Barriers to Price and Quality Transparency in Health Care Markets.

Consumers of health care in the United States often lack information on the actual prices of the care they receive and can also lack access to information about the quality of their care. RAND researchers gathered information on how health care prices are set, price variation in health care markets, barriers to price and quality transparency for consumers, and the extent to which price and quality information is used in marketing efforts. Public payers typically set prices for physicians and hospitals prospectively, and commercial health plans negotiate with physicians and hospitals to determine prices.

Access to High-Cost Medications After a Cap on Monthly Out-of-Pocket Spending in California.

This cross-sectional study evaluates the association of a cap on monthly out-of-pocket spending on high-cost drugs with use of these drugs and out-of-pocket spending in California in 2015 and 2016.

Insurers' perspectives on MA value-based insurance design model.

Objectives: Value-based insurance design (VBID) lowers cost sharing for high-value healthcare services that are clinically beneficial to patients with certain conditions. In 2017, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation began a voluntary VBID model test in Medicare Advantage (MA). This article describes insurers' perspectives on the MA VBID model, explores perceived barriers to joining this model, and describes ways to address participation barriers.

Implementing a Drug Formulary for California's Workers' Compensation Program.

California Assembly Bill 1124 required the state's Division of Workers' Compensation in the Department of Industrial Relations to establish a drug formulary for all injured workers covered by the state's workers' compensation program. Such formularies serve to reinforce safe and effective prescribing patterns for practitioners and payers. In California, the formulary will need to be consistent with the Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule guidelines that define medically appropriate care for California's injured workers, create incentives to encourage prescribing of medically appropriate drugs, and reduce the administrative burdens associated with utilization review and medical necessity disputes.

Developing a Strategic Program for Chilean Health Information Technology: Environmental Scan and Key Informant Interviews.

As part of an effort to assist Chile in developing a strategic program to foster the development of the health information technology (health IT) sector over the next five to ten years, this study assesses the current state of health IT adoption and implementation in Chile, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing the sector over the coming years. The authors conducted an environmental scan and ten key informant interviews and found that there are a number of successful health IT projects and strategies for further development currently underway in Chile, but that the successful projects are generally localized within specific health care providers and lack integration. These and other challenges suggest significant potential for the Ministry of Economy and other stakeholders to take specific actions designed to encourage further development of the health IT sector in Chile over the coming years.

Workplace Wellness Programs: Services Offered, Participation, and Incentives.

This article leverages existing data on wellness programs to explore patterns of wellness program availability, employers' use of incentives, and program participation and utilization among employees. Researchers used two sets of data for this project: The first included data from the 2012 RAND Employer Survey, which used a nationally representative sample of U.S.

The DNP by 2015: A Study of the Institutional, Political, and Professional Issues that Facilitate or Impede Establishing a Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice Program.

In 2004, members of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) voted to endorse a position statement identifying the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree as the most appropriate degree for advanced-practice registered nurses (APRNs) to enter practice. At the same time, AACN members voted to approve the position that all master's programs that educate APRNs to enter practice should transition to the DNP by 2015. While the number of DNP programs for APRNs has grown significantly and steadily over this period, at this time, not all nursing schools have made this transition.