Health services research
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Health services research · Apr 2007
ReviewDo professional interpreters improve clinical care for patients with limited English proficiency? A systematic review of the literature.
To determine if professional medical interpreters have a positive impact on clinical care for limited English proficiency (LEP) patients. ⋯ Published studies report positive benefits of professional interpreters on communication (errors and comprehension), utilization, clinical outcomes and satisfaction with care.
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Health services research · Apr 2007
Hospice enrollment and evaluation of its causal effect on hospitalization of dying nursing home patients.
To examine the patient, nursing home (NH), hospice provider, and local market factors associated with the selection of the Medicare hospice benefit by eligible NH residents, and evaluate the causal effect of hospice on end-of-life hospitalization rates. ⋯ Hospice selection introduces some bias in the evaluation of the causal effect of hospice on end-of-life hospitalization rates. However, even after adjusting for selection bias, hospice does have a powerful effect in reducing end-of-life hospitalization rates.
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Health services research · Apr 2007
Primary care quality and addiction severity: a prospective cohort study.
Alcohol and drug use disorders are chronic diseases that require ongoing management of physical, psychiatric, and social consequences. While specific addiction-focused interventions in primary care are efficacious, the influence of overall primary care quality (PCQ) on addiction outcomes has not been studied. The aim of this study was to prospectively examine if higher PCQ is associated with lower addiction severity among patients with substance use disorders. ⋯ Core features of PCQ, particularly those reflecting the quality of the physician-patient relationship, were associated with positive addiction outcomes. Our findings suggest that the provision of patient-centered, comprehensive care from a primary care clinician may be an important treatment component for substance use disorders.
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Health services research · Apr 2007
Does the market value racial and ethnic concordance in physician-patient relationships?
To determine if the market-determined earnings per hour of physicians is sensitive to the degree of area-level racial/ethnic concordance (ALREC) in the local physician labor market. ⋯ The market-determined earnings per hour of Hispanic and Asian physicians are sensitive to the degree of ALREC in the local labor market. Larger sample sizes may be needed to find statistically significant results for black physicians.
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To measure the relationship between time spent waiting for health care services and patients' mortality. ⋯ Our findings support the largely assumed association between long wait times for outpatient health care and negative health outcomes, such as mortality. Future research should focus on the causes of long waits for health care (e.g., physician reimbursement levels), the consequences of long waits in other populations, and effective policies to decrease long waits for health care services.