Journal of general internal medicine
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Medicare beneficiaries are increasingly enrolling in Medicare Advantage (MA), which employs a wide range of practices around restriction of the networks of providers that beneficiaries visit. Though Medicare beneficiaries highly value provider choice, it is unknown whether the MA contract quality metrics which beneficiaries use to inform their contract selection capture the restrictiveness of contracts' provider networks. ⋯ Our findings suggest that existing MA contract quality measures are not useful for indicating differences in network restrictiveness. Given the importance of provider choice to beneficiaries, more specific metrics may be needed to facilitate informed decisions about MA coverage.
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In the USA, multiple organizations rate hospitals based on quality and patient safety data, but few studies have analyzed and compared the rating results. ⋯ The rating organizations' reported metrics were highly discordant. A hospital's ranking by one organization frequently did not correspond to a similar ranking by another. The methodology and included timeline and patient population can help explain the differences. However, the discordant ratings may confuse patients and customers.
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Nonverbal communication plays a pivotal role in the provision of effective patient care and has been associated with important patient health outcomes. Clinician posture, a nonverbal form of communication, may influence the patient experience and satisfaction. The relationship between clinician posture (i.e., standing or at the patient's eye level) and patient perceptions of clinician communication in the hospital-a setting with heightened power dynamics between patient and clinician-is currently unknown. ⋯ PROSPERO, CRD42020199817.
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While 26% of US adults are disabled, only 3.1 to 9.3% of practicing physicians report having a disability. Ableism within medical training and practice diminishes physician diversity and wellbeing and contributes to healthcare disparities. ⋯ PDs held contradictory views of RWDs. PD insights revealed opportunities to alleviate PD-RWD information asymmetry in recruitment/accommodation processes, which could help align needs and improve representation and inclusion.