The Affordable Care Act permanently slows the growth in Medicare hospital prices. To better understand the effects of those price cuts, we used data from ten states for the period 1995-2009 to examine the market-level relationship between Medicare prices and hospital utilization among the elderly. Regression analyses indicate that a 10 percent reduction in the Medicare price was associated with a 4.6 percent reduction in discharges among the elderly. This volume response to price cuts appears to be accomplished through hospitals' reduction in their numbers of staffed beds. They did not leave beds empty; instead, they reduced their scale of operations. Based on our results, we conclude that the Affordable Care Act will help reduce inpatient hospital utilization in the future. From a federal budgetary standpoint, lower utilization is good news, but the implications for patient care and health outcomes are not yet clear.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0163 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
January 2025
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Background: Evidence for Mobile Stroke Units (MSUs) demonstrates that onset to treatment times for intravenous thrombolysis can be reduced and access to mechanical thrombectomy might be improved. Despite growing use of MSUs internationally, to date there have been no studies in NHS England and NHS Wales exploring the acceptability of MSUs to clinicians, patient and public representatives and other key stakeholders, which are important when considering potential feasibility and implementation.
Methods: This study used a mixed methods design with a cross-sectional survey and qualitative workshops and interviews between October 2023 to May 2024.
J Med Econ
January 2025
AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, USA.
Aim: Inadequate response to antidepressant therapy (ADT) is common in major depressive disorder (MDD); atypical antipsychotic (AA) adjunctive therapy may be effective for these patients. This study aimed to compare healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs between patients initiating the AA cariprazine as their first adjunctive therapy vs those initiating cariprazine subsequently.
Methods: The Merative MarketScan® Commercial Database (January 1, 2015, to June 30, 2021) was used to identify US adults with MDD and ≥1 pharmacy claim for cariprazine adjunctive to ADT in 2018 or after.
Intensive Care Med Exp
January 2025
Department of Life Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, UK.
Purpose: The landiolol and organ failure in patients with septic shock (STRESS-L study) included a pre-planned sub-study to assess the effect of landiolol treatment on inflammatory and metabolomic markers.
Methods: Samples collected from 91 patients randomised to STRESS-L were profiled for immune and metabolomic markers. A panel of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were measured through commercially acquired multiplex Luminex assays and statistically analysed by individual and cluster-level analysis (patient).
Liver Int
February 2025
Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
Aim: This research was aimed to uncover the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) related diseases burden in Asia over the past 3 decades, estimating from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019.
Methods: Age-standardised rates, case numbers of prevalence, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), incidence and deaths with 95% uncertainty intervals (UI) for HBV/HCV-related diseases from 1990 to 2019 were derived from GBD 2019 database, with the estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) calculated. Our analysis also encompassed the association between the Sociodemographic Index (SDI) and the burden of HBV/HCV-related diseases, future disease burden predictions in six selected countries and various risk factors.
Thorac Cancer
January 2025
Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Background: Tracheal, bronchial, and lung cancers (TBL cancers) pose a significant global health challenge, with rising incidence and mortality rates, particularly in China. Studies from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), 2021, can guide screening and prevention strategies for TBL cancer. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the burden of TBL cancers in China compared to global data.
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