Abstract OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of Medicaid coverage on dental care outcomes, a major health concern for low-income populations. DATA SOURCES: Primary and secondary data on health care use and outcomes for participants in Oregon’s 2008 Medicaid lottery. STUDY DESIGN: We used the lottery’s random selection to gauge the causal effects of Medicaid on… Read More
A January 2018 report presents a conclusion that not all rural communities need critical-access hospitals. Rural/Critical Access hospitals can maintain up to 25 inpatient beds, but researchers with the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Center for Outcomes Research and Education found only three to five of those beds were occupied on average in the seven states… Read More
This September 2017 article by Hammett et al in Arthritis Care and Research found that although hip and knee replacement surgery decreased pain in did not change physical activity at 6 months after surgery The study found physical activity among patients undergoing total knee or hip arthroplasty was not increased 6 months after the surgery despite… Read More
LA County Mental Health Resources are an important part of the solution to help prevent suicides in Southern California. Is this a model system that is effective and also sustainable? Is this a poison control model that might work in other parts of the country? Is this like a trauma center referral solution? This a… Read More
Clinicians spend 6 out of 11 hours a day working with EMRs. And yet, a majority say they could be using the technology better and need more training. Tom Tonkin, Ph.D. Principal, Change Management and Transformation Thought Leadership & Advisory Services Cornerstone OnDemand Source: Event Registration… Read More
DoD takes steps to expand use of telehealth services By Fred Bazzoli Published January 11 2018, in Health Data Management The Department of Defense is expanding its ability to deliver telehealth services to active duty military personnel, veteran and their families by designating a provider of telemedicine services to operate on its networks. The agency… Read More
According to the “To Your Health” January 2018 report from the American Cancer Society (ACS), the US’ “overall cancer death rate declined 1.7 percent in last year on record 2015.” The data indicate that “overall, the cancer death rate has dropped from 215.1 per 100,000 population in 1991 to 158.6 per 100,000 in 2015.” This means… Read More
This January 1, 2018 New York Times article outlines how the push for better outcome scores puts patient care at risk. The story recounts stories where a “nurse in charge of enforcing administration restrictions said the patient was not sick enough to qualify for admission to the hospital.” Excerpts from the article include The denial… Read More
