J. Frank Wharam

May 8, 2024 | ajmc.com | Olesya Baker |Alison Galbraith |Ann Thomas |Robert LeCates |J. Frank Wharam

ABSTRACTObjectives: Regular users of the emergency department (ED) include both patients who could be better served in lower-acuity settings and those with high-severity conditions. ED use decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but patterns among regular ED users are unknown. To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this population, we examined quarterly postpandemic ED utilization among prepandemic regular ED users.

Jul 27, 2023 | jamanetwork.com | J. Frank Wharam |Meredith B. Rosenthal

High out-of-pocket costs for health care have become ubiquitous in the US.1,2 In response, legislators have capped co-payments for an increasing number of high-value services. The recent Inflation Reduction Act mandated zero-dollar vaccines and limited insulin co-payments to $35 for Medicare beneficiaries. Almost half of states have enacted insulin out-of-pocket caps since 2020, and several have begun adopting cost-sharing limits for breast cancer diagnostic services.