Disparities in Telehealth Utilization in a Population of Publicly Insured Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Telehealth became a crucial vehicle for health care delivery in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little research exists on inequities in telehealth utilization among the pediatric population. This study examines disparities in telehealth utilization in a population of publicly insured children.

Disparities by race and insurance-status in declines in pediatric ED utilization during the COVID19 pandemic.

Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) utilization in the U.S. saw large declines during the COVID19 pandemic.

Promoting Physical Activity Through Policy at a Single Safety-Net Clinic: A Pilot Study.

Background: Physical inactivity is a major issue for African Americans that contributes to increased risk for chronic conditions including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline. The of this single-clinic pilot study aimed to determine if a physical activity policy would increase primary-care provider discussions of physical activity during clinic visits using the Exercise is Medicine initiative as a guide.

Methods: The study design involved data collection at three time points.

Examining disparities in diet quality between SNAP participants and non-participants using Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition analysis.

Recent studies have reported that SNAP participants have poorer diet quality than non-participants. This study aimed to examine how differences in socio-demographic, household, and health-related measures explain disparities in diet quality between SNAP participants and non-participants using Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition analysis. We analyzed cross-sectional data on 14,331 adult respondents of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009 - 2014.

Vertical Integration Into Skilled Nursing Facilities and Hospital Readmission Rates.

Following the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more hospitals vertically integrated into skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Hospitals are now being penalized for avoidable readmissions, creating a greater demand for better coordination of care between hospitals and SNF. We created a longitudinal panel data set by merging data from the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey, CMS' Hospital Compare, and the Rural Urban Commuting Area data.

Impact of Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act on Costs and Utilization in Alabama's Children's Health Insurance Program.

Objective: The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 mandates equivalent insurance coverage for mental health (MH) and substance use disorders (SUD) to other medical and surgical services covered by group insurance plans, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). We explored the impact of MHPAEA on enrollees in ALL Kids, the Alabama CHIP.

Methods: We use ALL Kids claims data for October 2008 to December 2014.

Market and organizational factors associated with hospital vertical integration into sub-acute care.

Background: Changes in payment models incentivize hospitals to vertically integrate into sub-acute care (SAC) services. Through vertical integration into SAC, hospitals have the potential to reduce the transaction costs associated with moving patients throughout the care continuum and reduce the likelihood that patients will be readmitted.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the correlates of hospital vertical integration into SAC.

Urban Park Development and Pediatric Obesity Rates: A Quasi-Experiment Using Electronic Health Record Data.

Introduction: Childhood obesity affects ~20% of children in the United States. Environmental influences, such as parks, are linked with increased physical activity (PA).

Objective: To examine whether changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score were associated with construction of a new park.

Is Access to and Use of Primary Care Practices that Patients Perceive as Having Essential Qualities of a Patient-Centered Medical Home Associated With Positive Patient Experience? Empirical Evidence From a U.S. Nationally Representative Sample.

Objective: The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has emerged as an innovative healthcare delivery model that holds the conceptual promise to improve healthcare quality and patient experience. This study examined how patient perceived PCMH is related to patient satisfaction and experience nationwide. This study advances academic discussion in that it is among the first to examine empirical evidence using a U.

Can Nonurgent Emergency Department Care Costs be Reduced? Empirical Evidence from a U.S. Nationally Representative Sample.

Background: A well-functioning primary care system has the capacity to provide effective care for patients to avoid nonurgent emergency department (ED) use and related costs.

Objective: This study examined how patients' perceived deficiency in ambulatory care is associated with nonurgent ED care costs nationwide.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the 2010-2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

Using resource dependency theory to measure the environment in health care organizational studies: a systematic review of the literature.

Background: Studies using the resource dependency theory (RDT) perspective commonly focus on one or more of the following environmental dimensions: munificence, dynamism, and complexity. To date, no one has reviewed the use of this theory in the health care management literature and there exists no consensus on how to operationalize the market environment in health care settings.

Purpose: The purpose of this review is to examine and summarize the ways in which RDT has been applied in empirical studies of the external environments of health care organizations.

Environmental factors and quality improvement in county and local health departments.

Objective: On the basis of resource dependency theory and the uncertainty principle, this study examines the relationship between the local public health market environment and the use of quality improvement (QI) strategies in local health departments.

Design: This cross-sectional study uses secondary data from the 2008 National Association of County & City Health Officials profile study, the Health Resources and Services Administration's Area Resource File, and the County Health Rankings 2010 data set.

Setting And Participants: US local health departments.