The California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) today announced the award of $3 million in grants for 11 research projects intended to enhance public scholarship on the health care delivery system, California health policy, and the business of health care. The grants are part of an annual Request for Proposals to promote research on the state's health care system.
"Our aim is to generate new information and analyses that will contribute to decision-making in the public and private sectors, improve the functioning of California's health care system, and enhance the effectiveness of Foundation-developed programs and initiatives," said Mark D. Smith, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation.
Projects receiving funding in 2002 were selected from 31 full proposals and 209 initial letters of intent, according to CHCF Program Officer Marian Mulkey. Grant awards ranged from $230,000 to $300,000 for projects lasting up to two years.
The 2002 funded projects are:
Access to Long-Term Care Insurance for Disabled Persons
John C. Wilkins, F.S.A.
Actuarial Research Corporation
The project will analyze data from the CalPERS long-term care (LTC) insurance program, which provides LTC insurance to many more disabled persons and borderline-insurable persons than do most LTC insurers, to determine which subsets of the disabled population (if any) could be offered LTC insurance without significantly increasing average expected long-term care claims.
The Accessibility of Specialty Care Services for California's Uninsured
Suzanne Felt-Lisk, M.P.A.
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
The project will study access to specialty care among uninsured Californians.
Beginning of the End: Will Reduced Rates Gradually Kill Medi-Cal Managed Care?
John A. Smits
Mercer Human Resource Consulting
The study will project the financial viability of the HMOs participating in Medi-Cal managed care for the next five years, assuming minimal or no rate increases due to the state of California's fiscal crisis.
Hospital Service Changes in California: Trends, Community Impact, and Implications for Policy
Richard Scheffler, Ph.D.
Petris Center on Healthcare Market and Consumer Welfare
The study will examine how changes in hospital service mix played a role in influencing the financial viability of California general acute care hospitals between 1995 and 2000.
The Impact of Information Technology on Quality of Care for Common Chronic Diseases
Jeffrey Rideout, M.D.
Blue Shield of California Foundation
The project will examine the impact on physician behavior/decision-making of a physician decision support tool based on well-accepted clinical practice guidelines for four types of patients: those who have recently had a heart attack, those who have both hypertension and congestive heart failure, those with diabetes mellitus, and those with persistent asthma.
Improving the Quality of Pediatric Care by Reducing Medical Errors: A Statewide Pediatric Safety Initiative
Michele D. Kipke, Ph.D.
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
The project will develop a statewide consortium of pediatric hospitals that will implement a system to track medical errors and adverse events and study the impact of interventions in addressing those errors and events.
Medi-Cal Policy and Beneficiary Access and Use: Evidence from the National Survey of America's Families
Stephen Zuckerman, Ph.D.
Urban Institute
The study will analyze the effects of Medi-Cal's persistently low provider payment rates on beneficiary access and health care utilization in the context of other policy choices such as the expansion of managed care and broadened eligibility criteria.
Report Cards of Primary Care Providers: What Factors Affect Consumer Selection of a Provider?
Paul Shekelle, M.D.
RAND
The study will evaluate consumers' differential use of technical versus interpersonal quality of care measures when selecting a primary care provider.
The Role and Financial Status of Rural Hospitals in California
Jose J. Escarce, M.D., Ph.D.
RAND
The study will assess the patient care role of rural hospitals in California.
Telemedicine for Children in Rural Emergency Departments
James P. Marcin, M.D., M.P.H.
University of California, Davis
The project is designed to determine the impact of telemedicine consultations on the quality of care that acutely ill and injured children receive in rural hospitals.
Utilization of Hospital Emergency Departments by Insured Populations in California
David Shactman
Brandeis University
The project will examine the utilization of emergency departments in California from 1997 through 2001.