Predicting Unplanned Health Care Utilization and Cost: Comparing Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System and Claims.

Objectives: There is little literature describing if and how payers are utilizing patient-reported outcomes to predict future costs. This study assessed if Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) domain scores, collected in routine practice at neurology clinics, improved payer predictive models for unplanned care utilization and cost.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort analysis of private Health Plan-insured patients with visits at 18 Health Plan-affiliated neurology clinics.

[Toxicity of vitamin supplements].

Half of all Dutch people take nutritional supplements, vitamins amongst others. The fact that vitamins can be toxic when taken in overdose is not common knowledge. There is no evidence that taking vitamin supplements without medical indication improves the health of people with a varied diet.

Physician satisfaction with health plans: results from a national survey.

Objectives: Physician satisfaction is associated with patient satisfaction, adherence to treatment recommendations, and quality. However, burnout is prevalent, and physician experience with health plans is likely a key contributor. We explored physician satisfaction with health plans and assessed physician and plan characteristics associated with greater satisfaction.

Photoluminescence Detection of Surface Oxidation Processes on InGaN/GaN Nanowire Arrays.

InGaN/GaN nanowire arrays (NWA) exhibit efficient photoluminescence (PL) in the green spectral range, which extends to temperatures well beyond 200 °C. Previous work has shown that their PL is effectively quenched when oxidizing gas species such as O, NO, and O abound in the ambient air. In the present work we extend our investigations to reducing gas species, in particular to alcohols and aliphatic hydrocarbons with C to C chain lengths.

Self-Test Procedures for Gas Sensors Embedded in Microreactor Systems.

Metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors sensitively respond to a wide variety of combustible, explosive and poisonous gases. However, due to the lack of a built-in self-test capability, MOX gas sensors have not yet been able to penetrate safety-critical applications. In the present work we report on gas sensing experiments performed on MOX gas sensors embedded in ceramic micro-reaction chambers.