January 2014

Federal parity led to an increase in spending on substance use disorder treatment.

The weak correlation between Medicare and commercial insurance spending is due to negative correlations between each sector's price and the other sector's volume.

This study explores potential weight-related disparities in the quality of care for adults with diabetes in a large health plan according to recommended quality indicators.

The combination of electronic medical record data and administrative data provides the fullest picture of patient health histories.

Analyses of national trends indicate that a considerable proportion of new specialist visits among both Medicare and private insurance beneficiaries are self-referred.

Effective management of the comorbidities of diabetes and hypertension may increase survival in older breast cancer survivors.

Significant additional outreach and engagement strategies and incentives are likely required to increase adoption and ongoing use of health risk assessment tools among target populations.

Evidence-based guidelines are needed to determine appropriate follow-up intervals for chronic medical conditions to maximize the quality of patient care and minimize unnecessary costs.

Adherence to process of care measures was associated with reduced risk of 2 diabetes complications or any of 4 complications in a national industrial cohort.

In a pilot patient-centered medical home transformation including Lean quality improvement methodology with payment reform, patient experience was sustained or improved across key domains.