Looks at staffing and budget concerns that have arisen in the changing health care environment, noting that all the health departments studied are reporting financial difficulties. Furthermore, staff recruitment, retention, and development have grown more challenging, although creative...

As enrollment in Medicaid managed care grew through the 1990s, the number of health plans willing to participate in state Medicaid programs became a growing concern. Notes that between 1997 and 1999, 15% to 17% of participating plans exited Medicaid annually, a higher rate than in previous...

Despite signs that low-income and uninsured people’s access to primary health care services has improved, serious gaps in care exist, especially for specialty physicians, mental health, and dental care according to findings from the Community Tracking Study. Key factors contributing to these...

Despite signs that low-income and uninsured people’s access to primary health care services has improved, serious gaps in care exist, especially for specialty physicians, mental health, and dental care according to findings from the Community Tracking Study. Key factors contributing to...

More health plan consolidation, higher health care costs, and persistent hospital difficulties signal increasing concern about the future of the Syracuse health market, according to a new report from the Community Tracking Study.

As enrollment in Medicaid managed care grew through the 1990s, the number of health plans willing to participate in state Medicaid programs became a growing concern. Notes that between 1997 and 1999, 15 to 17 of participating plans exited Medicaid annually, a higher rate than in previous years.

Safety-net providers serving the nation's 39 million uninsured residents are vulnerable organizations even in good economic times, yet efforts to monitor their capacity have been limited. This study of the safety net in five cities found that capacity was strained for specialty services and...

Despite the perception that few people are served by public psychiatric hospitals, they play a critical role in the continuum of care for people with mental illness. Although the capacity of these hospitals has diminished as a result of deinstitutionalization, they continue to serve people with...

Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that can lead to serious complications, including blindness, lower-limb amputations, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease. Since the 1950s, rates of diabetes have increased significantly across the country. This brief summarizes a study commissioned...

Congestive heart failure (CHF)—the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to the body—is the leading cause of hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries. Despite the fact that this is a chronic disease for which appropriate outpatient care can reduce hospitalizations, the...