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In Brief: Recent Commonwealth Fund-Supported Articles in the Professional Literature
A recent Commonwealth Fund–supported study found that certain characteristics of nursing homes—especially having advance directives in place or a higher number of registered nurses—were associated with fewer hospitalizations of residents. This suggests that payment incentives directed at reducing acute hospitalizations may be effective.
Another study drew lessons from nine evaluations of patient-centered medical homes; researchers concluded that such evaluations need to include both quantitative and qualitative analyses and focus on how physician and staff roles evolve, among other factors.
A third study looked at how "moral hazard"—the theory that people behave differently when they are insulated from risk—affects estimates of the numbers of underinsured, or those with high medical out-of-pocket costs relatives to their income.
