Health Services Research

New study in #HSR Wiley from Monica M. Matthieu PhD, LCSW et al describes a process model for assisting partners in addressing requirements of legislation and review policy analysis, planning, and evaluation design processes and tools. FULL ARTICLE: https://lnkd.in/det_yedW WHAT IS KNOWN: Congress holds the power and the purse strings for the entire federal government; legislation also drives which policies, programs, and practices federal agencies must implement, evaluate, and report to Congress. (2/4) WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Preparation of Congressionally Mandated Reports is best done in active, engaged collaboration between scientists and executive leadership. (3/4) CONCLUSION: Lessons learned may help other scientists partnering in VA or other federal agencies to plan, conduct, and report on congressionally mandated projects. (4/4)

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HSR appreciates our peer reviewers! We've developed reviewer guidelines that we hope will make your work easier. Please give them a try. We welcome your feedback to improve them. https://lnkd.in/guHaWzja?

New study in #HSR from Joanne Constantin PhD, MPH and George L. Wehby PhD, MPH et al evaluate the effects of Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) on children's access to and utilization of health services. WHAT IS KNOWN?Prior evidence points to improvement in some children's healthcare access and utilization measures with Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS?Findings suggest an increase in having a personal doctor/nurse and in specialist care use and decline in emergency department use, but no discernable or robust associations with other outcomes. CONCLUSION There is mixed evidence on the associations of Medicaid ACOs with pediatric access and utilization outcomes. Examining effects over longer periods post-ACO implementation is important. FULL ARTICLE:?https://lnkd.in/gt5jzT-T #HealthServicesResearch Wiley AcademyHealth ?

New study in #HSR from Youngmin Kwon PhD et al examine changes in late- versus early-stage diagnosis of cancer associated with the introduction of mandatory Medicaid managed care (MMC) in Pennsylvania. WHAT IS KNOWN?Medicaid covers a growing population of individuals with cancer but Medicaid beneficiaries with cancer often experience poor survival due to late-stage diagnosis. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS?Using a difference-in-differences design, we examined the effects of mandatory Medicaid managed care in Pennsylvania on early versus late-stage diagnosis of incident cancer cases among adult patients aged 21–64 covered by Medicaid. CONCLUSION In Pennsylvania, the implementation of mandatory MMC for adult Medicaid beneficiaries was associated with earlier stage of diagnosis among newly diagnosed cancer patients with Medicaid, especially those diagnosed with screening-amenable cancers. Considering that over half of the sample was diagnosed with late-stage cancer even after the transition to mandatory MMC, Medicaid programs and managed care organizations should continue to carefully monitor receipt of cancer screening and design strategies to reduce barriers to guideline-concordant screening or diagnostic procedures. FULL ARTICLE:?https://lnkd.in/gn85k8Cz #HealthServicesResearch Wiley AcademyHealth

New study in #HSR from Jenny Markell BA and Mark Katz Meiselbach PhD investigate the impact of Medicaid expansion on state expenditures through the end of 2022. WHAT IS KNOWN?COVID-19 policies led to increased Medicaid enrollment across states, with Medicaid enrollment rising approximately 29% in expansion states from 2020 to 2022. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS?The impact of Medicaid expansion on Medicaid spending was substantially greater in the post-COVID era (2020–2022) compared with the pre-COVID era following Medicaid expansion (2015–2019). CONCLUSION There was no evidence of crowding out of other state expenditure categories or a substantial impact on total state spending, even in the COVID-19 era. Increased federal expenditures may have shielded states from substantial budgetary impacts. FULL ARTICLE:?https://lnkd.in/guXeJzzt #HealthServicesResearch Wiley AcademyHealth ?

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New study in #HSR from Sijiu Wang PhD?et al aim to provide empirical evidence on how the use of Medicaid HCBS influences Medicare PAC utilization among the dually enrolled. WHAT IS KNOWN?Existing literature acknowledges the increasing use of Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) to support community living among eligible individuals. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS?This study provides empirical evidence that HCBS utilization is associated with an increase in home health use over skilled nursing facilities (SNF) among dually enrolled individuals who use PAC, shedding light on an important synergy between Medicaid and Medicare services.? CONCLUSION Our findings indicate potential synergies between Medicaid-funded HCBS and increased use of home-based PAC, suggesting policymakers should cautiously consider these dynamics in HCBS expansion efforts. Read Full Article: https://lnkd.in/gi8ea2Cx? ? #HealthServicesResearch Wiley AcademyHealth

New study in #HSR from Margae Knox PhD, MPH et al investigate Covid-19 vaccination as a potential secondary public health benefit of case management for Medicaid beneficiaries with health and social needs. WHAT IS KNOWN?There is increasing evidence that case management for health and social risks may decrease use of high-cost healthcare services like hospitalization. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS?Enrollees offered case management had a 5% greater hazard of vaccination compared to a randomly selected control group. CONCLUSION Case management infrastructure modestly improved Covid-19 vaccine uptake in a population of Medicaid beneficiaries that over-represents social groups with barriers to early Covid-19 vaccination. Amidst mixed evidence on vaccination-specific incentives, leveraging trusted case managers and existing case management programs may be a valuable prevention strategy. Read Full Article:?https://lnkd.in/gGmii58n #HealthServicesResearch Wiley AcademyHealth