Designing an auction to demonstrate and evaluate competitive bidding as a method for pricing clinical laboratory services

Includes bibliographical references (p. 26-27)

Really Great Returns to Medical Education?

This article reports the value of a medical education as opposed to education for alternative professional careers, using 1970 Census data. When standard net present value computations are performed, it is found that the returns to investment in medical education exceed those to education for alternative professions. When the computations are adjusted for hours worked, physicians' earnings become roughly equal to those of dentists and lawyers, but remain clearly superior to those of the other professions considered. Additional information on the earnings of physician cohorts vs. dentist cohorts for the post-Flexner era is also reported.

Nursing Wages and the Value of Educational Credentials

The evidence on nurses' wage rates is examined to determine whether higher credentials command a premium in the marketplace. Also examined are private rates of return to determine if higher nursing education is a worthwhile investment for individuals. Our findings are that, after taking into account experience and job requirements, employers pay only a modest premium for enhanced educational credentials leading to licensure for basic nursing practice. A more substantial premium is paid to a small segment of the nursing profession which holds the master's degree. These findings confirm other studies that show only subtle differences among associate, diploma, and baccalaureate nurses. We conclude that neither employers nor a large segment of the nursing profession would benefit from recent proposals to require that all nurses obtain the baccalaureate degree.

Monitoring Patient Outcomes After Clinical Laboratory Testing

Mennemeyer ST, Winkelman JW, Kiefe CI. Monitoring Patient Outcomes After Clinical Laboratory Testing. In MG Bissell, Ed, Laboratory-related Measures of Patient Outcomes: An Introduction, Washington, D.C., AACC Press, Chapter 10, p. 147-160, 2000. Limited preview available via Google Book Search

Health-related risk behaviors among U.S. childhood cancer survivors: a nationwide estimate

Abstract Background Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are subject to a substantial burden of treatment-related morbidity. Engaging in health protective behaviors and eliminating risk behaviors are critical to preventing chronic diseases and premature deaths. This study is aimed to provide updated information on currently smoking, physical inactivity, binge drinking patterns and associated factors among CCS using a nationwide dataset. Methods We constructed a sample of CCS (cancer diagnosis at ages < 21y) and healthy controls (matched on age, sex, residency, race/ethnicity) using 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We used Chi-square tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum test to examine differences in sociodemographics and clinical characteristics between two groups. Logistic, ordinal regression and multivariable models (conditional models for matching) were used to determine factors associated with risk behaviors. Results The final sample (18-80y) included 372 CCS and 1107 controls. Compared to controls, CCS had a similar proportion of binge drinking (~ 18%) but higher prevalence of currently smoking (26.6% vs. 14.4%, p < 0.001), physical inactivity (23.7% vs. 17.7%, p = 0.012), and of having 2-or-3 risk behaviors (17.2% vs. 8.1%, p < 0.001). Younger age, lower educational attainment, and having multiple chronic health conditions were associated with engaging in more risk behaviors among CCS. Females, compared to male counterparts, had lower odds of binge drinking (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.16–0.57) among CCS but not in all sample. Having multiple chronic health conditions increased odds of both currently smoking (aOR = 3.52 95%CI: 1.76–7.02) and binge drinking (aOR = 2.13 95%CI: 1.11–4.08) among CCS while it only increased odds of currently smoking in all sample. Discussion Our study provided risk behavior information for wide age-range CCS, which is currently lacking. Every one in four CCS was currently smoking. Interventions targeting risk behavior reduction should focus on CCS with multiple chronic health conditions

Effects of Sustained Abstinence Among Treated Substance-Abusing Homeless Persons on Housing and Employment

Objectives. We examined whether cocaine-dependent homeless persons had stable housing and were employed 6, 12, and 18 months after they entered a randomized controlled trial comparing 2 treatments