All Articles on Health

• Opioids linked to higher risk of pneumonia in older adults

  Opioids—a class of medicines commonly given for pain—were associated with a higher risk of pneumonia in a study of 3,061 adults, aged 65 to 94, e-published in advance of publication in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study from researchers at Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington (UW) also found that benzodiazepines, which are drugs generally given for insomnia and anxiety, did not affect pneumonia risk.
• Of mystery shoppers, country doctors, and a meeting with Bill Clinton

  Last month, the federal government disclosed—then quickly abandoned—a plan to unleash “mystery shoppers” on 4,000 primary care practices across the United States. The goal? To see just how many providers refuse to take new Medicare and Medicaid patients.
• Group Health findings on alternative therapies can guide patient-centered care

  Daniel C. Cherkin, PhD, and Karen J. Sherman, PhD, MPH, made headlines this week with their latest research on massage for back pain. Here, they reflect on their decade of investigating complementary and alternative medicine therapies
• Massage eases low back pain in randomized controlled trial

  Massage therapy helps ease chronic low back pain and improve function, according to a randomized controlled trial in the July 5 Annals of Internal Medicine. The first study to compare structural and relaxation (Swedish) massage, the trial found that both types of massage worked well, with few side effects.
• Evaluation center focuses on improving rather than proving

  GHRI’s Center for Community Health and Evaluation welcomes its new director, Allen Cheadle, PhD, and thanks founding director Bill Beery, MPH. Dr. Cheadle's plans include increasing collaborations with the Institute’s scientific researchers.
• From waste to value-conscious innovation: Can Group Health show the way?

  On May 11, Canadian economist Robert G. Evans, PhD, praised Group Health for our idea-driven success. But then he asked: “If Group Health has a better mousetrap, why isn’t the world beating a path to your door?”
• Total Health evaluation aims to help purchasers’ dollars go farther

  In January 2011, Group Health introduced a new "value-based" medical plan for its mid-large group market. The groundbreaking product addressed a top priority for health care purchasers: finding cost savings that don't compromise health or quality of care.