Is NICU care being driven by medical need or competition? A new Dartmouth study finds nearly half of newborns in NICUs are normal birth weight. The Dartmouth Atlas of Neonatal Intensive Care offers the first comprehensive examination of U.S. neonatal care across large populations of newborns. The report raises questions about how medical care is provided to our nation’s newborns, particularly to those born premature or with other health problems.
On Wednesday, Sept. 21, SYNERGY and The Dartmouth Institute will host a presentation on their new resource for claims data research: the Atlas Rate Generator (ARG).
A new Dartmouth study found that admission rates to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are increasing for newborns of all weights. In effect, NICUs are increasingly caring for normal, or near normal, birth weight and term infants. The study, recently published online by JAMA Pediatrics, raises questions about possible overuse of this highly specialized and expensive care for some newborns.
Policymakers, physicians, and researchers from around the world gathered to discuss the value of measuring health care at a local level during the Wennberg International Collaborative’s first open international policy conference held last month in Berlin, Germany.
A three-year, $800,000 grant from the Anthem Foundation to The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice will fund the first comprehensive, nationwide study of neonatal intensive care.
Delivering the right amount of service at a reasonable cost. “That’s the essence of the Dartmouth Atlas,” says Dick Fleming (D’53), “and what attracted me to learn more about it and to support it. I appreciate knowing that my gift will make a tangible contribution.”
In a Viewpoint published in the March issue of JAMA, Dartmouth researchers question whether the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ use of financial penalties is the right tack for changing the behavior of hospitals.
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