Health services research
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Health services research · Aug 2012
The effect of Phase 2 of the Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration on incentive payments to hospitals caring for disadvantaged patients.
The Medicare and Premier Inc. Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (HQID), a hospital-based pay-for-performance program, changed its incentive design from one rewarding only high performance (Phase 1) to another rewarding high performance, moderate performance, and improvement (Phase 2). We tested whether this design change reduced the gap in incentive payments among hospitals treating patients across the gradient of socioeconomic disadvantage. ⋯ The design change in the HQID reduced the disparity in the receipt of any incentive payment and for incentive payments per discharge between hospitals caring for the most and least socioeconomically disadvantaged patient populations.
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Health services research · Jun 2012
ReviewElucidating the role of place in health care disparities: the example of racial/ethnic residential segregation.
To develop a conceptual framework for investigating the role of racial/ethnic residential segregation on health care disparities. ⋯ Increasing evidence indicates that racial/ethnic residential segregation is a key factor driving place-based health care inequalities. Closer attention to address research gaps has implications for advancing and strengthening the literature to better inform effective interventions and policy-based solutions.
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Health services research · Jun 2012
Family doctor responses to changes in incentives for influenza immunization under the U.K. Quality and Outcomes Framework pay-for-performance scheme.
To analyze the effect of setting higher targets, in a primary care pay-for-performance scheme, on rates of influenza immunization and exception reporting. ⋯ Making quality targets more demanding can not only lead to improvement in quality of care but can also have other consequences.
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Health services research · Apr 2012
Comparative StudyA comparison of health care use for physician-referred and self-referred episodes of outpatient physical therapy.
To compare patient profiles and health care use for physician-referred and self-referred episodes of outpatient physical therapy (PT). ⋯ Health care use during PT episodes was lower for those who self-referred, after adjusting for key variables, but did not differ after the PT episode.
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Health services research · Apr 2012
Methodological reporting in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods health services research articles.
Methodologically sound mixed methods research can improve our understanding of health services by providing a more comprehensive picture of health services than either method can alone. This study describes the frequency of mixed methods in published health services research and compares the presence of methodological components indicative of rigorous approaches across mixed methods, qualitative, and quantitative articles. ⋯ Few published health services research articles use mixed methods. The frequency of key methodological components is variable. Suggestions are provided to increase the transparency of mixed methods studies and the presence of key methodological components in published reports.