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AJMC® Research Roundup: October 2018
Here are 5 interesting findings from the October 2018 issue of AJMC®.
Hi, I’m Christina Mattina for The American Journal of Managed Care®. Here are 5 findings from research published in the October issue.
Gatekeeping and Patterns of Outpatient Care Post Healthcare Reform
1. Gatekeeping policies in health maintenance organizations were linked to fewer new specialist visits and lower specialist spending, representing an avenue for cost control in health plans.
The Characteristics of Physician Practices Joining the Early ACOs: Looking Back to Look Forward
2. Practices intending to join accountable care organizations in 2012 had greater capabilities in health IT and other areas than practices that did not. Still, they used only half or less of the recommended capabilities.
Putting the Pieces Together: EHR Communication and Diabetes Patient Outcomes
3. Forwarding messages indirectly through the electronic health record among primary care team members is associated with worse diabetes outcomes, including increased hospital visits and medical costs.
Primary Care Physician Resource Use Changes Associated With Feedback Reports
4. Providing feedback reports to physicians that show their resource use compared with their colleagues can change how much they order imaging, lab tests, and prescriptions, especially among those with less experience.
Medicare Savings From Conservative Management of Low Back Pain
5. Managing low back pain without using diagnostic imaging early on could save Medicare $362 million per year, pointing to the cost-effectiveness of more conservative management of low back pain.
To read all of these studies and more, visit AJMC.com.
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