Matt T. Bagwell and Thomas T. H. Wan
Purpose – This study analyzed individual factors of race and dual eligibility on emergency room (ER) utilization of older adult Medicare patients treated by RHCs in CMS Region 4…
Abstract
Purpose – This study analyzed individual factors of race and dual eligibility on emergency room (ER) utilization of older adult Medicare patients treated by RHCs in CMS Region 4.
Methodology/approach – A prospective, longitudinal design was employed to analyze health disparities that potentially exist among RHC Medicare beneficiary patients (+65) in terms of ER use. The years of investigation were 2010 through 2012, using mixed multilevel, binary logistic regression.
Findings – This study found that dual eligible RHC patients utilized ER services at higher rates than nondual eligible, Medicare only RHC patients at: 77%, 80%, and 66%, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively; and above the White reference group, Black RHC Medicare patients utilized ER services at higher rates of: 18%, 20%, and 34%, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively.
Research limitations/implications – Regarding limitations, cohort data observations within the window of 3 years were only analyzed; regarding generalizability, in different CMS regions, results will likely vary; and linking other variables together in the study was limited by the accessible data. Future research should consider these limitations, and attempt to refine. The findings support that dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility, as a proxy measure of socioeconomic status, and race continue to influence higher rates of ER utilization in CMS Region 4.
Originality/value – In terms of ER utilization disparities, persistently, as recent as 2012, Black, dual eligible RHC Medicare beneficiary patients age 65 years and over may be twice as likely to utilize ER services for care than their counterparts in the Southeastern United States.
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Jenna M. Evans, Ross G. Baker, Whitney Berta and Barnsley Jan
To examine the evolution of health care integration strategies and associated conceptualization and practice through a review and synthesis of over 25 years of international…
Abstract
Purpose
To examine the evolution of health care integration strategies and associated conceptualization and practice through a review and synthesis of over 25 years of international academic research and literature.
Methods
A search of the health sciences literature was conducted using PubMed and EMBASE. A total of 114 articles were identified for inclusion and thematically analyzed using a strategy content model for systems-level integration.
Findings
Six major, inter-related shifts in integration strategies were identified: (1) from a focus on horizontal integration to an emphasis on vertical integration; (2) from acute care and institution-centered models of integration to a broader focus on community-based health and social services; (3) from economic arguments for integration to an emphasis on improving quality of care and creating value; (4) from evaluations of integration using an organizational perspective to an emerging interest in patient-centered measures; (5) from a focus on modifying organizational and environmental structures to an emphasis on changing ways of working and influencing underlying cultural attitudes and norms; and (6) from integration for all patients within defined regions to a strategic focus on integrating care for specific populations. We propose that underlying many of these shifts is a growing recognition of the value of understanding health care delivery and integration as processes situated in Complex-Adaptive Systems (CAS).
Originality/value
This review builds a descriptive framework against which to assess, compare, and track integration strategies over time.
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This paper aims to collect and compile the historical data of Guanfu Salt Farm, officially built by the Song Dynasty (960–1279) within modern Hong Kong territories, to reconstruct…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to collect and compile the historical data of Guanfu Salt Farm, officially built by the Song Dynasty (960–1279) within modern Hong Kong territories, to reconstruct its history for the reflection of Hong Kong society of the time.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is largely based on identification and analysis of historical documents, including keyword search on electronic databases and verification with the original sources, with reference to archaeological findings when necessary.
Findings
This paper reconstructs the history of Guanfu Salt Farm based on documentary sources with reference to archaeological findings. English translation of Chinese sources is also provided when necessary.
Originality/value
There has been an absence of systematic compilation of historical data of Hong Kong during the Song Dynasty, which are limited in quantity and scattered across different sources. This paper seeks to fill the vacuum of knowledge about pre-colonial Hong Kong, with a more comprehensive reconstruction of the history of Guanfu Salt Farm.
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Zhihao Luo, Yongbo Guo, Yourui Cao, Zheyingzi Zhu, Wan Ma, Songquan Wang and Dekun Zhang
This study aims to study the influence of friction influencing factors between the wire rope and the liner on the safe use of the wire rope, which can provide guidance for the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to study the influence of friction influencing factors between the wire rope and the liner on the safe use of the wire rope, which can provide guidance for the reliability design of the lifting system with strong dynamic response such as high speed, heavy load, etc., and improve the friction-driven stability of the system.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the friction mechanism of wire rope and liner under the condition of excitation is investigated by means of wire rope-liner friction-vibration experimental platform and dynamic viscoelastic test of liner.
Findings
The results show that: With increasing excitation frequency, the friction between the three liner materials (G30, K25, PU) and the wire rope decreased, and the wear of the surface shape of the liners was greater. The dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMA) test results showed that the viscoelasticity of the three liner materials increased when the frequency was increased.
Research limitations/implications
Wire ropes are widely used in deep shaft hoisting and building elevators. Its operational reliability depends on whether there is sufficient friction between the wire rope and the friction liner, and whether the friction liner has good wear resistance. The study of the friction between the wire rope and the liner influencing factors is of great significance for the safe service of the wire rope.
Practical implications
The related results can provide guidance for the reliability design of lifting systems with strong dynamic response, such as high speed and heavy load, to improve the friction drive stability of the system.
Originality/value
With the increase of mining depth, to improve the transportation efficiency of the hoist used in deep and ultra-deep mines, as well as to ensure the safety and reliability of its operation, it is crucial that the large friction hoisting equipment has sufficient friction between the wire rope and the friction lining, as well as whether the friction lining has a good abrasion resistance.
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Katelyn Wan Fei Ma and Tammy McKinnon
The emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has threatened physical and mental health, and changed the behaviour and decision-making processes of individuals, organisations…
Abstract
Purpose
The emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has threatened physical and mental health, and changed the behaviour and decision-making processes of individuals, organisations, and institutions worldwide. As many services move online due to the pandemic, COVID-19-themed cyber fraud is also growing. This article explores cyber fraud victimization and cyber security threats during COVID-19 using psychological and traditional criminological theories. It also provides a COVID-19-themed cyber fraud typology using empirical evidence from institutional and agency reports. Through organizing COVID-19-themed cyber fraud into four different categorizations, we aim to offer classification insights to researchers and industry professionals so that stakeholders can effectively manage emerging cyber fraud risks in our current pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach the study take for this conceptual paper is typology.
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Lawton Robert Burns, Jeff C. Goldsmith and Aditi Sen
Researchers recommend a reorganization of the medical profession into larger groups with a multispecialty mix. We analyze whether there is evidence for the superiority of these…
Abstract
Purpose
Researchers recommend a reorganization of the medical profession into larger groups with a multispecialty mix. We analyze whether there is evidence for the superiority of these models and if this organizational transformation is underway.
Design/Methodology Approach
We summarize the evidence on scale and scope economies in physician group practice, and then review the trends in physician group size and specialty mix to conduct survivorship tests of the most efficient models.
Findings
The distribution of physician groups exhibits two interesting tails. In the lower tail, a large percentage of physicians continue to practice in small, physician-owned practices. In the upper tail, there is a small but rapidly growing percentage of large groups that have been organized primarily by non-physician owners.
Research Limitations
While our analysis includes no original data, it does collate all known surveys of physician practice characteristics and group practice formation to provide a consistent picture of physician organization.
Research Implications
Our review suggests that scale and scope economies in physician practice are limited. This may explain why most physicians have retained their small practices.
Practical Implications
Larger, multispecialty groups have been primarily organized by non-physician owners in vertically integrated arrangements. There is little evidence supporting the efficiencies of such models and some concern they may pose anticompetitive threats.
Originality/Value
This is the first comprehensive review of the scale and scope economies of physician practice in nearly two decades. The research results do not appear to have changed much; nor has much changed in physician practice organization.
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Sadrudin A. Ahmed, Alain d’Astous and Christian Champagne
This article presents the results of a survey of 202 male Taiwanese consumers. In this study, consumer judgements of two technological products varying in their level of…
Abstract
This article presents the results of a survey of 202 male Taiwanese consumers. In this study, consumer judgements of two technological products varying in their level of complexity made in highly, moderately, and newly industrialised countries were obtained in a multi‐attribute context. The results show that the country‐of‐origin image of moderately and newly industrialised countries was less negative for technologically simpler products (i.e. a television) than they were for technologically complex products (i.e. a computer). It appears that the negative image of moderately and newly industrialised countries can be attenuated by making Taiwanese consumers more familiar with products made in these countries and/or by providing them with other product‐related information such as brand name and warranty. Newly industrialised countries were perceived more negatively as countries of design than as countries of assembly, especially in the context of making technologically complex products. The image of foreign countries as producers of consumer goods was positively correlated with education. The more familiar consumers were with the products of a country, the more favourable was their evaluation of that country. Consumer involvement with purchasing a technologically complex product such as a computer was positively associated with the appreciation of products made in moderately industrialised countries. Managerial and research implications are derived from these results.
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Panayotis Alexakis and Costas Siriopoulos
Examines the dynamic relationships between stock markets in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand before, during and after the October 1997 crisis. Discusses…
Abstract
Examines the dynamic relationships between stock markets in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand before, during and after the October 1997 crisis. Discusses linear and non‐linear Granger causality tests and applies both to stock market data for three time periods between Jan 1997 and Oct 1998. Presents the results, which suggest that Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia led the Asian crisis, Taiwan and Thailand followed but Japan played no part in spreading it. Considers consistency with other research and the implications for these stock exchanges, their regulators and future research.
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Yim‐Yu Wong, Thomas E. Maher, Joel D. Nicholson and Chi‐wen Chen
Assesses the effects of the Asian economic crisis on Taiwan and identifies some reasons why it has been less dramatically affected than other Asian countries. Discusses its actual…
Abstract
Assesses the effects of the Asian economic crisis on Taiwan and identifies some reasons why it has been less dramatically affected than other Asian countries. Discusses its actual and planned policies aimed at strengthening the economy further by maintaining currency stability, improving competitive strengths in both hi‐tech industries and manufacturing, entering new export markets, stimulating domestic demand and reforming financial institutions and regulations. Recognizes the political threats it faces but believes that increasing trade with and investment in China has reduced them.
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Hoi Kam Quinnci Wong, Elana Chan, Tak Ming Charles Chan, Yung Li and Ming Ki Henry Wan
This paper aims to examine the forms and experiences of victimization of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in Hong Kong, the effects of victimization on FDHs and FDHs’ coping…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the forms and experiences of victimization of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in Hong Kong, the effects of victimization on FDHs and FDHs’ coping strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
The main findings are based on semi-structured interviews with a sample of 12 FDHs in Hong Kong.
Findings
The findings uncovered a continuum of violence ranging from relatively mundane abuses on an everyday basis to acute events at the time of termination. Some respondents also experienced secondary victimization from police and/or pending criminal justice proceedings after contract termination.
Research limitations/implications
Victimization exerted significant adverse physical and psychological effects on FDHs in our study. Nevertheless, contrary to common assumptions about FDHs as passive victims, our findings suggest that some FDHs experienced a degree of empowerment, as they found ways to cope with their difficulties by individualized and social strategies depending on the degree of victimization and the resources available.
Originality/value
The findings suggest there is an urgent need to review the existing laws and policies that, at best, are ineffective and, at worst, create far more problems than they solve.