Medical care
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The decision to perform orthopedic surgery requires substantial discretion and judgment. Similar conditions have been associated with health care disparities in other fields, but the extent of racial and ethnic disparities in orthopedics is unknown. ⋯ Patients from racial and ethnic minority populations seem to be at increased risk of complications and/or mortality following spine surgical or joint replacement procedures. There is insufficient evidence to support generalization to the entire orthopedic field. Studies specific to African American patients identify health care disparities at a significantly higher rate than those utilizing non-white cohorts.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The intended and unintended consequences of quality improvement interventions for small practices in a community-based electronic health record implementation project.
Despite the rapid rise in the implementation of electronic health records (EHR), commensurate improvements in health care quality have not been consistently observed. ⋯ Technical assistance and financial incentives-alongside EHR implementation-can improve quality of care. Financial incentives for quality may not result in similar improvements for incentivized and unincentivized measures.
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Prescription opioid use and overdose deaths are increasing in the United States. Among disabled Medicare beneficiaries under the age of 65, the rise in musculoskeletal conditions as qualifying diagnoses suggests that opioid analgesic use may be common and increasing, raising safety concerns. ⋯ Among these beneficiaries, opioid use was common. Although intensity stabilized, the population using opioids chronically grew. Variation shows a lack of a standardized approach and reveals regions with mean MED at levels associated with overdose risk. Future work should assess outcomes, chronic use predictors, and policies balancing pain control and safety.
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Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are a vital source of primary care for underserved populations, such as Medicaid enrollees and the uninsured. Their role in delivering care may increase through new funding allocations in the Affordable Care Act and expanded Medicaid programs across many states. ⋯ FQHCs' greater willingness to accept new underserved patients before 2014 underscores their potential key roles as health reform proceeds.