The American journal of managed care
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Review
The economic and quality of life burden associated with Parkinson's disease: a focus on symptoms.
Parkinson's disease (PD) imposes a significant economic burden on the healthcare system. As the population continues to age and shifts to include a larger proportion of persons 65 years and older, the economic burden related to PD will continue to escalate. Clinicians should be mindful of striving for efficiency, making prudent choices, and allocating resources appropriately. ⋯ In addition, although research thus far has not clearly demonstrated the ability of an agent to provide disease modification, as new, potentially neuroprotective therapeutic interventions are developed and become available as treatment options, the recognition of early disease will be more important. If earlier treatment with neuroprotective agents leads to slowing of disease progression, the result may be less need for care and decreased costs for patients with PD. This may have a measurable impact by improving QoL measures for both the patient and caregivers.
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To offer midterm observations and recommendations based on how Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) alliances are faring in their journey toward improving healthcare quality at the community level. ⋯ Multi-stakeholder alliances' efforts to improve quality should be viewed as "pieces of the health reform puzzle" rather than stand-alone solutions. As healthcare reform is challenged politically, alliances can practice the bipartisanship that focuses conversation on what is good for the community and how best to achieve community goals amid a potential sea of change in both federal and state policy and funding.
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To conduct the first empirical study of competitive bidding in Medicare. ⋯ As a market-based alternative to cost control through administrative pricing, competitive bidding relies on private insurance plans proposing prices they are willing to accept for insuring a beneficiary. However, competition is imperfect in the Medicare bidding market. As much as half of every dollar in increased plan payment went to higher bids rather than to beneficiaries. While having more insurers in a market lowered bids, the design of any bidding system for Medicare should recognize this shortcoming of competition.
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Comparative Study
Expenditures for medicaid patients treated with exenatide compared with other diabetes management regimens.
To compare Medicaid spending among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) receiving exenatide or other add-on therapies. ⋯ Patients with T2DM receiving exenatide had lower annual Medicaid claims costs compared with patients receiving other therapies.