OBJECTIVE To assess whether recovery-focused multimodal psychotherapy can facilitate symptom and function improvement in people with treatment-resistant psychotic illness. METHOD Nine people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder whose symptoms and level of functioning necessitated inpatient care were engaged in individual multimodal psychotherapy for up to 21 mont...

OBJECTIVE -The purpose of this study was to calculate the total number of inpatient hospitalizations, outpatient clinic visits, and total direct health care costs associated with veterans with diabetes receiving care in Veterans Administration (VA) facilities. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-The number of inpatient hospitalizations is tracked for years 1994-1998, and outpatient clinic visits are tr...

OBJECTIVE In China, despite a high coverage rate, health insurance is not used for all illness episodes. Our goal is to identify subjects' characteristics associated with insurance utilization and the association between utilization and medical expenditure. METHODS A survey was conducted in January and February of 2012. 2093 middle-aged and elderly subjects (45 years old and above) were surve...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health problem in the United States. Although prior studies have evaluated the HCV-related healthcare burden, these studies examined a single treatment setting and did not account for the growing "baby boomer" population (individuals born during 1945-1965). METHODS Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, the Nationa...

j Abstract After legislative changes in 1978, Italian psychiatry underwent a thorough overhaul, with the gradual closure of all Mental Hospitals. A nation-wide network of Departments of Mental Health now deliver outpatient and inpatient care, but also run semi-residential and residential facilities (the latter with 2.9 beds per 10,000 inhabitants). Hospital care is delivered through small psych...

For the purposes of funding and policy development, the Victorian Department of Human Services expects Victorian health care institutions to capture patient data at all levels. These data can be extracted from hospital information systems and potentially offer a business role within a health service organisation. However, there are many issues to be addressed at the organisational level in orde...

STUDY OBJECTIVE We determine the impact of a treatment strategy called the San Diego Serial Inebriate Program on the use of emergency medical services (EMS) and emergency department (ED) and inpatient services by individuals repeatedly arrested for public intoxication. METHODS This was a retrospective review of health care utilization records (EMS, ED, and inpatient) of 529 individuals from 2...

Modelling patient flow in health care systems is considered vital in understanding the system's activity and may therefore prove to be useful in improving their functionality. A measure, extensively used, is the average length of stay which, although easy to calculate and quantify, assumes normally distributed data thus making the subsequent modelling of resources totally unsuitable. In fact, s...

This article describes a collaborative process for legislatively mandated public reporting of health care performance in Rhode Island that began with hospital patient satisfaction. The goals of the report were both quality improvement and public accountability. Key features addressed include: the legislative context for public reporting; widespread participation of stakeholders; the structure f...

BACKGROUND The prevalence, health care expenditures, and hospitalization experiences are important considerations among elderly populations with multiple chronic conditions. METHODS A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on a nationally random sample of 1 217 103 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 and older living in the United States and enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Med...