Health affairs
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The Supreme Court holds that the government owes insurers the full risk corridors payments due under the Affordable Care Act.
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An Asian American physician calls for more diversity and a commitment to health equity in US medical schools.
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Racial disparities in hospitalization rates for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions are concerning and may signal differential access to high-quality ambulatory care. Whether racial disparities are improving as a result of better ambulatory care versus artificially narrowing because of increased use of observation status is unclear. ⋯ We found that while the racial gap in avoidable hospitalizations due to such conditions has decreased, that seems to be explained by a concomitant increase in the gap of avoidable observation stays. This suggests that changes from inpatient admissions to observation status seem to be driving the reduction in racial disparities in avoidable hospitalizations, rather than changes in the ambulatory setting.
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The growth of private equity investment in health care has dramatically changed the landscape of health care delivery over the past decade. Private equity firms are rapidly acquiring physician practices, with ophthalmology practices being one of the most frequently acquired types. ⋯ Acquisition by a private equity firm can be an attractive option for physicians, particularly older ones. However, interviewees had starkly conflicting perspectives on the likely impact of private equity acquisitions on the cost, quality, and use of medical care.