A Framework for Rigorous Qualitative Research as a Component of Mixed Method Rapid-Cycle Evaluation.

As federal, state, and local governments continue to test innovative approaches to health care delivery, the ability to produce timely and reliable evidence of what works and why it works is crucial. There is limited literature on methodological approaches to rapid-cycle qualitative research. The purpose of this article is to describe the advantages and limitations of a broadly applicable framework for in-depth qualitative analysis placed within a larger rapid-cycle, multisite, mixed-method evaluation.

Physician Engagement Strategies in Care Coordination: Findings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Health Care Innovation Awards Program.

Objective: To identify roles physicians assumed as part of new health care delivery models and related strategies that facilitated physician engagement across 21 Health Care Innovation Award (HCIA) programs.

Data Sources: Site-level in-depth interviews, conducted from 2014 to 2015 (N = 672) with program staff, leadership, and partners (including 95 physicians) and direct observations.

Study Design: NORC conducted a mixed-method evaluation, including two rounds of qualitative data collected via site visits and telephone interviews.

The use of and satisfaction with the Emergency Severity Index.

Introduction: The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) is a 5-level emergency department triage algorithm designed to facilitate the sorting and streaming of patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of the ESI in emergency departments, including satisfaction with the ESI, usefulness of the ESI compared with other triage algorithms, and lessons learned from implementation.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was sent to 935 people who requested the ESI training materials from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) at the U.

Survivors on Cancer: the portrayal of survivors in print news.

Introduction: This study examines the types of news stories that include comments by everyday cancer survivors and the messages or information these individuals provide. Even though these non-celebrity survivors increasingly serve on the front lines of cancer prevention and advocacy efforts and often engage with media, the role they play in the media discourse on cancer has not been a focus of research.

Methods: We conducted a thematic content analysis of print news articles of non-celebrity cancer survivors in 15 leading national daily newspapers for four consecutive months starting in June 2005 to identify the issues or events that included a survivor perspective and the messages or information conveyed by the everyday survivors.

News on tobacco and public attitudes toward smokefree air policies in the United States.

Objectives: Smoking bans are a central component of comprehensive tobacco control programs, and an increasing number of states and localities have adopted them. Public support is critical as efforts continue to extend protection from secondhand smoke to all. We examine the relationship between state print news coverage of tobacco and public sentiment towards smoking bans.

Health services research as a source of legislative analysis and input: the role of the California Health Benefits Review Program.

This article examines the role of the California Health Benefits Review Program (CHBRP) as a source of information in state health policy making. It explains why the California benefits review process relies heavily on university-based researchers and employs a broad set of criteria for review, which set it apart from similar programs in other states. It then analyzes the politics of health insurance mandates and how independent research and analysis might alter the perceived benefits and costs of health insurance mandates and thus political outcomes.