November 2014

This study examines the joint influence of the quality of the hospital and of the nursing home to which a patient was discharged on the likelihood of re-hospitalization.

The effect of switching from multiple daily insulin injections to an insulin pump on insulin and other diabetic drug expenditures in type 2 diabetes.

For patients with lung or colorectal cancer, bevacizumab treatment patterns and healthcare costs varied by the setting of treatment initiation (physician office vs hospital outpatient).

Frequent emergency department (ED) users gave similar reasons for using the ED rather than a clinic compared to other patients, including concerns around convenience, access, and quality.

Utilization of the AHRQ Re-engineering Discharge model for Hospital Readmission Reduction produced marked readmission reduction in a Family Medicine residency with a 31% Medicaid population, through cooperation and care coordination between inpatient and outpatient settings.

Better outpatient medication adherence reduces the likelihood of readmission after a recent myocardial infarction.

The release of the ATP-4 guidelines meaningfully changes the way the authors manage cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease. The broad footprint of retail pharmacies, with their ability to assess risk, prescribe, and manage adherence, allow them to be unique partners in cholesterol management and cardiovascular disease prevention.

Greater geographic variation was found among private than public payers in the inpatient price per discharge for most hospital services.

People with asthma face substantial out-of-pocket costs-even when they take medications to manage their illness. However, many choose to continue treatment despite these costs.

Benefits of a patient-centered multimorbidity care management program occurred early, and were evident only among patients with depression and unfavorable medical control of diabetes and heart disease.

Prescription drug brand names no longer function as trademarks. They have become the common names of generic versions of the medicine.

Medicare Advantage enrollment decreases with lower rebates for supplemental benefits. Upcoming ACA reforms are predicted to reduce MA enrollment where traditional Medicare costs are low.

This observational study shows that clinical work performed by family physicians correlates poorly with common codes and fees under the existing coding and billing rules.