The Growing Impact and Reach of JAMA Health Forum

Abstract

As a relatively new peer-reviewed journal that launched in May 2021, JAMA Health Forum has achieved an important recognition of its growing impact, reach, and contributions to health policy and health services research. After the journal was accepted for indexing in the Emerging Sources Citation Index of the Clarivate Web of Science in 2022, 1,2 the Clarivate Journal Citation Reports 3 recently released the first journal impact factor for JAMA Health Forum, which at 11.5 ranks first among journals in the Health Policy & Services Emerging Sources Citation Index category. Contributing to this initial journal impact factor, 4 highly cited studies published in 2021 are strong examples of the role JAMA Health Forum has played in bringing rigorous COVID-19-related policy research to light. These studies assessed patterns of US health insurance coverage during the pandemic, 4 changes in ambulatory care and telemedicine visits, 5 state lotteries to promote COVID-19 vaccinations, 6 and naloxone prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic. 7 Altmetric scores provide another measure of the broad reach of articles published in JAMA Health Forum, representing the attention articles have received in news outlets and social media. From July 2022 through June 2023, JAMA Health Forum published 20 of the 50 articles with the highest Altmetric scores among 11 leading health policy journals, including 3 of the top 4 articles.These top articles included studies of long-term post-COVID-19 condition complications reported in insurance data, 8 ransomware attacks on US health care organizations, 9 and changes in health care spending and utilization when private equity firms acquire physician practices. 10 Another widely discussed study focused on structural barriers faced in the medical school admissions process by prospective American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic applicants. 11 Articles published in JAMA Health Forum during the first half of 2023 have already been viewed or downloaded nearly 500 000 times through June, including a study with more than 50 000 views. 8 Other widely viewed studies during this time period evaluated the costs and benefits of a program to prevent falls among hospitalized patients, 12 assessed how the length of primary care visits is associated with potentially inappropriate prescribing, 13 and simulated Medicare drug price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act. 14 From practical implementation science to timely federal policy questions, JAMA Health Forum articles attract an expansive range of readers, including clinicians, health system leaders, and policymakers.The editors of JAMA Health Forum would also like to share with readers some notable recent transitions. We welcome Elizabeth Stuart, PhD, to the journal as a Statistical Editor. Maureen (Shawn) Kennedy, MA, RN, has succeeded Rebecca Voelker, MSJ, as Contributing Editor for the widely read JAMA Forum section of the journal, and Anna Lewis, MSW, has succeeded Khrysta Baig, MSPH, as the journal's Editorial Intern. In addition to tha...

JAMA Health Forum—The Year in Review, 2023

“…The influence and reach of JAMA Health Forum as a leading journal of health policy and health services research has steadily grown during 2023. In June, the journal received its first Journal Impact Factor of 11.5 from the Clarivate Web of Science, placing it as a top journal in the Health Policy & Services category …”