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Medicaid managed care organization coverage is associated with lower emergency department use and higher follow-up after hospital discharge, but important gaps remain—particularly higher readmission risk among older adults and underutilization of key care coordination services. A study from PROPEL team members examined differences in post-discharge utilization between Medicaid managed care and fee-for-service programs. We asked the study team to explain their findings. Why is

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has the potential to improve cancer care through earlier detection of complications, but real-world use remains limited. A PROPEL study team examined national patterns of RPM use among commercially insured adults with cancer. We asked Joseph H. Joo, MD, MS, the leader author, to explain the team’s findings. Why is this research noteworthy? This research is noteworthy because it highlights how a promising digital health tool remains underused i

Medicaid managed care is associated with lower emergency department use and higher follow-up rates after hospital discharge—but these gains are paired with higher readmission risk among older adults and persistently low overall follow-up, highlighting ongoing gaps in care transitions. In a cross-sectional analysis of 1.65 million hospital discharges among Medicaid beneficiaries from 2015–2019 and 2021–2022, we examined post-discharge health care utilization, including emergen

Two ways to define safety-net ambulatory practices—by share (institution based) vs volume (population based) of underserved patients dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid—identify almost completely different groups of ambulatory practices. In a cross-sectional analysis of 2022 Medicare data, we examined 106,545 ambulatory practices serving 967,820 dually eligible beneficiaries to compare institution-based and population-based definitions of safety-net practices. Using an

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans offering supplemental benefits to help older adults remain independent at home are becoming more common, but these benefits remain limited in scope, inconsistently provided over time, and about half of plans require cost-sharing—raising concerns about meaningful access for aging beneficiaries. In a national analysis of 2020–2025 Medicare Advantage plan benefit package and enrollment data, the PROPEL team examined trends in supplemental benefits s

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans offering reduced cost-sharing for cardiologists are becoming more common, but access remains uneven across counties—this benefit is more concentrated among higher-quality plans but not consistently aligned with areas of greatest cardiovascular care need. In a cross-sectional analysis of 2022–2024 Medicare Advantage data, the PROPEL team examined plan benefits, enrollment, county-level cardiologist supply, cardiovascular care infrastructure, and H