American journal of preventive medicine
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Appreciating the accuracy and value of cancer screening is essential to informed decision making about screening. This study's objectives were to (1) examine people's beliefs about the accuracy and value of cancer screening, and (2) determine whether sociodemographics, cancer beliefs, and shared decision making are associated with these beliefs. ⋯ Educators, researchers, and clinicians should consider opportunities (e.g., through shared decision making) to improve the accuracy of individuals' beliefs about cancer screening.
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The purpose of this study is to extend prior research on barriers to use of a prescription drug monitoring program by examining psychosocial correlates of intended use among physicians and pharmacists. ⋯ Interventions that target normative beliefs surrounding prescription drug monitoring program use and how to use prescription drug monitoring programs effectively are likely to be more effective than those that target professional obligations or moralize to the medical community.
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Over the past 2 decades, drug-related deaths have grown to be a major U.S. public health problem. County-level differences in drug-related mortality rates are large. The relative contributions of social determinants of health to this variation, including the economic, social, and healthcare environments, are unknown. ⋯ Drug-related mortality rates are not randomly distributed across the U.S. Future research should consider the specific pathways through which economic, social, and healthcare environments are associated with drug-related mortality.
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Four sections of the Affordable Care Act address the expansion of Medicaid coverage for recommended smoking-cessation treatments for: (1) pregnant women (Section 4107), (2) all enrollees through a financial incentive (1% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage increase) to offer comprehensive coverage (Section 4106), (3) all enrollees through Medicaid formulary requirements (Section 2502), and (4) Medicaid expansion enrollees (Section 2001). The purpose of this study is to document changes in Medicaid coverage for smoking-cessation treatments since the passage of the Affordable Care Act and to assess how implementation has differentially affected Medicaid coverage policies for: pregnant women, enrollees in traditional Medicaid, and Medicaid expansion enrollees. ⋯ The Affordable Care Act was successful in improving and expanding state Medicaid coverage of effective smoking-cessation treatments. Many programs are not fully compliant with the law, and additional guidance and clarification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may be needed.