Guides/Reports
American Hospital Association guides and reports for members and the health care field.
The Rand Health Insurance Experiment found that patients had little or no control over their health care spending once they began to receive a physician's care, but a new study shows that this has changed for those enrolled in consumer-directed health plans.
The rate of 'mortality amenable to health care' that is--deaths that are considered preventable with timely and effective health care declined for people under age 75 across 16 high-income nations between 1997-1998 and 2006-2007. While all countries showed improvement, the United States improved…
While many hospital and health systems have already implemented evidence-based medicine and processes of care, there are still several challenges chief medical officers will have to face, ranging from full updates of evidence, technology and support from hospital and other clinical leadership.
This TrendWatch from September 2011 examines recent research on hospital readmissions, including the linkages between readmissions and quality of care, and the various circumstances that may drive readmissions.
Under the Budget Control Act of 2011, if the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is unable to come up with the required level of budget cuts, or Congress fails to approve the recommendations of the committee, the Medicare program would be subject to a sequester of up to 2 percent— that…
A report released jointly by AARP's Public Policy Institute, The Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation shows some states significantly out-perform others in the delivery of long-term services and supports to older adults and people with disabilities. The study finds, however, that even the…
Reining in health care costs has become a central policy challenge for government and a pressing concern for American businesses, families and individuals. A body of RAND research has focused on evaluating existing and potential policies to lower health care costs; examining the cost implications…
Hospitals across the region are seeing more people with different languages, cultural sensitivities and religions that can confound doctors, nurses and caregivers and hinder patients' best possible care. Interpreters have been deployed by many hospitals, but more expansive measures now are…
With drug shortages becoming increasingly frequent, the American Hospital Association (AHA) surveyed its members to find out how the shortages have impacted day-to-day patient care. The AHA survey of 820 hospitals revealed that almost 100 percent of hospitals reported a shortage in the last six…