Integration of Rehabilitation Care from the Acute to Community Setting: The Role of Physician Referral (2016-17)

Investigators: Janet Freburger, PT, PhD (now at the University of Pittsburgh), Samannaaz Khoja, PT, PhD Background Physical therapy is effective in the treatment of many musculoskeletal and neurologic conditions.(1-5) Medicare, some state Medicaid programs, and some private insurers require a physician referral for patients to receive care from a physical therapist in outpatient or ambulatory… Read more »

Exploring the Magnitude and Timing of Physician Specialty Changes (2016-17)

Investigators: Erin Fraher PhD MPP, Andy Knapton MSc Background/Study Purpose:  Congressional proposals to expand Graduate Medical Education have set a goal of funding 3,000 new PGY1 slots for five years for a total of 15,000 new residency positions.  The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015 (S.1148), its companion bill in the House (H.R. 2124)… Read more »

Heart Health NOW! Advancing Heart Health in NC Primary Care

  EvidenceNOW: Advancing Heart Health in Primary Care is an initiative of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to accelerate the dissemination and implementation of patient-centered outcomes research findings into primary care. AHRQ has awarded seven implementation grants that use a variety of interventions to help small and medium-sized primary care practices build… Read more »

Rapid Response to Requests from NCHWA

Investigators: CHWRC investigators and staff as appropriate for each request Part of the CHWRC’s role is to provide rapid response to time-sensitive requests from the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) and other key constituents. Our rapid response activities allow NCHWA and HRSA to access the wide array of data resources housed at the… Read more »

Tough choices: Autism, private health insurance and family out-of-pocket spending

Emerging patterns in our current work suggest that insurance choices of families raising children with autism are influenced by out-of-pocket expenditures without regard to the breadth and depth of services covered. This is troubling from a policy perspective since low deductible and co-payment plans are expensive and reduce resources thereby constraining use of uncovered services…. Read more »

Adequate Health Insurance for Children with Autism

Evidence and Implications for Defining Essential Benefits – Families raising children with autism contribute significant amounts out-of-pocket to the cost of care and that this pay-as-you-go strategy is associated with disparities in use for vulnerable families (Thomas, Williams et al, 2013; Parish, Thomas, Williams et al, 2013). As a result, in comparison to other children… Read more »

Pathways in Nursing Careers: Transitions from the Role of Licensed Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse in North Carolina (2014-15)

Investigators:  Cheryl Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN; George Knafl, PhD; Mark Toles, PhD, RN; Anna Beeber, PhD, RN Background: In a reforming health care system, nursing personnel, including licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs), are viewed as flexible health care workers because they are readily deployed in diverse health care settings, reduce workforce shortages,… Read more »

Diffusion of Physicians and Access to Primary Care: The Role of Person, Program, and Place (2014-15)

  Author: Thomas C. Ricketts, PhD, MPH Background: Federal and state policies try to influence physician location choices using a combination of programmatic or extrinsic factors (e.g. bonus payments, subsidized loans) and personal or intrinsic factors (e.g. promoting volunteerism, orienting trainees to underserved populations and selecting motivated students) to encourage physicians to practice in communities where the… Read more »