Grants

Examining the time and cost trade-offs of waiting for outpatient care

The Foundation's Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization program was designed to support research, demonstration, and evaluation projects examining major changes in health care financing.Under this project, the researchers will examine the extent to which individuals exit health systems with long wait times for medical appointments to access alternative systems with shorter waits even at higher cost. They are exploring whether these time/cost tradeoffs affect how individuals choose among healthcare financing options. Specifically, the researchers will focus on veterans who receive care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or pay more out-of-pocket to access the Medicare program. The researchers hypothesize that: (1) long waits in local VA facilities will reduce the probability that individuals will use VA healthcare and (2) individuals with greater resources, as compared to individuals with fewer resources, will be more likely to choose more expensive Medicare plans rather than wait for care in the VA. The objective of the study is to inform policy-makers, who make decisions on reimbursement rates, how time/cost tradeoffs affect patients' health care financing choices.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $99,986.00

Awarded on: 11/1/2007

Time frame: 12/1/2007 - 11/30/2009

Grant Number: 62967

Grantee

Boston VA Research Institute, Inc.

150 South Huntington Avenue, Suite 151B
Boston, MA, 02130-4817

617-738-1313
Website

Julia Prentice
Project Director

857-364-6057
Email

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