Search

This document reflects on the 14-year tenure of the authors as editors of the Urban Affairs Review (UAR) journal. The document highlights the journal's focus on various urban issues, including governance, sustainability, environmental justice, race, ethnicity, poverty, economic development, and fiscal architecture. It emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary and multi-scalar approaches to understanding urban dynamics and acknowledges the challenges posed by the centralization of government authority and the nationalization of politics. The document also discusses the measurement of journal impact and the editorial responsibilities of promoting emergent ideas and responding to disruptive events. Overall, the authors express gratitude for their role as journal editors and the impact they have had on the urban scholarly community. [Extracted from the article]

Given varied insurance acceptances and differing pay between insurances, our objective was to examine the number of California physicians enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid (Medi-Cal), stratified by specialty and graduation year. Medi-Cal and Medicare providers were extracted from publicly available databases (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and California Health and Human Services) and were subsequently merged into one dataset using National Provider Identifier. From there, we stratified physicians by specialty and graduation year. We found that emergency medicine, radiology, pathology, anesthesiology, general surgery, and internal medicine had the highest percent of Medi-Cal-accepting physicians, whereas dermatology, psychiatry, physical medicine & rehabilitation, and plastic & reconstructive surgery physicians had the lowest. There also appears to be an inverse relationship between acceptance of Medi-Cal and earlier year of graduation (P < 0.05). This study demonstrated striking variability in Medi-Cal acceptance based upon physician years in practice and specialty. Older, experienced physicians, as well as physicians of certain specialties, are less likely to accept Medi-Cal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurse managers and medical directors play integral roles in ensuring the delivery of high-quality care. Nurse managers oversee day-to-day operations, coordinating staffing, patient care, and resource allocation. They are responsible for fostering a supportive environment for nursing staff while upholding standards of excellence in patient care. Medical directors bring their clinical expertise and leadership, guiding treatment protocols and ensuring adherence to best practices. Together, nurse managers and medical directors form a dynamic partnership in which collaboration is paramount. By synergizing their respective strengths, nurse managers and medical directors can optimize patient outcomes, streamline processes, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. Effective communication and mutual respect are foundational to this collaboration because they work hand-in-hand to navigate complex medical challenges and uphold standards of excellence. In this symbiotic relationship, the ultimate goal is to produce quality care that enhances patient well-being and satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the impact of broadband expansion on rural firms in the United States. It acknowledges the historical disparities in broadband availability between rural and urban areas and discusses the government's efforts to improve infrastructure. The article examines how broadband access affects local economies and innovation networks, and predicts changes in rural firms' innovative activities with improved access. It also discusses the benefits and challenges of broadband access for rural businesses, including increased competition. The article emphasizes the importance of policy support for rural innovation and suggests programs to educate rural business owners on utilizing broadband effectively. Overall, the article highlights the potential benefits of broadband access for rural firms and calls for further research and policy formulation to support rural growth. [Extracted from the article]

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act incentivized the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs). Health systems looked to leverage technology to assist in serving populations in health professional shortage areas. Qualitative research points to EHR usability as a source of health inequities in rural settings, making the challenges of EHR usage a subject of interest. Pennsylvania offers a model for investigating rural health infrastructure with it having the third largest rural population in the United States. This study analyzed the adoption of Electronic Prescribing in the 67 Pennsylvania (PA) counties. Physician adoption and usage data for PA and the United States were compared using a t-test to establish a basis for comparison. PA counties were categorized using the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCAs) system. Surescript use percentages were plotted against the RUCA scores of each PA county to create a polynomial regression model. PA office-based physicians, on average, utilize e-prescription tools at the same rate as the national average with 59% of practices utilizing Surescripts as of 2013. There was no significant correlation between Surescript usage and the rural/urban classification of counties in Pennsylvania (R-squared value of 0.06). Pennsylvania was able to adopt health information technology (HIT) infrastructure at the same rate as the national average. Rural and metropolitan definitions do not correlate to meaningful use of HIT, thus usability of HIT cannot be tied to health outcomes. Future studies looking at specific forms of HIT and their ability to decrease the burden of administrative work for clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building energy codes are essential tools for achieving energy efficiency in buildings. However, the full energy savings potential of these codes can only be realized if buildings are constructed in compliance with them. Therefore, evaluating building energy code compliance is crucial in bridging the gap between the energy efficiency requirements set by energy codes and the actualized energy savings achieved. An energy code compliance evaluation serves as a mechanism to assess construction practices, evaluate the effectiveness of code enforcement, identify gaps in compliance, and guide strategies for improvement through training and education. Conducting code compliance evaluation activities involves field studies that require careful design and significant resources. Historically, more emphasis has been placed on developing and adopting building energy codes, while efforts to evaluate compliance have been relatively limited and lacking consistent approaches. The passage of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which mandated that states create plans for achieving 90% compliance within eight years, stimulated the need for an energy code compliance evaluation. As a result, federal, state, and local governments, and utilities have invested in the development of methodologies and tools for code compliance evaluation studies. This paper reviews the code compliance evaluation studies conducted in the United States over the past three decades. It describes and compares the methodologies and metrics used to assess building energy code compliance, summarizes the general elements and steps involved in the evaluation process, and discusses common issues in these studies. Over time, code compliance evaluation methodologies have evolved from isolated development within individual states, regions, and utilities, to widely accepted protocols applicable across different states and local jurisdictions. There has been a transition in compliance metrics, shifting from historical compliance rates to energy-consumption-oriented approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the labour market effects of the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP), a programme authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to promote broadband deployment, mainly in rural areas. The BIP is one of the largest USDA broadband programmes implemented to date, providing more than $3.4 billion in grants and loans in FY 2010. We investigate the impacts of BIP investments on employment outcomes in BIP‐recipient Census tracts compared to similar tracts outside of BIP project service areas between the inception of the programme in 2010 and 2019. We use a quasi‐experimental research design that combines difference‐in‐difference regression with propensity score matching estimation to identify the causal effect of the BIP investments on employment outcomes. We find that the BIP investments had a positive overall effect on employment growth that increased over time. The subsidized investments had a greater effect on employment in startups than in incumbent businesses, in the goods‐producing sector and the information and communications technology sector than other sectors, and a greater effect in micropolitan census tracts than tracts located in metropolitan areas or in small town and remote rural locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many health institutions that have adopted electronic health record systems (EHRs) eventually decide to switch to a different one. Cordasco et al. interviewed primary care providers, primary care nurses, and specialty providers involved in referrals following VA's EHR transition. Through stakeholder engagement, Cogan et al. build on these past findings in describing a new and thoughtful research agenda for EHR transitions, taking into account health system priorities and the need to be proactive in optimizing the success of implementation. [Extracted from the article]

Late last year, the Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) published a 260‐page Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on changes to 42 CFR Part 2, a regulation which protects the confidentiality of treatment records for alcohol and drug use disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on ongoing efforts for the creation of a "broadband serviceable location fabric" (BSLF), which is a dataset of all locations or structures where broadband could be provided. It mentions explore and analyze preliminary BSLF data for the state of Oklahoma and, as a result, highlight several important takeaways that should be considered as the availability of BSLF data is expanded nationwide.

This study examines school finance patterns in New Jersey over the four years following the Great Recession, a period encompassing a severe economic downturn, an influx of federal stimulus funding, and the funding's eventual depletion. It mentions that the authors find that school districts' funding and expenditure levels saw sharp reductions from pre-recession trends over the 2009-12 period.

Rural public libraries have been relatively understudied when compared to public libraries as a whole. Data are available to show that rural libraries lag behind their urban and suburban counterparts in technology service offerings, but the full meaning and effect of such disparities is unclear. The authors combine data from the Public Library Technology and Access Study with data from smaller studies to provide greater insight to these issues. By filtering these data through the digital inclusion framework, it becomes clear that disparities between rural and nonrural libraries are not merely a problem of weaker technological infrastructure. Instead, rural libraries cannot reach their full customer service potential because of lower staffing (but not lower staff dedication) and funding mechanisms that rely primarily on local monies. The authors suggest possible solutions to these disparities while also discussing the barriers that must be overcome before such solutions can be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surveys contain several identical questions, allowing us to examine trends in resources and collaboration related to sustainability between 2010 and 2015.[1] Trends in Local Governments' Sustainability-Related Investment and Capacity Local government capacity, as it relates to sustainability initiatives, has two primary dimensions - administrative and financial. The policies and implementation tools that emerge from sustainability planning efforts are often technical in nature and require dedicated staff resources to manage (Brody et al., [4], [5]). Although this question continues to be debated (Fuhr et al., [10]; van der Heijden et al., [27]), city governments have none-the-less assumed positions as key actors in the global climate and sustainability policy landscape (Acuto, [1]; Rosenzweig et al., [21]). [Extracted from the article]

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act waived work requirements nationally in 2010 and broadened waiver eligibility in subsequent years for Able‐Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWDs) receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. From 2011 to 2017, many states voluntarily imposed work requirements, while other areas became ineligible for waivers because of improved economic conditions. Using data from the American Community Survey from 2010 to 2017, I analyze the influence of work requirements on employment and SNAP participation for ABAWDs. I find that work requirements increased employment for ABAWDs and also significantly decreased SNAP participation.(JEL J21, J68, H42) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of novel health information technology provides avenues for potentially significant patient benefit. However, it is also timely to take a step back and to consider whether the use of these technologies is safe – or more precisely what the current evidence for their safety is, and what kinds of evidence we should be looking for in order to create a convincing argument for patient safety. This special issue on patient safety includes eight papers that demonstrate an increasing focus on qualitative approaches and a growing recognition that the sociotechnical lens of examining health information technology–associated change is important. We encourage a balanced approach to technology adoption that embraces innovation, but nonetheless insists upon suitable concerns for safety and evaluation of outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health care industry has moved at a rapid pace away from paper records to an electronic platform across almost all sectors — much of it at the encouragement and insistence of the federal government. Such rapid expansion has increased exponentially the risk to individuals in the privacy of their data and, increasingly, to their physical well-being when medical records are inaccessible through ransomware attacks. Recognizing the unique and critical nature of medical records, the United States Congress established the Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force under the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 for the purpose of reviewing cybersecurity risks within the health care industry and identifying who will lead and coordinate efforts to address such risks among the various agencies. The Task Force has since issued a report setting forth six high-level imperatives that the health care industry needs to achieve in order to combat cybersecurity, and, notably, many of the vulnerabilities plaguing the industry identified in the Report as requiring correction are not necessarily related to specific flaws in the current cybersecurity framework, but rather susceptibilities presented by the infrastructure and associated regulatory regime that has evolved over the last few decades over the health care industry generally. That is, the current health care infrastructure by its nature exacerbates cybersecurity risk. Between a lack of information sharing of industry threats, risks, and mitigations, disparate leadership and governance goals for cybersecurity, the confluence and contradiction of existing federal and state laws, fragmentation in the fee-for-service delivery system, lack of care coordination, and disparate resources across and among sectors, the industry suffers from heightened cyber risk. Solutions that are reactive to problems within the current infrastructure will likely have little long term impact toward reducing cybersecurity vulnerabilities because they do not address the underlying system challenges. All of these confluences causes one to wonder whether if in fact the current health care delivery infrastructure is a contributing factor to the incidents of cybersecurity attacks and the exorbitant costs associated with resolving data breaches, should Congress look not just to curb breach incidents, but to address root cause systematic challenges in the health industry infrastructure that create increased exposure of cybersecurity threats? This article argues that cybersecurity risks will continue to be heightened and more costly to the health care industry as compared to other industries unless and until some general system redesign is achieved that allows for (1) greater sharing of resources among industry participants to ensure the same protections are implemented at all levels of the industry, which can be strengthened through greater interoperability of systems across the health care industry; and (2) increased focus and attention on the importance of cybersecurity issues as a priority among system reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which looks at the adoption of health information technology (HIT) by U.S. hospitals by applying Rogers' adopter categories. Topics covered include the hospital characteristics of early patient engagement functionality adoption, a comparison of the financial performance of groups of hospitals that offer these functionalities, and the association of positive financial outcomes with early adoption of patient engagement functionality in the decision-making process.

BACKGROUND: In response to the Great Recession, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law in 2009. The Vocational Rehabilitation program rather unexpectedly received $540 million in ARRA funding, which was primarily intended to serve more applicants and increase services to customers. OBJECTIVES: We consider the impact of ARRA-influenced changes in VR funding levels on several outcomes, including VR service receipt status, employment status at program exit, and Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance receipt at program exit. METHODS: We use ARRA VR funding as an instrument to capture the exogenous variation in state VR funding levels. RESULTS: Our findings show that unexpected positive funding shocks may not be effective at improving short-term outcomes for VR. We find no evidence that a change in funding levels affected key VR outcomes such as employment at program exit. We also observe that some states used ARRA funds as a substitute for decreased state VR funding (usually maintaining VR funding around pre-recession levels) instead of to increase state VR funding above pre-recession levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This report focuses on audiology productivity measures and targets, impacting variables, and implementation of productivity in pediatric settings and "life span facilities" with a significant population of pediatric patients. Research Design: A questionnaire was sent to 116 facilities in geographically diverse locations. Results: Of the 116 surveys sent, 25 surveys were returned (response rate of 21.5%) and 22 had sufficient data to be included for analyses. The majority of the sites measure productivity at the individual and/or department level. No predominant productivity measurement method was reported. Measurement methods included the following: appointment length (n = 6), weighting Current Procedural Terminology codes (n = 6), relative value units (n = 5), a combination of methods (n = 1), and other specific parameters (n = 1). Thirteen sites measured productivity as a percentage of scheduled worked time with a target of 69% (ranged from 40% to 85%). Many variables thought to impact productivity were evaluated: age of the patient, scheduling, use of a 2nd tester, no-show rate, hearing aid status, components of auditory brainstem response evaluation, documentation time, and monaural or binaural services. Schedule review and adjustment, efficiency, and communication with staff were methods reported to increase productivity. Conclusion: Most surveyed facilities measure productivity at the individual and/or department levels. However, there is no standard method. Current productivity measures include time-based measures based on appointment length, time-based measures assigned to Current Procedural Terminology codes, relative value units, combined approaches, and individual site developed programs. Many variables impact productivity measurements. Further study and discussion are needed to develop an optimal method for productivity measurement in audiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter reviews multiple variables across all public community colleges, and unveils marked disparities in public funding between and within the states at community colleges of different sizes and geographical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the case Barker and Todd Inc. v. Anthony Hope in the U.S. Supreme Court. It mentions case involves allegations that Barker & Todd, Inc. was negligent in storing the electronic protected health information of individuals who applied for its prescription assistance program. It also mentions patient application form requests personal information including income, date of birth, social security number, medical insurance policy numbers.

This Article examines the rapidly evolving role of the nation's electric utilities in developing the network of public electric vehicle ("EV") charging stations across the country required to facilitate the growth of EVs. As EV adoption in the United States continues to rise, the roles that governmental entities, electric utilities, and market actors will play in deploying the EV charging stations necessary to support transportation electrification remains a central question. This question raises a multitude of issues relating to consumer demand for EVs, competitive markets, utility rate design, government mandates and incentives, policies to reduce carbon emission and other air pollutants, and equity concerns. This Article focuses specifically on state public utility commissions, which will review and approve electric utility proposals to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in EV charging infrastructure that would be paid for, in most cases, by utility customers through cost-of-service ratemaking. This Article considers how state approaches on this issue may differ, at least in the short term, depending on varying state environmental policies, politics, geography, and utility regulatory structure. One constant among the states, however, is the range of rulemaking, investigatory, and adjudicative processes available to state utility commissions to consider these proposed utility investments. This Article concludes that public utility commissions in each state should focus on using their investigative and adjudicative authority to create a robust administrative record for EV charging-related decisions--both general rulemaking decisions and individual utility proposal decisions. These investigative and adjudicative proceedings can support decisions today regarding short-term utility pilot programs, as well as form the basis for broader, far-reaching policies to govern development in the long term. Notably, there are good reasons for state utility commissions to be central players in this process. State commissions, acting in their adjudicative capacity, can be more nimble than state legislatures, allowing for experimentation over different utility rate proceedings, serving an information gathering function for subsequent legislative action and commission rulemaking, and facilitating early investment in EV charging, where appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of the Global Informatics Definitions from the Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER) Initiative to explain the different health professions and their specialties in relation to health informatics. Also cited are the need to use and share personal and public health data appropriately, and the enactment of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act in the U.S.

The article describes the issues involved in information blocking, which includes the 21st Century Cures Act that was signed into law on December 13, 2016. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act passed by U.S. Congress in 2009 is discussed. Concerns posed by information blocking for patient health are mentioned. Congress authorized the Office of the Inspector General to investigate allegations of information blocking.