News from Mathematica August 24, 2006

Publications

Language Barriers in Health Care

Man and woman reading "Seeking Solutions: Enhancing Health Care Delivery for People in Connecticut with Limited English Proficiency." Ann Bagchi and Beth Stevens, August 2006. Seeking ways to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate health care to an increasingly diverse population is a growing policy concern. Public hearings held in Connecticut revealed that many of the state's residents with limited English proficiency (LEP) see health care providers without a trained interpreter. A new policy brief provides estimates of (1) the number of Connecticut Medicaid recipients with LEP, and (2) the cost of providing face-to-face interpreter services to these beneficiaries statewide. Researchers also estimated that the state’s annual share of providing medical interpreter services through its Medicaid program would total about $2.35 million if Connecticut takes advantage of available federal matching funds.

Disease Management

Journal Cover “Disease Management: Promising, But Not Yet Proven.” Debbie Peikes, Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research, June 2006. Studies have shown that many chronic health care problems can be prevented if patients receive medical care consistent with recommended standards; adhere to medication, diet, exercise and self-care regimens; have access to transportation and social support services; and experience better communication from providers. This has led to the development of disease management programs to help change patient and provider behavior, with the goal of saving money and improving patient functioning. This article notes that implementation of disease management has outpaced evidence proving its worth, but that evidence is forthcoming from a number of rigorous demonstration projects for Medicare beneficiaries. Early results indicate some providers faced significant enrollment shortfalls. In addition, short-term findings provide some evidence that disease management may improve the quality of care and mixed evidence of effects on patient’s diet, exercise, and adherence to medication. The author recommends waiting for more evidence before wholesale adoption of disease management. Reprints available while supply lasts; call 609-275-2350.

Consumer Direction

Photo of woman in nursing home "Reducing Nursing Home Use Through Consumer-Directed Personal Care Services." Stacy B. Dale and Randall Brown, Medical Care, August 2006. This study tested whether consumer direction of personal care services under the Arkansas Cash and Counseling Demonstration reduced nursing home use and expenditures, compared with traditional Medicaid agency services, and how it affected total Medicaid costs. The authors found that nursing facility use was 18 percent lower for the treatment group than the control group for the three-year follow-up period. Although personal care costs were substantially higher for the treatment group than for controls, the savings in long-term care costs fully offset the higher personal care costs in the second and third years among consumers who were receiving personal care at the time they enrolled in the study. Reprints available while supply lasts; call 609-275-2350.

Passport to Teaching

Photo of Teacher “School Principals’ Perspectives on the Passport to Teaching.” Steven Glazerman, Christina Tuttle, and Gail Baxter, June 2006. State governments use a wide variety of requirements to regulate entry into the teaching profession, but education researchers have not succeeded in isolating measures that cost-effectively and reliably predict teacher performance. To address this problem, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) devised an examination-based approach called the Passport to Teaching that aims to identify people competent to teach, regardless of the individual’s method of preparation. This report, from Mathematica’s five-year evaluation of ABCTE certification programs, provides early evidence on the performance of American Board-certified teachers based on a survey of their supervisors. Administrators gave a generally positive assessment of the teachers and a cautious assessment of the program that certified them.

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News From Mathematica

August 24, 2006: A Semimonthly Update on New Publications, Presentations, and Other Developments