Rising healthcare costs have prompted healthcare systems and public policymakers to begin to consider alternative payment structures. However, with the recent implementation of the Affordable Care Act and other healthcare mandates, patient satisfaction is becoming an increasingly important topic that will soon influence hospital compensation. An OLS regression was used to investigate if a new method of cost saving known as bundled payments has any impact on patient satisfaction levels. Using panel data on patient satisfaction and on healthcare systems that participated in an experimental bundled payment program, the results suggest that bundled payment programs have no significant impact on patient satisfaction levels. While there are notable data issues that frame the interpretation of the results somewhat, this study indicates that bundled payment structures can preserve care delivery.
Edward C. Prescott discusses the advantages and disadvantages of economic integration among sovereign states with respect to economic growth, involving more generally an analysis of globalization. Professor Prescott is a senior monetary adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and is a major figure in macroeconomics, especially the theories of business cycles and general equilibrium. Part of Notable Lectures & Performances series, Colorado College. Recorded March 2, 2009.
