Health care quality measurement and reporting have grown rapidly during the past decade and now enjoy wide support. The CAHPS surveys, funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality since 1995, have been a key part of the effort to generate scientifically sound measures of consumer...

This study systematically identified and profiled the content and use of AHRQ’s grant funded research on health care costs, productivity, organization, and market forces. The report provides evidence that the research findings have had an impact on policy debates, although much of that...

This overview of findings shows that access to outpatient mental health services improved, and consumer spending declined. Health plans relied on managed care to contain costs, and spending did not rise substantially.

Summarizes the results of a three-year project funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to monitor and evaluate the performance of the Medicare+Choice program in 69 markets across the country. Notes that participation by managed care organizations declined dramatically across the board...

This study looks at the first two to three years of parity for mental health and substance abuse benefits in Vermont and concludes that parity was achieved in the state. Increased use of managed care helped make parity affordable but may have reduced access and utilization for some services and...

This white paper describes how current financial incentives in the fee-for-service (FFS) system can lead to the over- and underuse of services at the point of care by physicians and other clinicians. It explores prominent payment reform models and concludes that no single approach consistently...

This study examines the value of state Medicaid program spending by exploring the relationship between both sides of the efficiency coin—costs and outcomes. The authors create measures that relate spending per beneficiary to quality indicators, compare states’ performance, and...