We study the effects of losing insurance on behavioral health – mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) – community hospitalizations. We leverage variation in public insurance eligibility offered by a large-scale Medicaid disenrollment. Losing insurance decreased SUD-related...

Abstract—We investigated the determinants of inpatient rehabilitation costs in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and examined the relationship between length of stay (LOS) and discharge costs using data from VA and community rehabilitation hospitals. We estimated regression models to...

This paper offers a conceptual analysis of the problem of quality in human services: in elementary school, psychiatric care, and the health and social care of children, the elderly, and the intellectually disabled. Geriatric nursing home patients are used as a case. These care recipients cannot...

Background: Chronic osteoarthritis (OA) pain impacts health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). Objective: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate and compare HR-QOL outcomes following treatment with once-daily push-pull Osmotic controlled-Release Oral delivery System (OROS) hydromorphone...

Background: Medical visits are initiated by patients in search of symptom relief. The extent to which obesity independently increases the risk of common symptoms is unknown. Objectives: To assess how obesity affects symptom burden among family medicine patients, after adjustment for severity of...

DOI: 10.2165/1312067-200801030-00001

Objective: To determine whether different utilities for prostate cancer screening outcomes for couples, and husbands and wives separately, lead to incongruent screening recommendations. Methods: We evaluated survey results of 168 married couples from three family practice centers in Texas, USA....

Alcoholism has the potential to impact on the quality of life (QOL) of an `alcoholic,' their family, and friends in both the short and long term. Consequently, increasing significance has been placed on understanding health issues from the patient's perspective, evaluating the patient's...

Background: The need to assess quality of life (QOL) in patients with a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) has been well documented. However, no appropriate instrument was available for the Chinese population. Objective: The Diabetic Foot Ulcer Scale - Short Form (DFS-SF) is a reliable and valid 29-item...

The rapid expansion of disease management continues. A multitude of stakeholders and marketplaces are now involved in providing cost-effective quality healthcare for individuals and populations. To help you keep up-to-date with the very latest developments in disease management, this section of...