This paper empirically assesses the relative role of health plan prices, service quality and optional benefi ts in the decision to choose a health plan. We link representative German SOEP panel data from 2007 to 2010 to (i) health plan service quality indicators, (ii) measures of voluntary benefi t provision on top of federally mandated benefi ts, and (iii) health plan prices for almost all Ger...

This study employs exploratory factor analysis and scale construction methods with commercial Health Plan Employers Data Information Set (HEDISS) process of care and outcome measures from 1999 to uncover evidence for a unidimensional composite health maintenance organization (HMO) quality scale. Summated scales by categories of care are created and are then used in a factor analysis that has a ...

The health of a nation is a reflection of the health of the people. The health of a nation is a composite variety of health indicators, of which the chief are infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, and life expectancy. The Health of India lags behind that of many nations both developed and developing, something which the Government has been trying to improve for the last 64 years. Obvi...

This paper envisions a multi-agent system that assists patients and their health care providers. This system would support a diverse, evolving team in formulating, monitoring and revising a shared “care plan” that operates on multiple time scales in uncertain environments. It would also enhance communication of health information within this planning framework. The coordination of care for chil...

in the past, health planning in iran has been carried out in the context of short-range economic plans. although this mechanism has helped a great deal in the achievement of certain health plans however, the said scheme has been short in meeting the health objectives on a comprehensive basis. most often, the heath programs have lost their values to the priority and cost effectiveness of economi...

Case studies of three organizations participating in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim initiative shed light on how they are partnering with providers and organizing care to improve the health of a population and patients’ experience of care while lowering—or at least reducing the rate of increase in—the per capita cost of care. The organizations—CareOregon, a nonprofit mana...

This paper analyzes the transformation of the central organization in the managed care system: the multiproduct, multimarket health plan. It examines vertical disintegration, the shift from ownership to contractual linkages between plans and provider organizations, and horizontal integration--the consolidation of erstwhile indemnity carriers, Blue Cross plans, health maintenance organizations (...

This paper empirically assesses the relative role of health plan prices, service quality and optional benefits in the decision to choose a health plan. We link representative German SOEP panel data from 2007 to 2010 to (i) health plan service quality indicators, (ii) measures of voluntary benefit provision on top of federally mandated benefits, and (iii) health plan prices for almost all German...

This paper investigates a novel approach to integrating tactical and strategical decision making and applies it to scheduling the operation of autonomous robot office couriers. In this approach the robot makes strategical (farsighted) decisions while it executes a plan using tactical (immediate) decisions and overwrites tactical decisions after strategical decisions have been reached (if necess...