The study looks at the effects of the Medicaid expansion on health outcomes, healthcare utilization and access to healthcare through the Center of Disease Control's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. In particular, we looked into whether Medicaid Expansion has caused an increase in healthcare access, healthcare utilization, and positive health outcomes among newly insured Medicaid patients. We applied the difference‐in difference models to cholesterol check, health plan, and medical cost. Our results indicated evidence a positive effect associated with state Medicaid expansions for adults and the utilization of preventive care increased in expansion states after the Medicaid expansion as more Medicaid recipients received blood pressure checks and regular primary care checkups relative to the nonexpansion states.

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Background: The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a relationship between cognitive impairment among Medicare patients and hospital readmissions. Although there has been research on cognitive impairment and readmissions, seldom action has been done in regard to economic costs with hospitals. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program in 2012. Hospitals may not be fully reimbursed for Medicare patient readmissions within 30 days (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2012). Study Design: An ethnographic approach was utilized with purposive sampling. This was a nonrandomized purposive sampling intervention study using data from Epic health systems database. Methods: The intervention spanned over 5 months and the MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) intervention was conducted in the hospital in a 3-phase study. The purpose of the study was for quality improvement and to detect cognitive impairment among Medicare readmitted patients. Results: The result shows cognitive impairment is prevalent among the Medicare population. Seventy-one (61%) had evidence of cognitive impairment (i.e., obtained a score below 25). The mean MoCA score for the 71 patients identified as having evidence of cognitive impairment was 17.84 (SD, ±5.06; range, 5–24). MoCA is useful in the acute care setting for identifying patients who are at increased risk for readmission. A randomly assigned controlled clinical trial test is warranted to further validate the association between cognitive impairment and readmissions. Implications for Case Management: The ACA aims to improve case management by improving effective outcomes for individuals, care coordination among hospital professionals, economic efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and the collaborative process that services the patient. Hospitals across the country are implementing polices that adhere to patient-centered care. Before the ACA was passed, health care services were value metric. The ACA regulates hospitals toward holistic care or quality metrics. Case management will be critical, as hospitals look toward innovative methods to evaluate their patients.

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First introduced by Frances Raucher, The Mozart Effect is the idea that there is a transient impact of music listening on spatial-temporal processing. Researchers have found considerable merit to investigate the phenomena. The field has moved beyond the original claims of the Mozart Effect, with the arousal−mood hypothesis as one dominant interpretation. The hypothesis postulates that a modest increase in performance while listening to pleasant, energetic music is understood as a transient consequence of changes in mood and arousal. Therefore, the "Mozart Effect" can influence learning outcomes. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of music through the arousal-and-mood hypothesis by using the Stroop task. Subjects were randomly assigned to three conditions Mozart (positive), rock (negative), or no music (control).While working on the stroop task. Participants in all three conditions were assessed with an accuracy score. The results showed that both positively and negatively arousing music enhanced test scores. My study showed that both classical music and rock music had an effect in my experiment. Further studies should be explored if the enhanced cognitive ability can be used for therapeutic purposes.