Accountable Care Organizations: Back to the Future?
Volume 18, Issue 2
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are networks of providers that assume risk for the quality and total cost of the care they deliver. Public policymakers and private insurers hope that ACOs will achieve the elusive “triple aim” of improving quality of care, improving population health, and reducing costs.…
Exposure and Vulnerability of California Kindergarteners to Intentionally Unvaccinated Children
Volume 18, Issue 1
Widespread vaccination coverage among children is responsible for reducing or eliminating 14 serious childhood diseases in the United States. Despite this success, some parents remain concerned about the health effects of vaccines, and choose to keep their children unvaccinated. When population rates of vaccinations remain high enough,…
On the Way to Health
Volume 17, Issue 9
Information technology (IT) has fundamentally changed the way we work, bank, and communicate. Its impact on health care and health research, however, has been limited by the lack of a comprehensive infrastructure to connect patients, providers, and researchers. As we learn more about how to address the…
Comparing Treatments for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Safety, Effectiveness and Cost
Volume 17, Issue 8
Comparative effectiveness research (CER) has received widespread attention and federal funding because of its potential to inform and improve treatment decisions. Since 2005, patients and their ophthalmologists have faced a dilemma in treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD)—the leading cause of blindness in the United States. Two closely…
Understanding and Addressing the Impact of Autism on the Family
Volume 17, Issue 7
Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have needs that challenge our systems of care. A new study estimates ASDs cost more than $126 billion each year in the U.S. – an amount that reflects both the costs of providing educational and medical services as well…
“Buddy System” of Peer Mentors May Help Control Diabetes
Volume 17, Issue 6
Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent and severe among African Americans. Even within the Veterans Health Administration, which is thought to have minimized barriers in access to care, racial disparities in glucose control and outcomes persist. This Issue Brief summarizes work testing two novel interventions—one-on-one peer mentoring…
Designing Health Insurance Exchanges: Key Decisions
Volume 17, Issue 5
A cornerstone of health care reform is the establishment of state-level insurance exchanges where individuals and small businesses can purchase health insurance in an online marketplace. This report reviews the experience of Massachusetts in developing a health insurance exchange and offers policymakers guidance on key features and…
How the Newly Insured Use Health Services: a Lesson for the U.S. from Medicare
Volume 17. Issue 4
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 32 million previously uninsured people will gain coverage by 2016, when health care reforms are fully implemented. But will these newly insured people use the health care system in the same ways as others? Is insurance enough to change patterns…
