Insurance Coverage & Costs Access to Care Quality & Care Delivery Health Care Markets Issue Briefs Data Bulletins Research Briefs Tracking Reports Policy Analyses Community Reports Journal Articles Other Publications Surveys Site Visits HSCdataOnline Design and Methods Data Files Sign Up for HSC Alerts News Media Sign Up |
![]() Indianapolis Hospital Systems Compete for Well-Insured, Suburban PatientsDec. 30, 2011Indianapolis’ major hospital systems continue to encroach on each other’s traditional territories, engaging in a battle of bricks and mortar in suburban areas to compete for well-insured patients, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Community Report No. 12News Release 1 in 5 Americans in Families with Problems Paying Medical Bills in 2010Dec. 23, 2011More than one in five Americans were in families with problems paying medical bills in 2010—about the same proportion as in 2007, according to a national study released today by HSC and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Tracking Report No. 28News Release Matching Supply to Demand: Addressing the U.S. Primary Care Workforce ShortageDec. 20, 2011While there’s little debate about a growing primary care workforce shortage in the United States, it’s less clear whether existing workforce policies—such as educational loan forgiveness or scholarships and higher payment rates—can boost the supply of practitioners quickly enough, according to a new Policy Analysis from the nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). NIHCR Policy Analysis No. 7Media Advisory Prescription Drug Access Problems Remain Level Between 2007 and 2010Dec. 16, 2011Despite the weak economy and more people lacking health insurance, the proportion of Americans reporting problems affording prescription drugs remained level between 2007 and 2010, with more than one in eight going without a prescribed drug in 2010, according to a national study released today by HSC and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Tracking Report No. 27News Release A Third of Adults Discharged from a Hospital Don't See a Doctor Within 30 DaysDec. 8, 2011One in three adult patients—aged 21 and older—discharged from a hospital to the community does not see a physician within 30 days of discharge, according to a new national study by HSC for the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). NIHCR Research Brief No. 6News Release Surprising Decline in Consumers Seeking Health InformationNov. 23, 2011After a striking rise in the last decade, the proportion of American adults seeking information about a personal health concern from a source other than their doctor dropped to 50 percent in 2010, down from 56 percent in 2007, according to a national study released today by HSC and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Tracking Report No. 26News Release Transmitting and Processing Electronic Prescriptions: Physician Practices and PharmaciesNov. 21, 2011This study focuses on a key aspect of e-prescribing: the electronic exchange of prescription data between physician practices and pharmacies. It explores facilitators of and barriers to the electronic transmission of new prescriptions and renewals and pharmacy e-prescription processing. Journal Article -- (Free access.)Federally Qualified Health Centers Poised for Significant Role in ReformNov. 10, 2011Tracing their roots to the civil rights movement and the 1960s’ War on Poverty, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) have grown from fringe providers to mainstays of many local health care system safety nets, according to a study released today by HSC. HSC Research Brief No. 21News Release Promoting Healthy Competition in Health Insurance Exchanges: Options and Trade-offsNov. 9, 2011While federal and state policy makers face many complex decisions about the design and operation of new state-based health insurance exchanges, the overarching goal of the exchanges is straightforward—promoting healthy competition among insurers to provide better health care at lower total cost, according to a new Policy Analysis from the nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). NIHCR Policy Analysis No. 6Media Advisory Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Down but Not OutOct. 27, 2011Rising costs and the lingering fallout from the great recession are altering the calculus of employer approaches to offering health benefits, according to a study released today by HSC. Issue Brief No. 137News Release Health Care's Role in Deficit Reduction—Guiding PrinciplesOct. 26, 2011Cutting federal health care spending over the next 10 years will be particularly challenging for the congressional super committee charged with proposing $1.2 trillion in additional deficit reduction by Thanksgiving, according to a perspective by researchers at HSC published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Journal Article Abstract - Free AccessMedia Advisory HSC's 16th Annual Wall Street Comes to Washington Conference on Oct. 12Oct. 17, 2011HSC's 16th Annual Wall Street Comes to Washington conference was held on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011, in Washington, D.C. A transcript of the conference is now available. Conference TranscriptLow Patient Activation and Hispanic Immigrants' Access BarriersOct. 6, 2011Increasing Hispanic immigrants’ ability to take a more active role in managing their health and health care may be as important as expanding health coverage in reducing access disparities, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) published in the October edition of Health Affairs. Journal Article AbstractMedia Advisory Reforming Provider Payment—The Price Side of the EquationOct. 5, 2011Unless public and private health care payers send consistent signals to providers through payment reform about controlling both the price and quantity of care, they risk working at cross purposes, according to a perspective by Paul B. Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC), published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Journal Article AbstractMedia Advisory Economic Downturn Strains Miami Health Care SystemSept. 29, 2011Despite the economic downturn’s severe fallout on Miami’s tourism, real estate and construction sectors, some hospitals are expanding beyond their traditional geographic markets to compete for privately insured patients, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Miami Community ReportNews Release Adding Patients to the Decision EquationSept. 20, 2011While evidence suggests that patients’ medical decisions in the United States, even momentous ones, are seldom well informed, greater use of shared decision making between clinicians and patients might help bridge the gap between the care patients want and the care they actually receive, according to a new Policy Analysis from the nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). NIHCR Policy Analysis No. 5Media Advisory Ginsburg Testifies at Ways & Means Health Panel on Provider Market PowerSept. 9, 2011While consolidation contributes to dominant hospitals’ upper hand in negotiating higher payment rates from private insurers, other factors, including consumer perceptions of quality and desire for broad provider choice, provision of highly specialized services, and geographic niches, contribute to providers’ market power, economist Paul B. Ginsburg, Ph.D., president of HSC, told Congress today. Congressional TestimonyNews Release Mixed Signals: Americans’ Problems Getting Medical Care Decline Modestly Between 2007 and 2010Aug. 25, 2011Likely reflecting the severe economic downturn and subsequent decline in demand for health care, the proportion of Americans who reported going without or delaying needed care declined modestly between 2007 and 2010, according to a national study released today by the HSC and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Tracking Report No. 25News Release Ginsburg Named Among Top 100 Most Influential in Health CareAug. 22, 2011For the eighth time, HSC President Paul B. Ginsburg was named to Modern Healthcare's 100 Most Influential in Health Care list. To view the complete list click here. Hospitals Rush to Employ Physicians to Shore Up Referrals, AdmissionsAug. 18, 2011While not new, the pace of hospital employment of physicians has quickened in many communities, driven largely by hospitals’ quest to increase market share and revenue, according to a study released today by HSC. Issue Brief No. 136News Release Why Jumpstarting Local Economies through Health Care Expansions Hampers Federal Deficit ReductionAug. 16, 2011Understanding why health care spending growth is a problem from a national perspective, while simultaneously an attractive way to promote economic growth from a local perspective, is key to identifying ways to finance health care that better align local interests with those of the nation, according to a commentary published today by HSC. HSC Commentary No. 5News Release Physicians Key to Health Maintenance Organization Popularity in Orange CountyAug. 11, 2011The extent of health plan delegation of financial risk and utilization management to physicians caring for health maintenance organization (HMO) enrollees makes Orange County stand out from many health care markets, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Orange County Community ReportNews Release Syracuse Health Care Market Works to Right-Size Hospital CapacityAug. 4, 2011Largely stable over the last three years, the Syracuse health care market continues to grapple with the challenge of finding the right level and mix of hospital capacity, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Syracuse Community ReportNews Release Economic Downturn Slows Phoenix’s Once-Booming Health Care MarketJuly 21, 2011After more than a decade of rapid population growth and a thriving economy, Phoenix’s once-booming health care market has adopted a more cautious outlook amid the lingering effects of the great recession, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Phoenix Community ReportNews Release Developments Affecting Health Care Spending and What Can Be DoneJuly 12, 2011HSC President Paul B. Ginsburg, Ph.D., spoke at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce conference titled "Controlling Costs: The Price of Good Health" in Washington, D.C. PresentationImproving Health Care Access for Low-Income PeopleJuly 7, 2011Communities that formally build collaborative health care safety nets can offer lessons for national health reform by offering roadmaps on how to improve access, reduce the use of unnecessary emergency and inpatient care, and improve people’s health, according to a qualitative study by HSC published in the July edition of Health Affairs. Journal ArticleNews Release Health Information Technology and Small Physician PracticesJune 30, 2011As policy makers try to jumpstart health information technology (HIT) in small physician practices, lessons from independent practice associations—networks of small medical practices—can offer guidance in overcoming barriers to HIT adoption and use, according to a new study by HSC for the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). NIHCR Research Brief No. 5News Release Health Care Markets Weather Economic Downturn, Brace for Health ReformMay 26, 2011Lingering fallout—loss of jobs and employer coverage—from the great recession slowed demand for health care services but did little to slow aggressive competition by dominant hospital systems for well-insured patients, according to key findings from HSC's 2010 site visits to 12 nationally representative metropolitan communities. Issue Brief No. 135News Release Spending to Save—Accountable Care Organizations and the Medicare Shared Savings ProgramMay 25, 2011While criticism that the government set the bar too high for accountable care organizations (ACOs) has been fast and furious, the proposed rule for the Shared Savings Program is a wake-up call that Medicare is serious about achieving better care for individuals, better health for populations and lower growth in expenditures, according to a perspective by HSC President Paul B. Ginsburg, published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Journal Article AbstractMedia Advisory Health Care Certificate-of-Need (CON) Laws: Policy or Politics?May 19, 2011Originally intended to ensure access to care, maintain or improve quality, and control capital expenditures on health care services and facilities, the certificate-of-need (CON) process has evolved into an arena where providers often battle for service-line dominance and market share, accordingto a new study conducted by HSC for the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). NIHCR Research Brief No. 4News Release Care Coordination Among Specialists, Primary Care, Care Management and PatientsMay 13, 2011Ann S. O'Malley, M.D., M.P.H., HSC senior health researcher, testified before the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, on research on medical practices' experiences and needs as they use electronic health records as a tool to support the coordination of care for patients. TestimonyHSC Researcher Testifies at Senate Hearing on Emergency Department UseMay 11, 2011While there is a common perception that emergency department crowding is driven primarily by uninsured people, most of the growth in emergency department volume between 1995 and 2008 was driven by insured people, Peter Cunningham, Ph.D., a senior fellow at HSC, told Congress today. Congressional TestimonyMedia Advisory E-Prescribing and Information to Improve Physician Prescribing DecisionsMay 5, 2011While many e-prescribing systems have features to provide access to important external patient information—drugs prescribed by physicians in other practices and patient formularies, for example—physician practices face challenges using these tools effectively, according to a study released today by HSC. Research Brief No. 20News Release Primary Care Physician Willingness and Capacity to Treat More Medicaid PatientsApril 27, 2011Supporting increased capacity among primary care physicians already treating many Medicaid patients may be the best way to help ensure adequate capacity for people gaining Medicaid coverage under health reform coverage expansions starting in 2014, according to a national study by researchers at HSC and the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). Kaiser Family Foundation ReportNews Release Geographic Variation in Health Care: Changing Policy DirectionsApril 12, 2011While research on geographic variation in health care use and spending has pushed the twin issues of uneven care and costs to the fore, it’s ultimately the broader health care system—not geography—that matters most in improving efficiency and quality, according to a new Policy Analysis from the nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). NIHCR Policy Analysis No. 4Media Advisory Achieving Health Information Technology's Potential to Improve Care is Daunting TaskMarch 24, 2011While health information technology (HIT) holds great promise in helping clinicians improve patient care, realizing that potential will require progress on multiple fronts, according to a perspective by Ann S. O’Malley, M.D., M.P.H., a senior researcher at HSC, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Journal Article AbstractMedia Advisory Lansing's Dominant Hospital, Health Plan Strengthen Market PositionsMarch 22, 2011In an insular market wary of outsiders, Lansing’s dominant hospital system—Sparrow Health System—and health plan—Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan—have reinforced their already-strong market positions, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Lansing Community ReportNews Release Primary Care Physician Supply and Health Reform Medicaid ExpansionsMarch 17, 2011In much of the country, growth in Medicaid enrollment under health reform will greatly outpace growth in the number of primary care physicians willing to treat new Medicaid patients, according to a national study released today by HSC. Research Brief No. 19News Release Hospital Employment of Physicians Surges in Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.Feb. 28, 2011In an area already notable for high rates of physician employment, the two largest hospital systems in Greenville and Spartanburg, S.C., have greatly increased employment of physicians with an eye toward capturing more referrals and admissions, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Greenville Community ReportNews Release Coordination Between Emergency and Primary Care PhysiciansFeb. 24, 2011An examination of emergency and primary care physicians’ ability—and willingness—to communicate found that haphazard communication and poor coordination can undermine effective care, according to a new study conducted by HSC for the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). NIHCR Research Brief No. 3News Release Follow the Money: Why are High-Cost Medicare Beneficiaries So Costly?Feb. 11, 2011In the quest to unravel the role of supply and demand in health care costs, policy makers may need to reconsider a commonly held premise that the supply of physicians, hospital beds and other health care resources is a major factor driving high Medicare costs, according to a study by HSC published online in the journal Health Services Research. Journal Article AbstractNews Release Little Rock Health Care Safety Net Stretched by Economic DownturnJan. 27, 2011The economic downturn has been milder in Little Rock than elsewhere, but increased unemployment and an almost 15 percent uninsurance rate have strained the area’s fragmented health care safety net, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Community Report No. 5News Release Lessons from the Field: Making Accountable Care Organizations RealJan. 20, 2011An examination of provider efforts to improve patient care illustrates that changing care delivery requires substantial investments—both time and money—even among groups of providers affiliated with one another for many years, according to a new study conducted by HSC for the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). NIHCR Research Brief No. 2News Release Communication Disconnect Between Primary Care and Specialist PhysiciansJan. 10, 2011When it comes to sharing information about patient referrals and consultations, primary care and specialist physicians have decidedly different views about how often their colleagues communicate with them, according to a national study by researchers at HSC in the Jan. 10 Archives of Internal Medicine. Journal Article AbstractNews Release Northern New Jersey Health Care Market Reflects Urban-Suburban ContrastsDec. 23, 2010Northern New Jersey is a community of contrasts with affluent suburbs and financially strong health care providers juxtaposed against the fragile health care safety net of impoverished inner-city Newark, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Community Report No. 4News Release Physician Ownership of Medical Equipment Highlights Self-Referral IssueDec. 22, 2010Amid cost and quality concerns about overuse of advanced imaging on patients, one in six physicians in 2008 reported their practice owned or leased advanced imaging equipment, according to a national study released today by the HSC. Data Bulletin No. 36Media Advisory If You Build Health Insurance Exchanges, Will the Healthy Come?Dec. 16, 2010Almost one-third of uninsured people eligible to receive subsidies to buy insurance through state-based exchanges have had no recent problems with their health, access to medical care or paying medical bills, according to a national study released today by HSC. Research Brief No. 18News Release NEJM Health Policy Report Examines Medicare Physician Payment PoliciesDec. 8, 2010Repeated down-to-the-wire congressional interventions to avert double-digit Medicare physician payment rate cuts have hit closest to home for practicing physicians, but other policies to improve the accuracy of physician payment and reform provider payment more broadly may prove as important in the long run, according to a health policy report by Paul B. Ginsburg, Ph.D., published online today by the New England Journal of Medicine. Journal Article AbstractMedia Advisory Seattle Hospital Competition Heats Up, Raising Cost ConcernsDec. 2, 2010Known as a market where hospital systems focus on particular niches rather than head-to-head competition, Seattle now faces growing competition as hospital systems vie for market share in the city and seek new affiliations and growth in affluent suburbs, according to a new Community Report by HSC. Seattle Community ReportNews Release Wide Variation in Private Insurer Payment Rates Evidence of Hospital Market PowerNov. 18, 2010Wide variation in private insurer payment rates to hospitals across and within local markets suggests that some hospitals have significant market power to negotiate higher-than-competitive prices, according to a study released today by HSC commissioned by Catalyst for Payment Reform. Research Brief No. 16News Release Physician E-mail with Patients UncommonOct. 7, 2010Despite indications that many patients want to communicate with their physicians via e-mail, physicians’ use of e-mail with patients is the exception rather than the rule, according to a new national study released today by HSC. Issue Brief No. 134News Release Comparative Effectiveness Research and Medical InnovationOct. 5, 2010Determining what treatments work best for which patients in real-world settings—known as comparative effectiveness research—can help foster beneficial medical innovation, according to a new Policy Analysis from the nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). Policy Analysis No. 3Media Advisory Transcript of HSC's 15th Annual Wall Street Comes to Washington Conference Now AvailableOct. 1, 2010HSC's 15th Annual Wall Street Comes to Washington conference was held on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010, in Washington, D.C. A transcript of the conference is now available. Conference TranscriptCleveland Hospital Systems Expand Despite Weak EconomySept. 29, 2010Attracting well-insured suburban patients, expanding profitable specialty-service lines and winning physician loyalty are the main fields of competition between the two dominant Cleveland health systems, leading to ever-more consolidation of the hospital and physician sectors, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Cleveland Community ReportNews Release Physician Reimbursement and Participation in MedicaidSept. 23, 2010Peter J. Cunningham, Ph.D., HSC senior fellow and director of quantitative research, testified before the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) on physician reimbursement and participation in Medicaid. MACPAC TestimonyCBO Principal Analyst Joins HSC as Senior ResearcherSept. 21, 2010Chapin D. White, Ph.D., formerly a principal analyst at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), has joined the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) as a senior health researcher. News ReleaseAffordability of Medical Care a Moving Target for FamiliesSept. 16, 2010While more Americans under 65 with employer health coverage faced problems paying medical bills between 2003 and 2007, increased out-of-pocket spending on health services played only a small part in the rising financial stress for families, according to an HSC study published online in the journal Medical Care Research and Review. Journal Article AbstractNews Release Damage Caps No Cure for Physician Fear of Malpractice SuitsSept. 7, 2010Even in states with economic damage caps in malpractice suits, physicians remain highly concerned about being sued, suggesting that many popular tort reform proposals may do little to deter the practice of defensive medicine that contributes to unnecessary health spending, according to a study by researchers at HSC in the September Health Affairs. Journal Article AbstractNews Release State Health Reform Dominates Boston Health Care MarketSept. 2, 2010Massachusetts’ 2006 landmark health reform law has reverberated throughout the Boston health care market as providers, insurers, employers and consumers adjust and adapt to a post-reform world of nearly universal health insurance coverage, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC. Boston Community ReportNews Release Detroit: Motor City to Medical Mecca?Aug. 26, 2010Despite a weak economic outlook, Detroit area hospital systems plan to spend more than $1.3 billion in the coming years on capital improvements, leading some to hope that medical care can help revitalize the area’s economy, according to a new Community Report released today by HSC and the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). Detroit Community ReportNews Release Employer Wellness Initiatives Grow Rapidly, but Effectiveness Varies WidelyJuly 29, 2010While employer wellness programs have spread rapidly in recent years, few firms implement comprehensive programs likely to make a meaningful difference in employees’ health, according to a new study conducted by HSC for the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). Research Brief No. 1News Release Even When Physicians Adopt E-Prescribing, Use of Advanced Features LagsJuly 22, 2010Even when physicians have access to e-prescribing, many do not routinely use the technology, particularly the more advanced features the federal government is promoting with financial incentives, according to a new national study released today by HSC. Issue Brief No. 133News Release Politics and Policy of Comparative EffectivenessJune 24, 2010Interest in evaluating which health care interventions work best under what circumstances has surged in recent years as policy makers seek tools to moderate the cost of public entitlement programs and to facilitate affordable coverage expansions. This Mathematica Issue Brief, coauthored by HSC Vice President Elizabeth Docteur, looks at the comparative effectiveness research initiative passed as part of health care reform and the policy challenges relevant to the successful implementation of comparative effectiveness research. Mathematica Issue BriefInnovations in Preventing and Managing Chronic Conditions: What's Working in the Real World?June 22, 2010Wellness and prevention strategies are fast becoming a standard feature of employer-based health benefits in hopes of countering rapidly rising health care costs that drive higher insurance premiums. Panelists at an HSC conference titled Innovations in Preventing and Managing Chronic Conditions: What's Working in the Real World? explored how effective employer-sponsored wellness and prevention initiatives focus on health improvement as a business strategy that foster work and community environments that help people lower risk factors. An HSC Issue Brief describing the conference proceedings is now available. Issue Brief No. 132Policy Options for Design of the Temporary High-Risk Health Coverage PoolMay 27, 2010While 5.6-million to 7-million Americans may qualify for health coverage through the new temporary national high-risk pool program, the $5 billion allocated until 2014 will cover only a small fraction of those in need, according to a new Policy Analysis from the National Institute for Health Care Reform (NIHCR). Policy makers will face hard choices to stretch the funding to cover uninsured people with pre-existing medical conditions, and the analysis reviews key issues that must be resolved as the high-risk program is implemented. Policy Analysis No. 2News Release More of What's New |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||