http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/Recent news from CHP/PCORen-usPublic domainhttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/images/feed-icon-48x48.jpghttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/60http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1734As Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls advance solutions to reform U.S. health care, CHP/PCOR core faculty member Victor Fuchs offers three "inconvenient truths" that may serve as a starting point to address and inform health care policy. In a recent article published by the Commonwealth Fund, Fuchs asserts (1) that health care expenditures must be reduced; (2) that medical technology and interventions are largely responsible for cost increases; and (3) that universal coverage cannot be attained without subsidization and compulsion.]]>Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1734?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1730CHP/PCOR faculty member Grant Miller was mentioned in a recent article by the New York Times on the current recession and the societal changes that may occur. Scholars question whether the economic downturn will signify a rise in adverse health outcomes. According to some scholars, a downturn could potentially result in health benefits that are not measured by the market. The New York Times cited Miller's work on coffee price fluctuations and child survival in Colombia as an example. In a recent study, Miller found that infant and child mortality rates fell as coffee prices slumped, a result of parents having the ability to invest more time in taking care of their children.]]>Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1730?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1716On September 16, 2008, the Center for Health Policy (CHP) and the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR) hosted a unique conference at Stanford University, "Better Health, Lower Cost: Can Innovation Save Health Reform?" in honor of their 10th anniversary.]]>Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1716?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1648In the mid-1980s, life expectancy in Russia suddenly improved and then took a drop downward for the worse in the 1990s, leading many to believe that economic transition "kills people." But researchers at the Center for Health Policy/Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (CHP/PCOR) are studying a little-examined phenomenon in that decade when Mikhail Gorbachev -- then the general secretary of the Communist Party in Russia -- launched a large public health campaign against alcohol abuse, which reduced alcohol production and imposed strict measures to limit its distribution.]]>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1648?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1703Peter Orszag, director of the Congressional Budget Office, presented a federal perspective on health care policy and costs at the 10th Anniversary Conference and Celebration for the Center for Health Policy and Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research on September 16, 2008. In his presentation and recent post, Orszag discusses how research on behavioral economics can inform efforts to improve efficiency in health care delivery.]]>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1703?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1726In an August 2008 interview with the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), CHP/PCOR faculty member Jay Bhattacharya discusses the constraints that vulnerable populations face when making decisions that affect their health status. Although the United States has seen a decline in rates of severe disability among its' elderly population, continued improvements in elderly health should not be taken for granted. Recent work has shown that rates of severe disability, measured by the inability to perform basic activities of daily living, have been rising in working age populations. The rise of chronic diseases such diabetes, strokes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may play a substantial role in fueling the disability rate among the working age population. In a recent study, Bhattacharya and colleagues examine the extent to which chronic disease trends explain the disability trends among younger populations.]]>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1726?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1669CHP/PCOR core faculty member Jay Bhattacharya was awarded a patent on an algorithm he worked on as part of a RAND research team in 2000.]]>Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1669?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1668CHP/PCOR associate Keith Humphreys has been helping rebuild Iraq's mental health care system since 2004. In this article, he discusses the situation in Iraq.]]>Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1668?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1667CHP/PCOR associate John Morton is quoted in this MSN.com article discussing probiotics, the "good" bacteria found in yogurts and supplements. According to Stanford researchers, probiotics can help adult gastric-bypass patients lose even more weight.]]>Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1667?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1666Despite the well-known dangers of high blood pressure, major shortfalls still exist in the screening, treatment and control of the disease, according to a new Stanford study.]]>Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1666?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1486Official growth in Chinese life expectancy between 1950 and 1980 ranks among the most rapid in documented global history, yet virtually no study has quantitatively assessed the determinants of those longevity gains. Recently Karen Eggleston received notice of an award from Stanford's Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging--supported by the National Institutes of Health / National Institute of Aging--for a study entitled "Health Improvement under Mao and Its Implications for Contemporary Aging in China." Eggleston will undertake this study jointly with colleagues Grant Miller (Stanford) and Hongbin Li (Tsinghua, PRC).]]>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1486?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1461Flat, non-polypoid colorectal neoplasms (NP-CRNs), which may be difficult to detect, appear to be relatively common and may have a greater association with cancer compared with the more routinely diagnosed type of colorectal polyps, according to a study in the March 5 issue of JAMA.]]>Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1461?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1459This Newsweek article explains the effect of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) on more than 700,000 children with asthma. CHP/PCOR core faculty member Paul Wise is quoted in the piece, explaining that without adequate coverage, children with asthma may forgo care, presenting a higher number of emergency room cases when things become more serious.]]>Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1459?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1457The report led by CHP/PCOR faculty fellow Laurence Baker and colleagues found large variations among California hospitals the intensity with which the facilities treat seriously ill patients. Variations were found among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries, as well as among nonelderly patients with private insurance and Medicare HMO beneficiaries.]]>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1457?http://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1456CHP/PCOR senior scholar Dena Bravata's study on the use of pedometers is mentioned in this USA Weekend Magazine article. The study found that use of the pedometer was associated with a significant increase in physical activity and weight loss, as well as improvements in blood pressure.]]>Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PSThttp://healthpolicy.stanford.edu/news/1456?