Author Interviews, Cost of Health Care, Health Care Systems / 22.10.2019

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: David S Buck, MD, MPH Associate Dean of Community Health Professor, Clinical Sciences University of Houston - College of Medicine Houston, TX 77204  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?  Response: High-Needs, High-Cost (HNHC) patients account for 5% of the general population and cost 50% of the healthcare spending. In Harris County, one patient alone costed $439,600 in a year when he visited multiple medical, social and behavioral agencies for care. This was a result of siloed systems working independently of each other leading to inefficient care for the patient. By providing coordinated care, using patient-centered goals and values, we are able to better engage and provide a holistic approach to patient care.  This paper introduces a novel ‘values-based’ intervention mechanism for the HNHC patients, in addition to a coordinated care management approach, through a single record system. The findings indicate an improved daily functioning of the HNHC patients over 4 months, improved relationship between the providers and the patients and moderate well-being scores. (more…)
Author Interviews, Occupational Health, Social Issues / 02.01.2019

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Christiane Spitzmueller, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology Industrial Organizational Psychology University of Houston MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?   Response: We generally conduct research on how parents' work experiences affect the health and well-being of family systems. Many families struggle to successfully reconcile work and family demands, and we were wondering what specific work experiences were most likely to relate to negative outcomes for children. We also wanted to know how the impact of parents' stressful work experiences' with the happiness and health of their children could be addressed. Hence the study! (more…)