Health Affairs released its June issue, “Focus on the Care Span for the Elderly and Disabled,” at a press club briefing today, highlighting published work that addresses innovations in care delivery, emerging issues in care and coverage, coordination of care for Medicare/Medicaid enrollees, and end-of-life care. Editor-in-Chief Susan Dentzer opens the issue by defining “the care span” as issues that encompass “chronic care, acute care, and long-term services and supports delivered to elderly and disabled people, up to and including death.” Articles in the journal explore a wide range of related topics, including care coordination for dual eligible, avoidable hospital readmissions, Medicare payment reforms, and others. Today’s briefing included presentations of two papers from a HCFO-supported study:

Deborah N. Peikes, Senior Researcher, Mathematica Policy Research, presenting on “How Changes In Washington University's Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration Pilot Ultimately Achieved Savings”

Randall S. Brown, Vice President, Mathematica Policy Research, presenting on “Six Features Of Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration Programs That Cut Hospital Admissions Of High-Risk Patients”

At the briefing, Brown explained that care coordination programs can lower hospitalizations and spending if targeted correctly, with low coordination fees. He said that successful programs have frequent personal contact between patients and doctors, with strong patient education programs and other behavioral change techniques. In addition to the work of Drs. Peikes and Brown, the HCFO program has funded several other studies within the care span – specifically end-of-life care and long-term care. If you’re planning to attend our Long-Term Care Interest Group Colloquium in Orlando this month, this issue of the journal is a great read to prepare for the meeting and discussion, as it features work from some of the speakers. The following AcademyHealth members were published in this month’s issue of Health Affairs: Six Features Of Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration Programs That Cut Hospital Admissions Of High-Risk Patients Randall S. Brown, Deborah Peikes, and Greg Peterson Users Of Medicaid Home And Community-Based Services Are Especially Vulnerable To Costly Avoidable Hospital R. Tamara Konetzka There Is Little Experience And Limited Data To Support Policy Making On Integrated Care For Dual Eligibles Marsha R. Gold, Gretchen A. Jacobson, and Rachel L. Garfield ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY: Dx For A Careful Approach To Moving Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries Into Managed Care Plans Patricia Neuman and Diane Rowland INNOVATION PROFILE: Rapid Reengineering Of Acute Medical Care For Medicare Beneficiaries: The Medicare Innovations Collaborative  Albert L. Siu How Changes In Washington University’s Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration Pilot Ultimately Achieved Savings Deborah Peikes, Greg Peterson, and Randall S. Brown Acute Care For Elders Units Produced Shorter Hospital Stays At Lower Cost While Maintaining Patients’ Functional Status Richard H. Fortinsky and  C. Seth Landefeld INNOVATION PROFILE: How Kaiser Permanente Uses Video Ethnography Of Patients For Quality Improvement, Such As In Shaping Better Care Transitions Esther B. Neuwirth Sharp Rise In Medicare Enrollees Being Held In Hospitals For Observation Raises Concerns About Causes And Consequences Zhanlian Feng and Vincent Mor Despite ‘Welcome To Medicare’ Benefit, One In Eight Enrollees Delay First Use Of Part B Services For At Least Two Years Paul P. Lee U.S. Hospice Industry Experienced Considerable Turbulence From Changes In Ownership, Growth, And Shift To For-Profit Status Elizabeth H. Bradley Creation Of State Basic Health Programs Would Lead To 4 Percent Fewer People Churning Between Medicaid And Exchanges Sara Rosenbaum and Benjamin D. Sommers Federal Employees Health Program Experiences Lack Of Competition In Some Areas, Raising Cost Concerns For Exchange Plans Timothy D. McBride, Lisa M. Pollack, Leah M. Kemper INNOVATION PROFILE: A Collaborative Of Leading Health Systems Finds Wide Variations In Total Knee Replacement Delivery And Takes Steps To Improve Value James M. Naessens, Lucy A. Savitz More Than Half Of Individual Health Plans Offer Coverage That Falls Short Of What Can Be Sold Through Exchanges As Of 2014 Jon R. Gabel, Ryan Lore, Roland D. McDevitt, Jeremy D. Pickreign, and Heidi Whitmore Diagnosing The System: Overdose Of Overcare Rick Mathis Factors Affecting The Use Of Electronic Health Records Jonas B. Green Adhering To The Standard Of Care For Prostate Cancer David Penson Urologists’ Self-Referral: The Author Replies Jean M. Mitchell Health Affairs is an official journal of AcademyHealth.  
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