Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Charron L. Long, Stephanie M. Franklin, Angela S. Hagan, Yong Li, Jeremiah S. Rastegar, Bill Glasheen, William H. Shrank, Brian W. Powers
Summary: Among older adults enrolled in Medicare Advantage, there is a high prevalence of health-related social needs, with financial strain, food insecurity, and poor housing quality being the most commonly reported. The distribution of these social needs is uneven, with significant disparities observed according to race, socioeconomic status, and sex.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jose F. Figueroa, Dannie Dai, Yevgeniy Feyman, Melissa M. Garrido, Thomas C. Tsai, E. John Orav, Austin B. Frakt
Summary: Limiting the use of high-risk medications among older adults is a national priority for providing high-quality care. This study found that Medicare Advantage beneficiaries had consistently lower rates of high-risk medication fills compared to traditional Medicare beneficiaries. There was a concerning disparity in the higher rates of high-risk medication use among female, American Indian or Alaska Native, and White populations.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Carlos Gomez-Sanchez-Lafuente, Jose Guzman-Parra, Maria Alejandra Lopez-Zambrano, Berta Moreno-Kustner, Fermin Mayoral-Cleries
Summary: The study identified that the main areas of unmet needs among inpatients with severe mental disorders are social relationships and daytime activities. Various variables were found to be related to the group of patients with the highest number of unmet needs, including clinical status, social functioning score, marital status, employment status, and voluntary admission.
NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISEASE AND TREATMENT
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Zhigang Xie, Rebecca Tanner, Catherine L. Striley, Nicole M. Marlow
Summary: The study found that individuals with disabilities had higher rates of utilizing mental health services but were also more likely to have unmet mental health needs. Multivariable logistic regression models showed significant associations between any disability, cognitive limitations, and >2 limitations with mental health services use.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lembe Kullamaa, Rainer Reile
Summary: This study examined the demographic, socio-economic, and health-related patterning of unmet healthcare needs among migrants in Europe. The overall prevalence of unmet healthcare needs among migrants was estimated to be 27.8%, but there were substantial variations across geographical regions.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jessica L. Ryan, Stephanie M. Franklin, Melanie Canterberry, Charron L. Long, Andy Bowe, Brandy D. Roy, Danielle Hessler, Benjamin Aceves, Laura M. Gottlieb
Summary: Recent research has emphasized the association between social determinants and health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. This study examines the relationship between health-related social needs and healthcare quality and utilization in a Medicare Advantage population with type 2 diabetes. The study found that certain social needs were associated with care quality and utilization in this population.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Deborah N. Peikes, Kaylyn E. Swankoski, Jeremiah S. Rastegar, Stephanie M. Franklin, Danielle J. Pavliv
Summary: This study examined the prevalence of health-related social needs (HRSNs) among Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees in 2019, and found that the presence of HRSNs was not adequately captured by dual eligibility alone. The burden of HRSNs was unequally distributed across different beneficiary characteristics, with younger beneficiaries more likely to report having an HRSN. Some HRSNs were also found to be more strongly associated with healthcare utilization than others.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Utibe R. Essien, Yuanyuan Tang, Jose F. Figueroa, Terrence Michael A. Litam, Fengming Tang, Philip G. Jones, Ravi Patel, Rishi K. Wadhera, Nihar R. Desai, Sanjeev N. Mehta, Mikhail N. Kosiborod, Muthiah Vaduganathan
Summary: This study compares the quality of diabetes care under Medicare Advantage (MA) and traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare. The results show that while MA plans provide greater access to preventive care, they may not lead to improved health outcomes in the mid-term. MA beneficiaries are also less likely to receive newer antihyperglycemic therapies.
Article
Economics
Giovanni Carnazza, Paolo Liberati, Giuliano Resce
Summary: This paper examines the relationship between income and unmet health needs in 29 European countries using data from the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) in 2015. Income-related inequalities in four categories of unmet needs are measured using the Erreygers Index (EI). The results suggest that lower-income individuals in most European countries are more likely to have unmet health needs, with the impact of economic factors being stronger for needs directly linked to budget constraints and institutional factors playing a role in needs related to waiting lists and transportation problems.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC PLANNING SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Joshua Breslau, Amelia M. M. Haviland, David J. J. Klein, Steven Martino, John Adams, Jacob W. W. Dembosky, Loida Tamayo, Sarah Gaillot, Yvette Overton, Marc N. N. Elliott
Summary: This study examines income-related differences in performance on HEDIS behavioral health measures in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. The findings show that low-income enrollees have worse performance on five measures compared to higher income enrollees, with larger quality gaps for White enrollees than for Black or Hispanic enrollees.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Pamela Jo Johnson, Kari McClure Mentzer, Judy Jou, Dawn M. Upchurch
Summary: Midlife adults with severe psychological distress (SPD) and/or multiple chronic conditions (MCC) have substantial unmet healthcare needs, with higher prevalence of social disadvantage and delayed/foregone healthcare. Those with SPD/MCC are more likely to delay care due to limited office hours, and have higher odds of needing but not getting mental healthcare, prescription, or follow-up care. Coordination efforts by policymakers and healthcare systems are crucial to address the complex healthcare needs of this population at a critical stage of the life-course.
AGING & MENTAL HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Lianlian Lei, Julie P. W. Bynum, Donovan T. Maust
Summary: This study examines the relationship between Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and reduced medication use of opioids and CNS depressants. The results show that MA beneficiaries have lower likelihood of filling prescriptions for benzodiazepines and co-prescriptions of opioids and gabapentinoids.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sungchul Park
Summary: The study examines the effects of Medicare Advantage enrollment on healthcare use and dissatisfaction among Medicare beneficiaries with mental illness. The findings suggest that MA enrollment leads to reduced outpatient and medical provider visits but does not affect inpatient hospital admissions and prescription drug purchases. MA enrollment also increases dissatisfaction with out-of-pocket expenses but does not impact other measures of care dissatisfaction. The study highlights the need for further research on the potential reasons for dissatisfaction with out-of-pocket expenses.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
William B. Weeks, Stacey Y. Cao, Jeremy Smith, Huabo Wang, James N. Weinstein
Summary: This study examines the changes in growth and characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in different Medicare plans from 2011 to 2019. It finds that Medicare Part C enrollment has increased rapidly, especially among younger enrollees, and the proportion of enrollees who are dually enrolled in Medicaid has also increased. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of considering demographic characteristics and policy changes in understanding healthcare utilization and costs in the Medicare population.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Nicholas S. Reed, Lama Assi, Wakako Horiuchi, Julie E. Hoover-Fong, Frank R. Lin, Lauren E. Ferrante, Sharon K. Inouye, Edgar R. Miller, Emily F. Boss, Esther S. Oh, Amber Willink
Summary: Research shows that older adults with hearing loss are more likely to lack a usual source of care and to not receive needed medical services. Interventions that improve access to hearing services and aid communication could help older Medicare beneficiaries meet their health care needs.
Article
Immunology
Maira Sohail, Jeremiah Rastegar, Dustin Long, Aadia Rana, Emily B. Levitan, Harriette Reed-Pickens, David Scott Batey, Kelly Ross-Davis, Kathy Gaddis, Ashley Tarrant, Jitesh Parmar, James L. Raper, Michael J. Mugavero
JAIDS-JOURNAL OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROMES
(2019)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Charron L. Long, Stephanie M. Franklin, Angela S. Hagan, Yong Li, Jeremiah S. Rastegar, Bill Glasheen, William H. Shrank, Brian W. Powers
Summary: Among older adults enrolled in Medicare Advantage, there is a high prevalence of health-related social needs, with financial strain, food insecurity, and poor housing quality being the most commonly reported. The distribution of these social needs is uneven, with significant disparities observed according to race, socioeconomic status, and sex.
Article
Immunology
Lynn T. Matthews, Dustin M. Long, John Bassler, Ariann Nassel, Emily B. Levitan, Sonya L. Heath, Jeremiah Rastegar, Madeline C. Pratt, Mirjam-Collette Kempf
Summary: By combining public health surveillance with commercial testing data, we can gain a more nuanced understanding of HIV testing gaps in a rural HIV epidemic state and identify areas to prioritize for testing outreach.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jeremiah Rastegar, Victoria T. Brown, Isha John, Suzanne W. Dixon, Elizabeth Rodman, Jeffrey J. Ellis, Insiya B. Poonawalla
Summary: This study examined the relationship between home and outpatient hospital (OPH) intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusions and healthcare utilization. The results showed that patients who received IVIG infusions at home had significantly lower odds of experiencing inpatient stays and emergency department visits compared to patients receiving infusions in the OPH setting. These findings suggest the potential value of increasing referrals for home IVIG infusion to decrease healthcare utilization.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION
(2023)