American journal of preventive medicine
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The use of mail-order pharmacies is generally associated with lower healthcare costs and improved medication adherence. To promote the use of mail-order pharmacies, it is important to understand the time trends in their use and whether these trends vary by population subgroups. ⋯ The prevalence of mail-order pharmacy use has declined in recent years and has shown significant variation across population subgroups. Future research should examine whether the declining trends and variation in use may influence the management of chronic conditions and the disparities in health and healthcare costs.
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High-deductible health plans are often touted to motivate patients to become informed healthcare purchasers; however, racial/ethnic minorities report that high deductibles prevent them from seeking the needed care. One proposed way to mitigate the financial burden of high-deductible health plans is the use of health savings plans. This cross-sectional study investigates whether chronically ill Blacks and Hispanics enrolled in high-deductible health plans experience greater access to care difficulties than non-Hispanic Whites and whether racial/ethnic disparities are mitigated by the use of health savings plans. ⋯ Understanding how health savings plans function to improve access to care within racial/ethnic minority groups may help to inform policy approaches related to their use.
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In the U.S., universal genotyping of culture-confirmed tuberculosis cases facilitates cluster detection. Early recognition of the small clusters more likely to become outbreaks can help prioritize public health resources for immediate interventions. ⋯ Clusters accumulating ≥3 cases within a year should be prioritized for intervention. Effective response strategies should include plans for targeted outreach to U.S.-born individuals, incarcerated people, those experiencing homelessness, people using substances, and individuals self-identifying as being of American Indian or Alaska Native race or of Black race.
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This paper describes the methodology of partial identification and its applicability to empirical research in preventive medicine and public health. ⋯ Partial identification methods are likely to be of considerable interest to clinicians and others engaged in preventive medicine and public health research.