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The Latest Research, Commentary, And News From Health Affairs

Friday, April 16, 2021

Dear John,

**** Urgent care centers divert low-acuity care-that is, care for
patients with easily treatable conditions-away from expensive
emergency rooms. But do they actually save the system money in the end?

The Hidden Costs Of Urgent Care Centers

Urgent care centers provide convenient access to health care at a much
lower per-visit cost than a trip to the emergency room. They've grown
rapidly in the past decade as part of a larger strategy by public and
private insurers to reduce spending.

Yet, some urgent care visits could increase the total cost to the health
care system.

In a new article in our Considering Health Spending
series, Bill Wang and
coauthors analyzed commercial claims data to examine the system costs
associated with urgent care centers. They found that although the entry
of urgent care deterred lower-acuity emergency department (ED) visits,
the impact was small, estimating that thirty-seven additional urgent
care center visits were associated with a reduction of a single
lower-acuity ED visit. Read the study to learn why
.

One of the paper's coauthors, Ari B. Friedman, discussed these
findings on last week's episode of A Health Podyssey
.

On the final day of Black Maternal Health Week, read a new Health
Affairs Blog post in which Joia A. Crear-Perry and coauthors argue that
respectful maternal care can improve provider-patient relations and
improve outcomes for Black people who give birth
.

In another new post, Courtney Lyles and coauthors argue that, in the
development and evaluation of new digital health products-especially
those designed for people with high medical and/or social needs who face
barriers to accessing care-collaboration between business and academia
can help advance health equity
.

Listen to our latest podcasts .
On today's episode of This Week, Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander
and Jeff Byers talk about the latest data on hospital mergers and why
Microsoft is acquiring the health tech firm Nuance Communications
.

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Request For Abstracts Q&A:
Racism And Health

Health Affairs is planning an upcoming issue on Racism and Health, with
an emphasis on structural racism. To be published in February 2022, it
will feature original research, analyses, commentaries, and personal
narrative. The deadline to submit abstracts
,
May 3, is fast approaching.

If you are thinking about submitting an abstract
,
join us next week for an informal, online Q&A session,

**"Tips for navigating our Request for Abstracts (RFA) process." **

T

**he Q&A will be hosted by Health Equity Director Vabren Watts and
Senior Editor Jessica Bylander.**

Date:     Thursday, April 22, 2021

**Time:     **1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

**Place:    **Online (meeting details will be emailed in advance)

Presenters to include:

Arturo Vargas Bustamante, Associate Professor of Health Policy and
Management at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health, and recent
theme issue adviser for

**Health Affairs**, will share his thoughts on what makes a successful
abstract and his advice for someone hoping to publish in

**Health Affairs.**

Please note: We encourage papers that represent cross-disciplinary
efforts that bridge health and nonhealth sectors. In addition, we are
seeking contributions from junior faculty; authors with lived experience
of racism, including nonacademic community members; and authors from
Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving
Institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and Asian American and
Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions.

**Health Affairs** thanks the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the
Episcopal Health Foundation for their generous support of this issue.

 RSVP

Your Daily Digest

Urgent Care Centers Deter Some Emergency Department Visits But, On Net,
Increase Spending

Bill Wang, Ateev Mehrotra, and Ari B. Friedman

Respectful Maternity Care: Shifting Medical Education And Practice
Toward An Anti-Racist Framework

Joia A. Crear-Perry, Carmen Green, and Kiara Cruz

In Digital Health, Partnerships Between Business And Academia Are Needed
To Advance Health Equity

Courtney Lyles, Ivor Horn, and Urmimala Sarkar

Podcast: What's The Deal With Hospital Mergers?

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What's The Deal With Hospital Mergers?

Listen to Health Affairs' Jessica Bylander and Jeff Byers talk about the
latest data on hospital mergers and why Microsoft is acquiring the
health tech firm Nuance Communications.

Listen Here

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mailto:[email protected]

About Health Affairs

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, and Health Affairs Sunday
Update .  

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