Using hospital and outpatient Medicare claims between 2006 and 2009, this cross-sectional study describes patterns of hospital and regional performance in the outcomes of elderly patients with pneumonia, a leading cause of hospitalization and death in this population. Risk-standardized 30-day...

In 2009, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publicly reported hospital-level risk-standardized 30-day mortality and readmission rates after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and heart failure (HF). The authors calculated 30-day mortality and readmission rates for all Medicare...

This article counters concerns that benefit expansion under parity would increase spending. The study finds that mental health parity provisions in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program reduced total out-of-pocket spending for patients with more-severe behavioral health conditions, while...

Studies of large policy interventions typically do not involve randomization. Adjustments, such as matching, can remove the bias due to observed covariates, but residual confounding remains a concern. In this paper we introduce two analytical strategies to bolster inferences of the effectiveness...

In 2009, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publicly reported hospital-level risk-standardized 30-day mortality and readmission rates after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and heart failure (HF). The authors calculated 30-day mortality and readmission rates for all Medicare...

This article counters concerns that benefit expansion under parity would increase spending. The study finds that mental health parity provisions in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program reduced total out-of-pocket spending for patients with more-severe behavioral health conditions, while...

Using hospital and outpatient Medicare claims between 2006 and 2009, this cross-sectional study describes patterns of hospital and regional performance in the outcomes of elderly patients with pneumonia, a leading cause of hospitalization and death in this population. Risk-standardized 30-day...

This article reports on trends in disparities in mental health care by use of an improved method that applies the Institute of Medicine (IOM) definition of racial-ethnic disparities. Data from the 2000-2001 and 2003-2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys were used to estimate trends in two...

This article reports on trends in disparities in mental health care by use of an improved method that applies the Institute of Medicine (IOM) definition of racial-ethnic disparities. Data from the 2000-2001 and 2003-2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys were used to estimate trends in two...