IHPI BRIEF
Surprise billing in elective surgery

New research published in JAMA Network and led by Karan R. Chhabra, M.D., M.Sc., finds that one in five patients who had undergone elective surgery performed by an in-network surgeon at an in-network hospital received an out-of-network bill, averaging $2,000.

Read the Q&A with Dr. Chhabra on surgery and out-of-pocket costs.

IHPI BRIEF
After the storm: The health impacts of weather and climate-related disasters on older adults in the U.S.

The frequency and severity of weather and climate-related disasters continues to rise in the U.S., affecting the resilience of communities and the health of their most vulnerable residents, including older adults.

A team at U-M, led by Sue Anne Bell, Ph.D., FNP-BC, found that only 25% of older adults who use essential medical equipment were ready with alternative power sources if a disaster were to strike.

In a new proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced support for a model to test the inclusion of University of Michigan-developed value-based insurance design principles in Qualified Health Plans.

The editorial board of JAMA Surgery, including the expertise of Amir Ghaferi, M.D., M.S., associate professor of surgery, has launched a new series of articles analyzing the strengths and limitations of 10 predominant methodologies used in surgical health services research.

Ravi Anupindi, Ph.D., M.E., M.S., professor of technology and operations at the Ross School of Business, discussed the effects of the coronavirus quarantine on the global and U.S. economies with Michigan Radio.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common infectious cause of hearing loss in infants and is associated with increased risk of autism, developmental delays, and epilepsy. Even though it affects one in every 150 pregnancies, awareness among women and providers is extremely low. Congenital CMV is preventable and treatments are available if infants can be diagnosed early.

A new website will serve as a central hub for the U-M's effort to generate new knowledge and advance solutions toward reducing firearm injuries, a public health crisis linked to more than 100 U.S. deaths per day. The initiative, announced in 2019, engages the breadth of expertise across the University of Michigan.

Jump in employment seen among Medicaid expansion enrollees, especially the most vulnerable

Getting covered by health insurance may have a major impact on a low-income person's ability to get a job or enroll in school, according to a new study led by Renuka Tipirneni, M.D., M.Sc., assistant professor of internal medicine, that gives the first direct look at the relationship between the two.

The percentage of low-income people enrolled in Michigan's Medicaid expansion program who had jobs or were enrolled in school jumped six points in one year, the study shows. That outpaced employment gains among the state's general population during that same time.

Costs deter patients from taking prescribed medications

A new study led by Brian Callaghan, M.D., associate professor of neurology, finds higher out-of-pocket costs lead to neurology patients being less likely to take their prescribed medications. The study by the American Academy of Neurology, published in Neurology, compared less and more expensive drug options for neuropathy, Parkinson's disease and dementia utilizing data from Optum that was provided by the IHPI Data and Methods Hub.

Do free lunches affect doctors prescribing behaviors?

In a new paper published by Sarah Miller, Ph.D., assistant professor of business, and colleagues for the National Bureau of Economic Research, analysis showed doctors prescribed more branded medications after marketing visits by the makers of those drugs.

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