Established in 1984, the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center develops and promotes effective corporate and public policies for low-probability events with potentially catastrophic consequences through the integration of risk assessment, and risk perception with risk management strategies. Natural disasters, technological hazards, and national and international security issues ...

Motivation for the creation of electronic data interchange (message) standards is discussed. The ISO Open Systems Interface model is described. Clinical information models, message syntax and structure, and the need for a standardized coded vocabulary are explained. The HIPAA legislation and subsequent HHS transaction recommendations are reviewed. The history and mission statements of six of th...

The proper purchasing of services has always been one of the major concerns of health insurance. Inattention to the optimum purchase of services has led to serious problems for health systems. Traditional (passive) purchasing has some weaknesses because of problems such as low efficiency in the health system, no targeted resources, low cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness indicators and poor jus...

a non-profit organisation started by the medical school of Harvard University and its brochure says that it is "New England's most experienced HMO," which since 1969 has been "serving the residents of Eastern Massachusetts with high quality health care that's convenient and affordable." Until 1980 the Harvard plan was Boston's only HMO but now it is in fierce competition with 10 others. The pla...

The issue of cost shifting has taken on enormous policy implications. It is estimated that unsponsored and undercompensated hospital costs--one measure of cost shifting--has totaled $21.5 billion in 1991. The health services research literature indicates that hospitals set different prices for different payers. However, the empirical evidence on hospitals' ability to raise prices to one payer t...

Childhood obesity is a recognized public health crisis. This paper reviews the lessons learned from a voluntary initiative to expand insurance coverage for childhood obesity prevention and treatment services in the United States. In-depth telephone interviews were conducted with key informants from 16 participating health plans and employers in 2010-11. Key informants reported difficulty ensuri...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Few studies evaluate the impact of anesthesia providers during procedures, such as colonoscopy, on low-risk patients. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of anesthesia providers on several outcome variables, including major morbidity, following screening colonoscopies. METHODS A propensity-matched cohort study of 14,006 patients who enrolled with a nation...

We propose a Medicare Demonstration Project to develop a standard acquisition charge for kidney paired donation. A new payment strategy is required because Medicare and commercial insurance companies may not directly pay living donor costs intended to lead to transplantation of a beneficiary of a different insurance provider. Until the 1970s, when organ procurement organizations were empowered ...