Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Motivations Of Adult Patients Seeking Orthodontic Retreatment, Scott V. Philips

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The aims of this study were (1) to compare the reasons adult patients seek orthodontic first-time treatment to the reasons adult patients seek orthodontic retreatment, and (2) to compare the concerns, motivations, and satisfaction levels of adult patients seeking orthodontic retreatment across the different previous treatment provider types of orthodontist, general dentist, and Direct-to-Consumer company.

Methods: At their initial orthodontic visit, adult patients (N=108) were invited to participate in the digital survey (REDCap) study. Subjects were recruited from the graduate orthodontics clinic at Virginia Commonwealth University and seven private orthodontic practices across the United States. Visual Analogue Scales were …

Understanding The Emotional And Treatment Impact Of Recurrent Miscarriages For Women Living In Rural Medically Under-Served Areas, Whitney Dickerson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to identify woman’s feelings, support system, and their grieving process after repeating miscarriages. It was also used to identify any medications or treatments sought for miscarriages and pregnancies.

Design: A qualitative study was completed using a series of interviews performed in the rural area of Southeast Kansas regarding miscarriage history and the women’s experiences. Locating women to interview was done through social media, women were chosen who had a series of three or more miscarriages. The study examined access to fertility care in rural communities and the impact of access on …

Searching For The Fulcrum: Can Accountable Care Organizations Lower Spending By Balancing Specialists-To-Primary Care Providers?, Vishal Shetty

Masters Theses

Background:

While value-based payment models emphasizing care coordination have been widely implemented to improve quality and lower expenditures, supporting empirical evidence is sparse. Our objective was to quantify the impact of specialist-to-primary care physician involvement within accountable care organization (ACO) and its association with lower spending.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs from 2012-2016 using publicly available data provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at the ACO level. We examined the association between the proportion of primary care services delivered by specialists versus other types of care providers and ACO …