ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT
Following submission through Manuscript Central, a unique, confidential manuscript number will be assigned and an email receipt will be sent. Be sure to have submitted all required documents/information. [PRIOR TO SUBMISSION CHECKLIST]

INTERNAL REVIEW BY EDITORS
Each manuscript is assigned to one of the co-editors-in-chief for an internal evaluation to determine its appropriateness. Manuscripts that do not meet the Journal's criteria for overall appropriateness, relevance, originality, and scientific merit will be returned promptly (usually within 2 weeks) so that authors may pursue alternate avenues for publication.

PEER REVIEW
Reviewer selection is ultimately the decision of the editors, but authors may provide the names and e-mail of preferred / nonpreferred peer reviewers. Manuscripts deemed appropriate for the Journal will be sent to external peer reviewers. Typically, a manuscript will be sent to a minimum of 2 reviewers who will be asked to provide feedback on the scientific merit of the paper. Generally, we will also send the manuscript for a "relevance review." The relevance reviewer will be an individual practicing in the healthcare industry who may not have a research background. This person will not be asked to comment on the scientific merit of the study, but instead directed to specifically address the relevance of the research question and findings. The reviewer's evaluation is requested back within 3 weeks. Editorial decisions are based on the comments of both the scientific and relevance reviewers.

CRITERIA FOR EDITORIAL DECISIONS
Manuscripts are judged on the interest/importance of the topic, the intellectual and scientific strength, the clarity of the presentation, and relevance to AJMC readers. The paper’s strength is compared with others under review and the number of accepted/previously published papers in the category. Original research and review articles should describe how their findings add to the existing literature.

EXPEDITED REVIEW
Manuscripts may be considered for expedited review / early publication if they are of very high quality, have findings likely to affect practice immediately, and if rapid publication would minimize adverse patient care consequences. Early publication is decided at the discretion of the co-editors-in-chief.

ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION
Most authors can expect a first decision on their manuscript in approximately 2 months. At any time in the process, authors can log on to our web-based tracking system to check the status of their manuscript submission. However, we communicate editorial decisions on acceptance or rejection only to the corresponding author.

ON ACCEPTANCE
Almost all papers accepted require some editorial or statistical revision before publication. An edited version of the manuscript in Word will be sent to the corresponding author approximately 4 to 6 weeks before the issue date. Additionally, 2 sets of PDF page proofs (a first proof and a final proof) will be sent to the corresponding author for review before publication. Authors can expect to receive the final page proofs approximately 1 week before the scheduled issue date. Manuscript edits and first proofs must be returned to the editorial office within 48 hours, and final proofs must be returned within 48 hours.