COVID-19 Research

As the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly progressed throughout the United States, increased demand for health workers required health workforce data and tools to aid planning and response at local, state, and national levels.

Medical Care Publication

Also see other estimator tools and data visualization projects related to COVID-19 workforce research.

Texas Independent Freestanding Emergency Departments

Independent freestanding emergency departments (IFEDs) have proliferated over the last decade, largely in Texas. We examined the IFED physician workforce composition and changes in emergency physician workforce supply across states and in rural Texas over the period of IFED proliferation. Descriptive analysis of the IFED physician workforce and quasi-experimental difference-in-difference analysis of Texas emergency physician inflow/outflow and difference-in-difference-in-difference analysis of the change in emergency physician supply between rural and urban areas in Texas compared to other states.

HSR Publication

Conferences: AAMC Health Workforce Research Conference 2020 (Accepted); AcademyHealth 2020 (Accepted)

Identifying and Tracking the Mental Health Workforce

This project aims to build a database to identify and track the mental health (MH) and substance use disorder (SUD) workforce. The unique setting of MH/SUD care provision creates challenges to using traditional data sources, including complicated Medicaid billing patterns and state-level variation in professional licensing. The project is funded through a 3-year grant from federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute in partnership with SAMHSA, the Behavioral Health Workforce Center at the University of Michigan, behavioral health related professional societies, and Health Landscape. The development of the novel database will attempt to catalogue the following practitioners:

• MH/SUD prescribers
• Primary care prescribers
• Clinical behavioral health specialists
• Paraprofessionals

Community-Based Residency Training

This study investigates the level of FQHC engagement in Medicare GME payments and how increased FQHC engagement in residency training –identified through receipt of FQHC Medicare GME or THCGME payments– is related to FQHC staffing, productivity, and services. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the GME and THC programs improve FQHCs’ staffing capacity and patient care capacity.

Journal of Family Medicine Publication

Conferences: American Society of Health Economists 2020 (Accepted); AcademyHealth 2020 (Accepted)

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Pharmacogenetic Testing

We provided a cost-benefit analysis tool for hospital systems providing pharmacogenetic testing for cardiovascular medication. Since there are known genetic predispositions for a specific class of these drugs, we examine the costs/benefits of a hospital system either paying for PGx testing before administering CV medication, or whether the system should administer more costly medication with less known side effects. We consider patient outcomes related known patient population information, in addition to financial costs incurred.

Conferences: American Society of Health Economists 2020 (Accepted)

DC Medicaid Cancer Treatment Coverage Policy Reform

We examine a policy change in the District of Columbia that altered the reimbursement for physicians administering cancer treatment related to breast and prostate cancer. Using Medicaid claims data for the District, we examined how incentives drove changes in physicians' treatment plans for breast and prostate cancer patients.

Conferences: American Society of Health Economists 2020 (Accepted)

Mixed-Methods Review Study

The purpose of this study is to build a broader and deeper understanding of the use mixed-methods designs in public policy and public administration research. The project involves a large-scale review of how studies state and execute the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods.

Economic Impact Analysis of Proposed Legislative Changes

In collaboration with Humboldt State University, we advised the California Department of Public Health on the Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessment (SRIA) report required for any proposed legislative changes. The legislative changes included adjustments to hospital requirements related to laboratory testing, dietary/nutritional standards, and pharmacy requirements.