OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical quality of care between Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) and Medicare Advantage (MA) programs. METHODS We compared 11 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) quality measures nationwide for MA managed care plans and the FFS program in 2006 and 2007. We adjusted FFS measures to match the geographic distribution of MA. RESULTS Medicare Advanta...

In this article, case-mix-adjusted outcomes of home health care are found to be superior for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patients relative to Medicare health maintenance organization (HMO) patients. The superior outcomes for FFS patients were accompanied by higher utilization and cost of home health services, suggesting a volume-outcome (or dose-response) relationship that was further substa...

Since its inception, the Medicare Program has allowed for the participation of private health plans, but the relationship of private plans to the government-sponsored fee-for-service (FFS) plan has been the subject of debate. Increased payments to private plans, the introduction of regional preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and a mandated demonstration of price competition that includes ...

We propose a new A-film-enhanced fringe field switching (A-FFS) liquid crystal display whose required dΔn value is only λ/4, which is one-half of a conventional FFS. Fast response time can be achieved by either decreasing the cell gap (d) or choosing a low birefringence (Δn) and low-viscosity liquid crystal. The effect of dΔn mismatch between A-film and FFS cell on contrast ratio is analysed. B...

Using the Diagnostic Cost Group (DCG) model developed from a national sample, we examine biased selection among one fee-for-service (FFS) plan, one preferred provider organization, and several health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in Massachusetts. The proportions of enrollees in low-risk groups are higher in the HMO plans and lower in the FFS plan. The average age in the FFS plan is 9 years ...

We design three different layouts of DFFs in a 28 nm thin-BOX FD-SOI process to compare their radiation hardness. We measure them by alpha-particle irradiation. Experimental results show that the soft-error probability of two-fingered inverters is 2.6x higher than that of one-fingered one at 0.4 V when DATA and CLK are 1 and 0 respectively. We also measure the relationship between process varia...

This article examines the differences in mortality measured health status between the Medicare Advantage (MA) program and Fee-for-Service (FFS) program from 1999 to 2007. At the national level, differences in mortality rates were associated with MA market share. In some counties, enrollees in the MA program were 40% less likely to die than their peers in the FFS program, but in other counties, ...

One critical health plan decision concerns choosing an original Medicare plan or a Medicare managed care plan. Evidence suggests that people are confused by the phrase "Original Medicare plan." Using focus group and Q-sort methodology, the authors sought to identify a name for the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) product. Two key insights were gained. First, participants used the word "Medicare" ...

This paper focuses on a Flexible Flow Shop (FFS) problem in a paint company in an attempt to minimize production makespan. The FFS problem is characterized by multiple products being produced in machines in stages with sequence dependent set up times and infinite intermediate storages. As the FFS problem is computationally complex, two heuristic methods are employed to solve the Mixed Integer L...

Abstract In 2017, the Swedish parliament adopted a new climate policy framework that lays foundations for an ambitious decarbonization of all sectors in society. To live up to Paris Agreement’s temperature targets, decided Sweden should arrive at net zero emissions greenhouse gases by year 2045 and thereafter aim negative emissions. This progressive agenda is embedded strong collaborative disco...