Health Policy Commons^™

Coordinating And Integrating Care For Safety Net Patients: Lessons From Six Communities, Leighton C. Ku, Marsha Regenstein, Peter Shin, Holly Mead, Alice R. Levy, Kate Buchanan, Fraser Rothenberg Byrne

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

This report examines efforts to improve the coordination of health care among safety net providers in six communities (Austin, TX; Brooklyn, NY; Indianapolis, IN; Marshfield, WI; San Francisco, CA; and St. Louis, MO), based on case study site visits and a roundtable discussion. Across the communities, we identified three approaches to improving coordination: (1) collaboration of providers using a coordinating organization, (2) coordination facilitated by Medicaid managed care plans, and (3) development of highly integrated care systems. These represent models that could be used by different communities, based on their local circumstances. Successful development of coordination approaches involved shared commitment …

Health Information Privacy In The Correctional Environment, Melissa M. Goldstein

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Information technology is considered a transformative element in health care because it facilitates the transparency and sharing of health information, which have always been central to the practice of medicine and the delivery of high-quality care. The widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic health information exchange, among other technologies, is considered essential to improving the quality of care, reducing medical errors, reducing health disparities, and advancing the delivery of patient-centered medical care.

Quality Incentives For Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics And Free Clinics: A Report To Congress, Leighton C. Ku, Merle Cunningham, Debora Goetz Goldberg, Julie S. Darnell, Martin Hiller, Peter Shin, Alice R. Levy, Kate Buchanan, Fraser Rothenberg Byrne

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

This report to Congress is submitted pursuant to Section 13113(b) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (hereafter, the Recovery Act), under Title XIII, also known as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act or the HITECH Act. The Section requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide a study that examines methods to create efficient reimbursement incentives for improving health care quality in federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, and free clinics.

The report discusses current initiatives and incentives that apply to these categories of primary care clinics and the current …

Healthcare Reform And Medical Data Security And Privacy, Patricia Mactaggart, Stephanie Fiore

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

U.S. health care delivery and administration have undergone transformations that create an expansive demand for health information technology. The concepts put forth in health care reform are reliant on an evolving health information technology infrastructure and the successes of both are dependent on consumer/patient "trust". Every action is interdependent. Each decision is a balance between ease of use, privacy and security concerns of consumers/patients, practicality, costs and political will. The goal is finding the best balance within an appropriate legal framework at the state and federal level so the pieces fit into one complete picture when implemented.

Data Segmentation In Electronic Health Information Exchange: Policy Considerations And Analysis, Melissa M. Goldstein, Alison L. Rein, Melissa M. Heesters, Penelope P. Hughes, Benjamin Williams, Scott A. Weinstein

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

The issue of whether and, if so, to what extent patients should have control over the sharing or withholding of their health information represents one of the foremost policy challenges related to electronic health information exchange. It is widely acknowledged that patients' health information should flow where and when it is needed to support the provision of appropriate and high-quality care. Equally significant, however, is the notion that patients want their needs and preferences to be considered in the determination of what information is shared with other parties, for what purposes, and under what conditions. Some patients may prefer to …

Antitrust Aspects Of Health Information Sharing By Public And Private Health Insurers, Taylor Burke, Lara Cartwright-Smith, Erica Pereira, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

This policy brief is the first of two to address antitrust considerations that arise in health system transformation aimed at producing greater clinical integration and greater levels of information about the quality and cost of care. The second policy brief will discuss the implications of several recent Federal Trade Commission rulings on physician joint contracting to achieve clinical integration and greater health information accountability. These rulings have significant implications for growing efforts, as part of health reform, to create entities known as accountable care organizations.

An Overview Of Major Health Information Technology, Public Health, Medicaid, And Cobra Provisions Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Of 2009, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Melissa M. Goldstein, Taylor Burke, Phyllis Borzi, Lara Cartwright-Smith

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

A detailed side-by-side analysis of the individual components of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), signed into law on February 17, 2009. One of the most sweeping pieces of economic legislation ever enacted, ARRA not only provides hundreds of billions of dollars in new health and health care spending but also makes comprehensive reforms in health law and policy, particularly in the area of health information law, including health information technology (HIT) adoption and health information privacy.

Community Health Centers In An Era Of Health System Reform And Economic Downturn: Prospects And Challenges, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Brad Finnegan, Peter Shin

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

This Policy Brief examines the role of health centers in the U.S. health care system, assessing their current and future roles in an era of both great promise and challenge. On one hand, government is poised perhaps more sharply than any time in nearly a generation to undertake a comprehensive effort at national health reform, addressing not only coverage but also access, quality, prevention, and the reinvigoration of primary health care, particularly for populations who face the highest health risks. On the other hand, the nation is facing the most severe economic recession in years, with lower income families and …

Health Information Technology In The United States: The Information Base For Progress, David Blumenthal, Catherine M. Desroches, Karen Donelan, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Timothy Ferris

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Health information technology (HIT) has the potential to advance health care quality by helping patients with acute and chronic conditions receive recommended care, diminishing disparities in treatment and reducing medical errors. Nevertheless, HIT dissemination has not occurred rapidly, due in part to the high costs of electronic health record (EHR) systems for providers of care—including the upfront capital investment, ongoing maintenance and short-term productivity loss. Also, many observers are concerned that, if HIT follows patterns observed with other new medical technologies, HIT and EHRs may diffuse in ways that systematically disadvantage vulnerable patient populations, thus increasing or maintaining existing disparities …

Charting The Legal Environment Of Health Information, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Phyllis Borzi, Lee Repasch, Taylor Burke, John F. Benevelli

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Over the past several years, increased attention has been focused on the importance of health information to health care quality improvement. The level of focus on health information has increased with the advent of electronic medical records and electronic health information systems designed to facilitate the use of health care data. Although these systems are still in their relative infancy, they hold enormous promise for revolutionizing the availability and use of health information to improve clinical performance, empower employers and consumers to better understand health plan choices and facilitate health claims administration. Their potential has been a catalyst for change …