The American journal of managed care
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Fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) can efficiently screen for colorectal cancer (CRC), but little is known on the timing to their completion. We investigate the time to return of a FIT following an order and describe patient characteristics associated with FIT return. ⋯ Time to return of FIT varies by patient characteristics. We observed greater FIT completion among people of color, suggesting that racial disparities in CRC may not be due to patient completion of the test after an order is received.
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To identify opportunities to improve the health and well-being of members of HealthPartners, a health plan based in Minnesota. ⋯ By applying the summary measures of health and well-being to the HealthPartners member population, we identified opportunities to address conditions that created a high burden on current health, opportunities to improve prospects for future health, and subpopulations who would benefit from interventions that would increase their sense of well-being.
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Continuity of care (COC) is a core element of primary care, which has been associated with improved health outcomes. Hospitalizations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) are potentially preventable if these conditions are managed well in the primary care setting. The aim of this article is to conduct a systematic review of literature on the association between COC and hospitalizations for ACSCs. ⋯ This systematic review identified that increased COC in outpatient care is associated with fewer hospitalizations for ACSCs. Increasing COC is favorable for patients who are managing a specific ACSC.
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Some large employers and healthcare analysts have advocated for retail competition that relies on providers competing on performance metrics to improve care quality. Using publicly available performance measures, we determined whether health systems increased the quality of diabetes care provided by their clinics based on performance relative to competitors. ⋯ Publicly reporting quality information did not incentivize health systems to increase the performance of their clinics with lower performance than competitors, as would be expected under retail competition. Our results do not support strategies that rely on competition on publicly reported performance measures to improve quality in diabetes care management.