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Introduction The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and significantly shifted how state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies offered services to youths with [...]

Introduction The number of child Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients has declined since 2013, falling by more than 25 percent through December 2023 (Social Security Administration [SSA] 2024). The agency [...]

A crash is defined as speeding-related if the investigating officer indicates the driver involved in the crash was driving greater than the posted speed limit, driving too fast for conditions, [...]

The effect of biodeterioration on the structural connection performance of timber for conventional framing and mass timber has been investigated recently, but there is a need for additional data as well as for the development of analytical models to utilize these data. An empirical material model (seismic analysis of wood frame shear walls) was fitted to cyclic connection test data of four species of cross-laminated timber at different levels of biodeterioration by two brown-rot fungi. These model inputs were then analyzed to account for trends between wood species and fungal species. Weak trends were most prominent for initial stiffness, intercept load, and displacement at peak force. Correlations were poor with postyield and postpeak stiffness modifiers. These relationships were consistent both as a function of time and as a function of mass loss, but additional data are needed to more accurately predict the effects. The limited relationships likely reflect the variations in fungal decay across the test members., One of the most used materials in the shift to mass timber construction has been cross-laminated timber (CLT). Substantial research has gone into structural characterization and design with CLT, ranging [...]

Post COVID-19, many foundries have faced ransomware attacks, email fraud, and supply chain attacks. In this article, a governance- and a risk-based approach for foundry protection offers actionable advice and [...]

Objective: Test hypotheses that proximity to new transit improves substance use disorder treatment provider cost efficiency (i.e., economies of scale and scope). Data Sources and Study Setting: Connecticut substance uses disorder treatment providers/programs. A 2015 rapid transit line opening with 10 stations, near some providers/programs. Providers' annual operating costs from publicly available federal tax forms (2013-2018). Annual client counts, service-type (including substance use disorder and/or mental health, among others), and location data, for 50 providers and their programs, from Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, with an unbalanced panel of 285 provider-years. Study Design: Economies of scale occur when the percent change in operating costs is less than the percentage change in clients. Economies of scope occur when operating costs fall as providers treat clients with multiple service needs. With our quasiexperimental, multivariate regressions approach, we test hypotheses that proximity to a new transit line enhances economies of scale and scope (i.e., lowers unit operating costs). Data Collection/Extraction Methods: Annual provider-level operating costs merged with new transit station locations and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services program/provider-level secondary data (locations, client counts/completions/dates, service types, and average demographics). Principal Findings: For providers with programs within 1-mile of new transit (compared with a 'control' sample beyond 1-mile of new transit), (i) a 10% increase in clients leads to a 0.12% lower operating costs per client; (ii) a 10% increase in clients completing treatment results in a 1.5% decrease in operating costs per client; (iii) a 10% increase in clients receiving treatment for multiple services causes a 0.81% lower operating costs per client; (iv) offering multiple services leads to 6.3% lower operating costs. Conclusions: New transit proximity causes operating cost savings for substance use disorder/mental health treatment providers. System alignment may benefit transit and health care sectors. KEYWORDS health care costs, integrated delivery systems, social determinants of health, substance abuse: Alcohol/chemical dependency /tobacco What is known on this topic * Substance use disorder treatment in the US is costly and with scarce resources, not everyone in need can receive treatment. * Transportation is often a barrier to substance use disorder treatment that can also lead to missed/late appointments and idle clinician time, increasing provider operating costs. * Sometimes, budgetary constraints may imply higher operating costs could lead to a need to cut back on clients served. Prior research has not adequately addressed this potential reverse causality. What this study adds * A quasi-experimental approach develops causal estimates of the impact of proximity to new transit on provider operating costs. * There are statistically significant lower per-client operating costs as client counts rise (i.e., enhanced economies of scale) for providers with some programs near the new transit, compared with providers farther from the new transit lines. * Similarly, proximity to a new transit line leads to lower operating costs (i.e., improved economies of scope) for providers offering multiple (e.g., substance use disorder and mental health) services. * System alignment between transit and substance use disorder/mental health treatment can be beneficial by leading to lower provider operating costs., 1 | INTRODUCTION Illicit substance use and prescription misuse cost our economy more than $600 billion each year. (1) With roughly 2.7 million people, 12+ years of age receiving treatment [...]

This webinar focuses on a software designed to streamline FA I creation, a key aspect of quality control that can be time-consuming. The software consolidates requirements into a checklist, syncing [...]

Byline: Bridgetower Media Newswires By Jeffrey Norman, Milwaukee Police Department Chief As Chief of Police for the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), a lot of things keep me awake at night. [...]

The words storybook house generally refer to an abode lifted from a fairy tale. But imagine instead an Edith Wharton novel set on a sci-fi spaceship following a collision with [...]

While most income of nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations is exempt from federal and state corporate income tax, certain income is subject to unrelated business income tax (UBIT), The rules governing UBIT [...]

The relentless rise in curable bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across the United States is an urgent public health crisis. (1) In the latest report from the Centers for Disease [...]

Objective: To compare the characteristics of dialysis facilities used by traditional Medicare (TM) and Medicare advantage (MA) enrollees with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Data Sources: We used 20% TM claims and 100% MA encounter data from 2018 and publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Study Design: We compared the characteristics of the dialysis facilities treating TM and MA patients in the same ZIP code, adjusting for patient characteristics. The outcome variables were facility ownership, distance to the facility, and several measures of facility quality. Data Collection/Extraction: We identified point prevalent dialysis patients as of July 15, 2018. Principal Findings: Compared to TM patients in the same ZIP code, MA patients were 1.84 percentage points more likely to be treated at facilities owned by the largest two dialysis organizations and 1.85 percentage points less likely to be treated at an independently owned facility. MA patients went to further and lower quality facilities than TM patients in the same ZIP code. However, these differences in facility quality were modest. For example, while the mean dialysis facility mortality rate was 21.85, the difference in mortality rates at facilities treating MA and TM patients in the same ZIP code was 0.67 deaths per 100 patient-years. Similarly, MA patients went to facilities that were, on average, 0.15 miles further than TM patients in the same ZIP code. Conclusion: MA enrollees with ESKD were more likely than TM enrollees in the same ZIP code to use the dialysis facilities owned by the two largest chains, travel further for care, and receive care at lower quality facilities. While the magnitude of differences in facility distance and quality was modest, the direction of these results underscores the importance of monitoring dialysis network adequacy as ESKD MA enrollment continues to grow. KEYWORDS chronic disease, health care financing/insurance/premiums, health policy/politics/law/regulation, managed care organizations (e.g., HMOs/PPOs/IPAs), Medicare, ownership/governance (for-prof it/N FP/public/chains/systems) What is known on this topic * Medicare advantage (MA) enrollment among beneficiaries with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is expected to grow because of recent policy changes. * Most ESKD patients are treated with dialysis. Two large dialysis organizations that control about 75% of the outpatient dialysis market charge high prices to MA plans * The impact of the concentrated dialysis market on how MA plans form dialysis provider networks, and where MA patients are treated is unknown. What this study adds * In 2018, MA patients were more likely than TM patients in the same ZIP code to be treated at facilities owned by the two largest dialysis organizations. * There were substantial differences in the ownership of the treating facility across MA carriers, suggesting preferred relationships between large providers and carriers. * Compared to TM patients in the same ZIP code, MA patients go to further and lower-quality facilities, though these differences were modest., 1 | INTRODUCTION About half a million people in the United States with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), a condition characterized by permanent and irreversible kidney damage, rely on regular dialysis [...]

Regulatory bodies have increasingly become interested in 'nudges, ' or low-cost adjustments to the environment in which people make choices. These interventions promise to give more people what they truly want while preserving freedom of choice. In theory, default rules--a type of nudge--that can survive a thorough cost-benefit analysis should both preserve liberty and enhance welfare. In reality, altering default rules can also change people's preferences. Neutral cost-benefit analysis is thus impossible, and choosing a default rule therefore influences personal freedom. This Article explains how nudges influence preferences and why this makes neutral cost-benefit analysis impossible for regulators., TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction I. Why Defaults Are an Attractive Regulatory Tool A. Defaults and Personal Freedom B. Neutral Principles for Evaluating Nudges C. Lingering Problems with Analyzing Nudges II. [...]

As chain drug store operators prepare to close the books on calendar 2024, the problems that confront the industry--chief among them, reform of pharmacy benefits managers, scope of practice for [...]

While there is still a long road ahead before health equity becomes a reality in this country, the drive toward achieving it has gained considerable momentum in both the public [...]

Challenged by the status determination process, many hospitals often inappropriately admit patients into observation or inpatient status. The nature of the challenge is illustrated in the exhibit on page 22, [...]

The US wood pellet exports--mostly to Europe, Japan, and South Korea--comprised 85 percent of its wood pellet production in the past 20+ years. In this article, we estimate the regional excess supply of wood pellets in the United States using annual data from 1996 to 2021. We use Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) analysis in a profit maximization framework for the South, North, and West regions of the United States. We also include some clean energy policies of the European Union (EU) to examine their potential impact on US wood pellet export volume. Our results show that after application of the low-carbon energy target in the EU, the export volume of the United States has increased, especially in the South region. Elasticity of excess wood pellet supply from the United States was approximately 0.15 in all three regions, and interest rates and energy costs have negative impacts on regional excess supply. Therefore, the recent increase in interest rates and energy costs could slow down the growth of excess supply of wood pellets in the United States., Demand for clean energy, including bioenergy, has been growing as a result of concerns about global environmental sustainability. Wood pellets are a new forest biomass for bioenergy production and a [...]

Ten years ago, drug overdoses claimed nearly 42,000 lives annually in the United States. (1) By the end of 2021, that number climbed to nearly 108,000. (2) Today, the drug [...]

Lee Filters showcased its latest products and services at Cine Gear Expo LA 2024. The show had great energy, with vendors showcasing new tech and industry professionals sparking crucial conversations [...]

I've read about the 6.5 Carcano but Lee Harvey Oswald's name is often never mentioned. Thank you, Keith Wood, for reminding America in the May 2024 'Spent Cases' column. Years [...]

Q&A Chip Davis, president and chief executive officer of the Healthcare Distribution Alliance, recently sat down with Chain Drug Review's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Woldt, to discuss such topics as gearing up [...]

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Everything is on the table as Walgreens works to reenergize its front-end business. As part of a larger review of corporate assets, operations and strategy, the drug [...]

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is an increasingly popular wood-based alternative for large building applications. CLT panels are typically not treated due in part to a perceived lack of efficient and effective methods for treating large panels and a lack of information on what effect treatment processes may have on the panels' mechanical properties. We propose that treating CLT panels with borate solution, applied under vacuum in flexible bags, could provide a practical and effective option for providing preservative protection for interior applications. Samples were cut from commercially produced CLT panels and treated with borate solution using vacuum. The samples were then evaluated for preservative retention, swelling, and degradation of mechanical properties. Initial treatments resulted in a wide range of preservative retentions and property effects among the products tested. In subsequent adjustments, the treatment parameters were changed to provide consistent and sufficient retention among the products. The vacuum treatment method effectively penetrated cracks in the lumber and the bond lines (adhesive joint between adjacent lamellae). Swelling and effects on mechanical properties were minimal in the adjusted samples. In addition to these samples that were treated in a rigid pressure vessel, a larger sample was successfully treated in a flexible plastic bag. Data from this study support the concept that vacuum treatment of CLT panels with borate can provide sufficient levels of preservative retention, can be adjusted to the material being treated, and has minimal effects on mechanical properties., Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is emerging as an environmentally friendly alternative to concrete and steel in large buildings. CLT is among the mass timber family of products (with glulam, large timbers, [...]

How seriously should signs of obsolescence shown by the chain drug store business model as currently constituted be taken? If one listens to recent comments by industry leaders, the question [...]