Faculty and alumni spoke on a panel to highlight the public health impact on global communities, including immigration crises, planetary health, climate change, and the importance of health systems. KELLY SALDANA (BCHS ’01) talked about creating resiliency and figuring out what that means both at the individual level and the systems level to help lessen negative effects of climate change.
NEW YORK TIMES - The intuitive appeal of such a system is growing, and it’s getting a test in Maryland. However, capping hospital spending raises concerns about harming quality and access. Hospital executives and patient advocates might strongly resist spending constraints. A study by HPM's ERIC ROBERTS found inconsistent evidence that changes in hospital use in Maryland could be attributed to global budgeting.
HEALTH AFFAIRS - "Identifying Gender Minority Patients' Health and Health Care Needs in Administrative Claims Data" is the title of a recent article by ANA PROGOVAC (HPM '15) appearing in the top-tier health policy journal. Progovac was also invited to speak on her work as part of a press briefing panel focused on advancing health equity.
BIOPHARMA DRIVE - Nearly one in four patients picking up their prescription drugs from the pharmacy counter paid a copay which exceeded the price the insurer paid the pharmacy, according to an analysis of sampled reimbursement and insurance claim data published in JAMA. The disconnect between what patients pay out of pocket and the true cost of the drug (including rebates) is the real problem, says HPM’s WALID GELLAD.
MEDPAGETODAY - Financial incentives and patient care in today’s health care industry are near inseparable. This article delineates some important issues and tips about Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Included are benefits from voluntary bundles, care calculation issues, and a study on inconsistencies in value based payment methods from HPM’s ERIC ROBERTS.
PITTSBURGH JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY LAW & POLICY - HPM's Tina Batra Hershey and Dean Burke discuss the early pioneering work of researchers in the legal field who developed the "Pittsburgh System" a precursor to the computerized legal research tools ubiquitous today.
“From a very young age I knew I wanted to pursue a career in service and helping others, says Molly Shiflet. “The field of public health seemed like a perfect fit.” When the
time came to look at graduate schools, Shiflet says she immediately was drawn to Pitt Public Health for its strong national reputation and “seemingly endless” opportunities for students.
Manasa Pallapolu discovered she had an interest in health care administration while on the pre-med path at Drexel University. After graduation, the Fairfax, Va., native worked as the head of medical billing at a psychiatric office, where she was exposed to “a completely different side of health care.” She decided to return to school to pursue a Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree.
JOHANNA BELLON (HPM '15) is the Senior Director of Quality Analytics and Performance at the UPMC Wolff Center. UPMC is a 40+ hospital integrated finance and delivery system with over 3,500 providers and a multitude of clinical sites.
MCSILVER INSTITUTE – This podcast series brings together thought leaders from the public and private sectors to analyze stereotypes and dispel myths concerning Black boys and men, while providing facts and best practices for those working with these often marginalized populations. MIKE LINDSEY (HPM ’01) says, “with increased media and attention, more folks are attuned to racial issues and the long lasting impact of discrimination.”
MEDPAGE TODAY - A recent study by HPM's ERIC ROBERTS showed that Medicare's Value-based Payment Modifier program inadvertently shifted money away from physicians who treated sicker, poorer patients to pay for bonuses that rewarded practices treating richer, healthier populations. "Risk adjustment is usually
inadequate in these programs, in part, because it is difficult to measure the differences in complexity of patients across providers."
HEALTH AFFAIRS - Alan Weil, Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief, shares his “Top Ten” favorite articles for 2017. HPM's ERIC ROBERTS' study addressed proposed mergers among large US health insurers and growing consolidation among providers, which have renewed concerns about the effects of market concentration on commercial health care prices.
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VOX – In his first State of the Union address, Donald Trump abandoned his pledges to bring down the cost of America’s medicines. Lowering the out-of-pocket costs that normal people feel is worthwhile but that won’t bring down the gross costs of prescription drugs. “They’re just going to raise premiums, or try to offset it another way,” HPM’s WALID GELLAD said of insurance plans. “Someone’s gonna pay the price if the price doesn’t come down.”
THE COMMONWEALTH FUND - HPM'S ERIC ROBERTS examined changes in hospital and primary care utilization among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in Maryland and control counties outside the state. The researchers aimed to pinpoint utilization changes linked solely to the global budget intervention and not related to prior trends. To this end, the authors compared utilization before Maryland launched the program and during the first two years of...
STAT - Congressional efforts to lower drug prices are at a standstill. Powerful health industry players disagree about how to move forward. Every group pushes it's own agenda and strategies, making it unlikely that crushing drug prices will change any time soon. "It is correct that one of the reasons patients are feeling such high prices is because they have to pay coinsurance and deductibles, says HPM's WALID GELLAD. "And it's true that pharma ...