January 2013

This article presents a systematic review of the US literature on factors influencing the decision to visit the emergency department for nonurgent conditions.

The controller-to-total asthma medication ratio was a significant predictor of exacerbations in pediatric and adult commercially insured and Medicaid patients.

Low-income rural residents receiving hypertension drugs at no charge had enhanced medication adherence and reduced medical costs in China.

Improving influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates through outpatient standing order programs, which allow vaccination without physician orders, is economically favorable in older Americans.

Despite universal access to HER2 testing in Ontario, variability in reporting by region and disease severity presents challenges for program evaluation and quality improvement initiatives.

Providers do not consider nurse case managers as professional identity threats in co-managing patients with diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors.

We describe how shifting focus from those visiting the ED to those admitted to the hospital from the ED offers more potential for improving healthcare efficiency.

Two responses to the commentary entitled Questioning the Widely Publicized Savings Reported for North Carolina Medicaid by Al Lewis, JD, published in the August 2012 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care.

Targeted messaging that encourages heavy ED users in managed care to contact their primary care providers before ED visits shows promise.

The future US primary care system will be one characterized by diversity in both delivery structures and personnel. This diversity will benefit from a collaborative approach in which stakeholders realize high degrees of interdependency.

Linking variation in process with cost and quality provides the opportunity for identifying low-cost, high-quality processes.

Inappropriate use of emergency department resources in Iran is a frequent problem that calls for effective approaches and interventions.