{"title":"The geography of Medicare: explaining differences in payment and costs.","authors":"Nora Super","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This issue brief examines the sources of variation in Medicare payment and costs across different geographic areas and different sites of care. It discusses payment policies that address variation in the cost of providing care, such as input price adjustments and special payments to hospitals. It also considers differences due to beneficiaries' health status and physicians' practice patterns. Finally, it explores policy options to address Medicare geographic variation.</p>","PeriodicalId":83826,"journal":{"name":"NHPF issue brief","volume":" 792","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"22475803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Disease management to population-based health: steps in the right direction?","authors":"Lisa Sprague","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This issue brief reviews the evolution of the disease management model and the ways it relates to care coordination and case management approaches. It also looks at examples of population-based disease management programs operating in both the private and public sectors and reviews the evidence of their success. Finally, the paper considers the policy implications of adapting this model to a Medicare fee-for-service population.</p>","PeriodicalId":83826,"journal":{"name":"NHPF issue brief","volume":" 791","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"22422861","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Medicaid prescription drug coverage: state efforts to control costs.","authors":"Dawn M Gencarelli","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper provides a brief summary of the Medicaid prescription drug benefit. It explains the mechanisms being used by states to control their prescription drug spending within the Medicaid program. The paper also highlights some of the concerns that have been expressed with these mechanisms and the litigation that has been initiated in several states as a result of these efforts. It takes a closer look at three states with cost-containment strategies that have been the focus of increased scrutiny.</p>","PeriodicalId":83826,"journal":{"name":"NHPF issue brief","volume":" 790","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"22389425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reauthorizing Head Start: the future federal role in preschool programs for the poor.","authors":"Jane Koppelman","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper describes the implications of President Bush's proposal to devolve authority for running the Head Start program to the states and to alter the organization and funding of all government early childhood programs--with the goal of improving the school readiness skills of low-income children. The administration plan to allow states to mix Head Start funds with state-funded preschool money and, if desired, child care monies to create a more uniform early childhood care system with an educational focus raises numerous questions. This paper addresses questions raised by this plan, including the potential quality of these new systems, the extent to which the programs will offer health and family support services (as Head Start now does), the capacity of states to administer large-scale preschool systems, and the prospects for adequate funding of new systems, given state budget deficits and demands for providing more child care for low-income working parents.</p>","PeriodicalId":83826,"journal":{"name":"NHPF issue brief","volume":" 789","pages":"1-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"22350837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Who will pay for the adverse events resulting from smallpox vaccination? Liability and compensation issues.","authors":"Robin J Strongin, Eileen Salinsky","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper summarizes liability and compensation concerns surrounding the smallpox vaccination program announced by President Bush on December 13, 2002. The paper examines the nature of adverse health events that are likely to occur in connection with the smallpox vaccine, assesses the liability protections that have been established for organizations and individuals participating in the vaccination program, and discusses the compensation mechanisms being considered to address the damages incurred by volunteers who may suffer from adverse vaccine reactions. Specifically, the implications of the Federal Tort Claims Act, workers' compensation programs, and the creation of a new no-fault compensation fund are explored.</p>","PeriodicalId":83826,"journal":{"name":"NHPF issue brief","volume":" 788","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"22300594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Converging on nursing home quality.","authors":"Lisa Sprague","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper looks at nursing home quality initiatives, built around public reporting of quality data, that have been inaugurated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the California Health Care Foundation. How the projects were developed is explored, along with preliminary indicators of their impact on consumers and providers and likely next steps in their evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":83826,"journal":{"name":"NHPF issue brief","volume":" 787","pages":"1-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"22208629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Depression: a decade of progress, more to do.","authors":"Veronica V Goff","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This issue brief discusses the most recent findings on depression prevalence and cost; examines trends in outpatient treatment, including the dramatic growth in antidepressant use; discusses efforts to improve treatment in primary care; and explores possible public policy avenues for improving treatment access and quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":83826,"journal":{"name":"NHPF issue brief","volume":" 786","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"22138319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"U.S. childhood vaccine availability: legal, regulatory, and economic complexities.","authors":"Robin J Strongin","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the vital role they play in public health, childhood vaccines travel a complicated road from laboratory to provider and patient. From the fall of 2000 until well into 2002, a combination of factors, including market dynamics, legal challenges, and regulatory hurdles, led to a shortage of some childhood vaccines. This paper examines each of these factors, focusing on the important roles of both the public and the private sectors.</p>","PeriodicalId":83826,"journal":{"name":"NHPF issue brief","volume":" 785","pages":"1-20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"22138318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dan Mendelson, Rajeev Ramchand, Richard Abramson, Anne Tumlinson
{"title":"Prescription drugs in nursing homes: managing costs and quality in a complex environment.","authors":"Dan Mendelson, Rajeev Ramchand, Richard Abramson, Anne Tumlinson","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This brief provides a description of prescription drug use in nursing homes and a summary of current policy issues in this area. The brief first profiles the nursing home pharmaceutical market, outlining the major trends in demographics and drug utilization, the supply chain by which drugs go from manufacturers to pharmacies to nursing home residents, and the alternative arrangements by which prescription drugs in nursing homes are financed. The brief then provides a synopsis of current policy issues, focusing in turn on cost containment and quality improvement initiatives.</p>","PeriodicalId":83826,"journal":{"name":"NHPF issue brief","volume":" 784","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"22138316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Running on empty: the state budget crisis worsens.","authors":"Randy Desonia","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This issue brief reviews the status of state budget shortfalls and their growing impact on the Medicaid program. It describes the magnitude of the shortfalls, the forces behind them, and how states have responded with spending cuts and tax increases. It also discusses how long the budget crisis is expected to continue and what budget balancing options remain for fiscal year 2003.</p>","PeriodicalId":83826,"journal":{"name":"NHPF issue brief","volume":" 783","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2002-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"22065380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}