Waterloo Research and Consulting
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Waterloo Research and Consulting recently had the opportunity to write a report on the state of the life sciences industry in Texas. Working through Texas Insight, WRC provided the research, analysis, and writing for The Texas Life Sciences Landscape: Innovating for Today and Tomorrow, commissioned by the Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute. What follows is … Read moreOverview of the Life Sciences Industry in Texas
Medicare and Social Security are two of the largest federal programs in the U.S. by expenditures. While most Americans will receive benefits from both programs at some point in their lives, these programs are not very well understood. This is a problem because “reforming Social Security and Medicare” is a frequent component of the national … Read moreAddressing Some Common Misconceptions Regarding the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds
The protection of pre-existing conditions is a very popular theme during this mid-term election. Perhaps this should not be surprising due to the strong popularity of such policies with the public. In the absence of specific detail about what any given candidate means by ‘protection of pre-existing conditions’ or how he or she might make … Read moreWhat Does It Mean to Support Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions?
In a previous article, I provided some background on the social determinants of health, made the case that most health care organizations, particularly those with low-income or elderly members or patients, would benefit from a well-thought-out social needs strategy, and described some of the general contours of such a strategy. In this article, I lay … Read moreRoadmap for Health Care Organizations Developing a Social Needs Strategy
The last time I wrote about telehealth, I noted that there remained substantial room for growth. While that remains the case, telehealth has been rapidly increasing in popularity over the last several years as more technology options have become available, payers increasingly reimburse for it, and state regulations have been modernized. Increasingly, health care organizations … Read moreKey Considerations for Health Care Provider Telehealth Strategies
Although the Texas Medicaid managed care market is highly concentrated, the managed care organizations operate at low margins and most of the funds paid to them is paid out to health care providers for medically necessary covered services. Health care services covered by the Texas Medicaid program are primarily organized and paid for through managed … Read moreAssessing the Financial Performance of Medicaid Managed Care Organizations in Texas
On the campaign trail and during his first year and a half in office, Donald Trump railed against high prescription drug costs. After each of his most public pronouncements along such lines, the stock prices of prescription drug manufacturers would dip as the market assumed that presidential attention to such matters would translate into lower … Read moreThe Vexing Challenge of Prescription Drug Costs in the U.S.
Numerous state and local governments are suing the makers and distributors of prescription opioids seeking to recover damages for alleged improper marketing and distribution of various prescription opioid medications. In December of 2017, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred 46 of these cases to the Northern District of Ohio for coordinated and consolidated … Read moreEstimating the Cost of the Opioid Epidemic to State and Local Governments
The social determinants of health play a larger role in determining overall health than does clinical care. Health care organizations, particularly those serving low-income or otherwise vulnerable populations have a significant opportunity to improve the health of their patients and members, and their own bottom lines, by developing and implementing strategies for addressing the social … Read moreDeveloping a Strategy for Addressing the Social Determinants of Health
While the number of deaths annually due to drug overdoses in the United States has been climbing steadily since 2000, over the last several years the rate of increase has accelerated. The main factor responsible for this rise has been the increasing use and abuse of prescription and non-prescription opioids, which has reached such a … Read moreThe Potential Role of Information Technology in Fighting the Opioid Epidemic: Opportunities and Limitations