THE EFFECTS OF PRESTIGE NAMES IN QUESTION WORDING

Although survey researchers are often warned against using prestigenames in questions (e.g., identifying Contra aid as "PresidentReagan's policy"), prestige names are still commonly used. Tolearn more about the effects of using prestige names, we analyzetwo sets of experiments—on judicial confirmation electionsand on an initiative on tax indexing. The results indicate thatprestige names do more than shift responses in one direction—they eliminate the effect of education on DKs and provide moreof a political basis for the responses.     

Religion: friend or foe of the aging?

Religion can be a guide in the quest of older adults for a fuller understanding of their lives and purposes as they cope with the diminishments brought about by aging.     

Population and towns in Senegal: demo-geographic growth

Using data from the 1976 and 1988 censuses, the author notes that the population of Senegal has grown by 37.6 percent over the period and that this growth is concentrated in urban areas. One feature of this trend has been the growing primacy of the capital Dakar and a decline in the relative importance of smaller towns. The need to discourage rural-urban migration by promoting socioeconomic development in rural areas is stressed. (SUMMARY IN ENG)     

Bringing baby home: a comprehensive case management program for obstetrical services

Originally presented to the Society of Home Health Care Management of the American College of Physician Executives at its November 16, 1993, meeting in Tucson, Ariz., the program described in this article was the winner of the College's 1994 Innovations Award in Medical Quality Management, sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme. The program shows the potential of case management for both improvement in the quality of care and containment of costs for a managed care population with a substantial Medicaid segment. This article is part of a continuing series on innovative programs in home health care.     

I get paid fast; what about you?

The process of billing an insurance company for health care services has changed radically. In the past few years, the emphasis has been on automation. The change is fueled by the opinion of cost containment experts who claim that automation will help reduce costs in the U.S. health care delivery system. Key to success for the provider in adapting to this change will be understanding the coding used in the billing process and following standards of accuracy and fairness. This article is not intended to represent the adjudication rules of any particular insurance company. It is the result of experience as a practicing surgeon and as a consultant in the health care field.     

Practice standards use with internal partners

U.S. Department of Defense experience with internal partnership programs has indicated that a lack of close supervision by medical treatment facilities can result in cost increases. The use of medical practice guidelines or standards is the subject of active investigation. The global guidelines tend to be too rigid or too vague to affect the provision of care. Their general acceptance can often be low. The use of clinical guidelines, with supervision by a clinic peer, has been determined to be a provider-friendly method of delivering cost-effective, high-quality care. Comparisons were made between the supervised partners against the total expenditures for ENT outpatient CHAMPUS care. The results indicated not only a savings but a reduction in the rate of cost increases by more than 250 percent. It is our feeling that specialty provider, peer-directed medical standards can be applied in a cost-effective manner. Their adoption as an organization-wide standard for referral can be an important tool in maintaining quality while containing costs.     

Housestaff coverage in a nonteaching community hospital

In August 1992, a project team of senior medical and administrative personnel was formed (Housestaff Coverage Project Team) at the Park Ridge Health System, Rochester, N.Y.. The team was given a mandate to address housestaff coverage, primarily from an economic standpoint. Through total quality management (TQM), the project team sought to develop a house coverage plan that was sustainable, efficient, and effective. A plan was developed that includes three layers of service. A minimum "standard hospital coverage" would be available to all physicians and their patients and cover the basic needs of admission, crisis intervention, and issues of length of stay. A complete level of service would be available under the title of "case management" and would consist of total patient management, under the direction of the attending physician, from admission through discharge. The third level of service available to both "standard" and "case managed" patients would be a "consultative service." The latter would function as a traditional in-house medical service and would bill for its services. Park Ridge Hospital believes it has developed a system of housestaff coverage that is sustainable, efficient, and effective. An evaluation mechanism, primarily addressed at length of stay, will tell if we are correct in this assumption.     

Legal implications of managed care arrangements

Prior to the 1980s, managed care was virtually nonexistent as a force in health care. Presently, 64 percent of employees in America are covered by managed care plans, including health maintenance organizations (20 percent) and preferred provider organizations (44 percent). In contrast, only 29 percent of employees were enrolled in managed care plans in 1988 and only 47 percent in 1991. To date, the primary reason for this incredible growth in managed care has been economic-market pressure to reduce health care costs. For the foreseeable future, political pressures are likely to fuel this growth, as managed care is at the center of President Clinton's national health care plan. Although there are numerous legal issues surrounding managed care, this article focuses primarily on antitrust implications when forming managed care entities. In addition, the corporate practice of medicine doctrine, certain tax issues, and the fraud and abuse laws are discussed.     

Community rating--an approach that works

How our current system works and what changes need to be made are the subjects of intense scrutiny by policy makers today. One of the primary areas of concern with our present health care system is its accessibility to the average American, in terms of both price and ability to obtain insurance. With an estimated 37 million Americans without health care insurance, and countless others severely underinsured, this issue will lie at the core of any health care reform that results from the current debate. One possible approach to the uninsured problem that might alleviate the situation is community rating.