March 2010

In a health plan–sponsored e-prescribing initiative, participating PCPs' mean e-prescribing rate was 1 prescription per 4 pharmacy claims, but some PCPs achieved high use.

An intervention of variable intensity for congestive heart failure showed some improvements but no survival effect, suggesting a tradeoff between intervention cost and intensity and survival benefit.

Incorporating functional status in diagnosis-based risk adjustment measures may modestly improve overall expenditure prediction for beneficiaries with substantial disabilities, but not prescription cost prediction.

The ratio of controller to total asthma medications can be calculated using 1 or 2 quarters of data; high versus low ratios differentiate patient characteristics.

Health plans may benefit from using a state immunization information system as the primary data source for HEDIS and physician incentive and quality programs.

Influenza vaccination rates in pregnant women and healthcare workers were increased with standing orders, vaccine advocates, and educational activities on influenza immunization.

Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination of healthcare workers during an influenza pandemic is cost-effective from a societal perspective but not from a hospital perspective without external subsidy.

Based on claims data from a universal health insurance system, inpatient stroke rehabilitation use was 34.0% and mainly related to stroke type and stroke severity.

The economic burden of providing care to patients with cardiovascular disease, driven by secondary hospitalizations, may be substantially greater than current American Heart Association estimates.

Vaccinating children earlier (ie, September or October) can provide net economic benefit to society and to third-party payers. Vaccination of children remained cost-effective through December.