virginia University, about the West Virginia Small Business Plan. More

July

State Pharmacy Assistance Programs at a Crossroads: How Will They Respond to the Medicare Drug Benefit
Claudia Williams, Sarah Goodell, Jack Hoadley, Ellen O’Brien, and Matt Kanter (HCFO) More

June

Health Savings Accounts as a Tool for Market Change
Monica Marchetta and Deborah Rogal (HCFO: Vol. VIII, No. 4) More

More Answers on Reinsurance
Donald Cohn, Enrique Martinez-Vidal, and Deborah Chollet (SCI: Vol. VI, No. 2) More

Racial/Ethnic Diversity in Health Services Research: Pockets of Progress but a Long Way to Go
Study supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation More

The Promises and Pitfalls of Web Publishing for Health Services Research: An Expert Meeting
Anne Gauthier and Samantha Burch More

May

2004 Annual Report
More

Profiles in Coverage: Maine Dirigo
SCI talks with Trish Riley, director of the Governor's Office of Health Policy and Finance, about Dirigo. More

April

State and Community Collaboration: Lessons from the Communities in Charge Program and Other Local Initiatives
Isabel Friedenzohn and Terry Stoller (SCI: Vol. VI, No. 1) More

Structure of Hospital Networks in California Affects Pricing
LeAnne DeFrancesco (HCFO: Vol. VIII, No. 3) More

March

Managed Care Mandates Fall Short of Curbing California Medicaid Costs
Bonnie Austin, J.D. (HCFO: Vol. VIII, No. 2) More

January

Evaluating Promising New Treatments for Life-Threatening Disease: Implications of the HDC/ABMT Experience for Treating Breast Cancer
Susan Edwards (HCFO: Vol. VIII, No. 1) More

Profiles in Coverage: Healthy New York
Governor George E. Pataki (R) and Insurance Superintendent Gregory V. Serio answer questions about the program. More

State of the States 2005
Bonnie Austin, Alice Burton, LeAnne DeFrancesco, Isabel Friedenzohn, Shitang Patel, Myisha Patterson, Margaret Trinity More

2004

December

Ethical Guidelines: Managing Conflicts of Interest in Health Services Research
More

Managed Care Does Not Appear to Have a Spillover Effect on the Quality of Diabetes Care for Medicare Patients
Susan Edwards (HCFO: Vol. VII, No. 7) More

October

HSR Impact: Health Care Worker Safety
More

Improving Federal Health Data for Coverage and Access Policy Development Needs
More

Mental Health Care Disparities Among Youths Vary by State
Laura McDaniel and Susan Edwards (HCFO: Vol. VII, No. 6) More

The Role of Reinsurance in State Efforts to Expand Coverage
Deborah Chollet, Ph.D. (SCI: Vol. V, No. 4) More

Using Health Research in Policy and Practice: Case Studies from Nine Countries
Ray Moynihan (Co-Published with AcademyHealth) In this report, Ray Moynihan, an experienced journalist, describes collaboration between researchers and users of their skills and findings in nine countries. Moynihan introduces the report by briefly recapitulating controversial issues in the application of knowledge derived from research to policy and practice. He concludes by describing common themes in the nine stories. More

September

Health Savings Accounts: Issues and Implementation Decisions for States
Mila Kofman, J.D. (SCI: Vol. V, No. 3) More

August

ERISA Update: The Supreme Court Texas Decision and Other Recent Developments
Patricia Butler (SCI: Vol. V, No. 2) More

Pharmaceutical Formularies: The Right Formula for Cost and Utilization?
Bonnie Austin, J.D. (HCFO: Vol. VII, No. 5) More

July

Children in Foster and Kinship Care at Risk for Inadequate Health Care Coverage and Access
Robert Kornegay (HCFO: Vol. VII, Issue 4) More

Limited-Benefit Policies: Public and Private-Sector Experiences
Isabel Friedenzohn (SCI: Vol. V, No. 1) More

June

Safety Net 'Crowding Out' Private Health Insurance for Childless Adults
LeAnne DeFrancesco (HCFO: Vol. VII, Issue 3) More

May

2003 Annual Report
More

Federal Funding for Health Services Research
More

April

HSR Impact: Diabetes Management
More

March

HSR Impact: Quality and Safety
More

Pregnant and Poor: Did Medicaid and Welfare Policy Changes Improve Care for these Women as Intended?
Deborah Rogal (HCFO: Vol. VII, Issue 2) More

February

State Variation in Insurance Laws a Major Driver of Employers’ Self-Insurance Decisions
LeAnne DeFrancesco (HCFO: Vol. VII, No. 1) More

January

Health-Based Risk Assessment: Risk-Adjusted Payments and Beyond
Kathryn E. Martin, Sharon B. Arnold, and Deborah L. Rogal More

State of the States 2004
Isabel Friedenzohn, Elizabeth Greenbaum, Madeleine Konig, Benjamin Wheatley, LeAnne DeFrancesco, Jeremy Alberga, Christina Folz More

2003

December

Subgroups of Working Uninsured Require Different Enrollment Strategies
Ann Marshall (HCFO: Vol. VI, No. 6) More

November

Evaluating ROI in State Disease Management Programs
Thomas W. Wilson (SCI: Vol. IV, No. 5) More

October

Health Plan Good "Catch" for Fishing Industry
LeAnne DeFrancesco (HCFO: Vol. VI, No. 5) More

New Research Highlights Effects of Medigap Reform
Bonnie Austin and LeAnne DeFrancesco (HCFO: Vol. VI, No. 4) More

September

Mapping State Health Insurance Markets, 2001: Structure and Change
Deborah Chollet, Fabrice Smieliauskas, and Madeleine Konig More

July

Using Rural Health Networks to Address Local Needs: Five Case Studies
Ira Moscovice and Walter Elias More

June

Access and Use of Health Care Vary by Type of Medicaid Managed Care Program
Lisa Fleisher (HCFO: Vol. VI, No. 3) More

HSR Impact: Obesity
More

Long-Term Care: Collaborating for Solutions
Deborah Rogal and Laura McDaniel More

Long-Term Care: Confronting Today’s Challenges
Carol Raphael More

Long-Term Care: Informed by Research
Francis Caro More

April

Group Purchasing Arrangements: Issues for States
Mila Kofman (SCI: Vol. IV, No. 3) More

States' Experience with Benefit Design
Isabel Friedenzohn (SCI: Vol. IV, No. 4) More

March

How Do MCOs Decide Whether an Intervention is Medically Necessary?
Bonnie Austin (HCFO: Vol. 6, Issue 1) More

In Focus - The Trade Act of 2002: Coverage Options for States
Stan Dorn (SCI: Vol. IV, No. 2) More

New Payment System Has Little Effect on Access and Quality
Kathryn Martin (HCFO: Vol. 6, Issue 2) More

February

Financing End-of-Life Care: Challenges for an Aging Population
Bonnie Austin and Lisa Fleisher More

Leveraging Local Funds to Expand Coverage in Lean Times
Caton Fenz (SCI: Vol. IV, No. 1) More

January

State of the States 2003
Christina Folz, Isabel Friedenzohn, LeAnne DeFrancesco, Madeleine Konig, Lesly Hallman, and Jeremy Alberga More

2002

December

Disease Management: Findings from Leading State Programs
Ben Wheatley (SCI: Vol. III, No. 3) More

September

Does X Really Cause Y?
Bryan Dowd and Robert Town More

Fewer Patient Visits under Capitation Offset by Improved Quality of Care -- Study Brings Evidence to Debate over Physician Payment Methods
Catherine V. Eikel (HCFO: Vol. 5, Issue 3) More

August

Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability Initiative: Opportunities and Issues for States
Gretchen Engquist and Peter Burns (SCI: Vol. III, No. 2) More

May

Ensuring Quality Health Plans: A Purchaser's Toolkit for Using Incentives
Bailit Health Purchasing, LLC More

Ensuring Quality Providers: A Purchaser's Toolkit for Using Incentives
Bailit Health Purchasing, LLC More

State Health Care Spending: A Systems Perspective
Caton Fenz (SCI: Vol. III, No. 1) More

April

HMO Enrollees Experience Fewer Disparities than Other Insured Populations -- For Educational Factors, HMOs Help "Close the Gap"
LeAnne DeFrancesco (HCFO, Vol. 5, Issue 2) More

March

Provider Incentive Models for Improving the Quality of Care
Bailit Health Purchasing, LLC More

February

Shifting Responsibilities: Models of Defined Contribution
Kathryn E. Martin More

January

Community Characteristics Unable to Explain Disparities in Purchase of Individual Insurance by Minorities
Bonnie Austin (HCFO, Vol. 5, Issue 1) More

State of the States 2002
LeAnne DeFrancesco, Christina Folz, Madeleine Konig, and Carole Lee More

The Growing Case for Using Physician Incentives to Improve Health Care Quality
Bailit Health Purchasing, LLC & Sixth Man Consulting, Inc. More

2001

October

Structure of Prescription Drug Benefit May Help Medicare Beneficiaries Budget Prescription Drug Costs More Effectively
(HCFO, Vol. 4, Issue 5) More

September

Building Quality Improvement Into Defined Contribution Strategies
Jack A. Meyer & Ingrid A. Tillmann More

August

Full-Cost Buy-Ins: An Overview of State Experience
Michael Birnbaum (SCI) More

Medicaid Disease Management: Seeking to Reduce Spending by Promoting Health
Ben Wheatley (SCI) More

The Challenge of Managed Care Regulation: Making Markets Work?
Deborah L. Rogal and Robert J. Stenger More

July

Cultural Bias Emerges in Reported Access to Health Care: Commonly Used Measure May Be Inappropriate for Non-English-Speaking Hispanics
Bonnie Austin (HCFO, Vol. 4, Issue 4) More

June

Understanding the Dynamics of 'Crowd-out': Defining Public/Private Coverage Substitution for Policy and Research
Tanya T. Alteras More

May

Corporate Health Care Purchasing Among The Fortune 500
James Maxwell, Forrest Briscoe, Corey Watts, Saminaz Zaman, Peter Temin More

Section 1115 Waivers and Budget Neutrality: Using Medicaid Funds to Expand Coverage
Charles Milligan (SCI) More

April

Health Plan Payments Can Motivate Tighter Integration Between Physicians and Hospitals: Effects on Cost Remain Elusive
Junette McWilliams (HCFO, Vol. 4, Issue 3) More

March

What is Unique About Public Purchasing?
Susan O'Loughlin Ward More

January

From Regulation to Competition: How Some Providers in New York Responded
Tanya Alteras (HCFO, Vol. 4, Issue 2) More

State of the States 2001
Ben Wheatley, Jeremy Alberga, LeAnne DeFrancesco, and Sarah Molinari More

Wisconsin's BadgerCare Program Offers Innovative Approach for Family Coverage
Jeremy Alberga (SCI) More

2000

December

Disparities in State Health Coverage: A Matter of Policy or Fortune?
Christopher Trenholm and Susanna Kung More

Mapping State Health Insurance Markets: Structure and Change in the States' Group and Individual Health Insurance Markets, 1995-1997
Deborah J. Chollet, Adele M. Kirk, and Marc E. Chow More

August

ERISA Complicates State Efforts to Improve Access to Individual Insurance for the Medically High Risk
Pat Butler (SCI) More

July

Health Plan Data: A Rich Resource Ripe with Challenges
Carole C. Lee and Amy B. Bernstein More

June

Health Purchasing Coalitions Struggle to Gain Bargaining Clout: Small Size and Lack of Support from Health Plans are Factors
Robert Stenger (HCFO, Vol. 4, Issue 1) More

May

Expanding Coverage to Parents through Medicaid Section 1931
Michael Birnbaum (SCI) More

State Approaches to Expanding Family Coverage
Ben Wheatley (SCI) More

April

Health Plan Report Cards May Influence Insurers More Than Consumers: Their Effect on Insurer Behavior in Minnesota
Tanya Alteras (HCFO, Vol. 3, Issue 3) More

January

State of the States 2000
Jeremy Alberga, LeAnne DeFrancesco, and Benjamin Wheatley More

1999

November

Availability of Retiree Health Insurance Important Factor as Near-elderly Consider Leaving Work Force
Tanya Alteras (HCFO, Vol. 3, Issue 2) More

May

Purchasing Pathfinders: On Their Way, But Still Wrestling With the Realities of Containing Costs and Promoting Quality
Carole Lee, Kerry Kemp, and Deborah L. Rogal More

February

Selective Contracting for Tertiary Care Services by Managed Care Plans: Price of Services Overshadows Quality When it Comes to Selecting Hospitals
Tanya Alteras (HCFO, Vol. 3, Issue 1) More

1998

August

Study Shows Physician Gatekeeping May Help Lower Costs, But Questions Remain About Physician and Patient Satisfaction
Tanya Alteras (HCFO, Vol. 2, Issue 3) More

April

A Tale of Two Cities: Hospital Mergers in St. Louis and Philadelphia Not Reducing Excess Capacity
Kerry Kemp (HCFO, Vol. 2, Issue 2) More

1997

March

Risk Adjustment: A Key to Changing Incentives in the Health Insurance Market: A Special Report
Carole Lee and Deborah L. Rogal More

Health Outcomes Research: A Primer
Foundation for Health Services Research 1994 More

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