JULY 2015 EDITION
 
Welcome from the Director

 

On behalf of more than 450 University of Michigan faculty members and local partners who make up the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (IHPI), welcome to the first issue of our IHPI Informs newsletter!

 

Established by the University of Michigan Board of Regents in 2011, the Institute's mission is to enhance the health and well-being of local, national, and global populations through innovative, interdisciplinary health services research that guides public and private efforts to improve the quality, safety, equity, and affordability of health care services. 

 

In this newsletter, we'll highlight the exciting work of our members to improve health care and population health by providing rigorous evidence to inform health policy decisions.

 

We'll introduce you to some of the extraordinary researchers who are members of IHPI, and tell you about their latest findings and leadership roles. And we'll give you access to our online resources, including videos of IHPI experts and events. For more frequent updates you can also follow us on Twitter at @UM_IHPI or our website.

 

We welcome your feedback on this newsletter via ihpifeedback@umich.edu, and we encourage you to contact us if you would like to connect with an IHPI expert.

 

John Z. Ayanian, M.D., M.P.P.

Alice Hamilton Professor of Medicine

Director, Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation

University of Michigan

 
 
 
Reducing unintentional opioid overdose by improving prescribing practices

An estimated 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Opioids, also known as narcotic prescription painkillers, can be effective at both decreasing pain and reducing functional disability. Like any medication, however, opioids can have dangerous and even fatal side effects. Amy Bohnert, Ph.D, M.H.S., U-M assistant professor of psychiatry, examined opioid overdose deaths using a large national sample of Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) patients.

 
 
U.S. House passes Medicare bill based on U-M health research

 

The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow Medicare to test a concept born from University of Michigan research, that could improve the health of older patients with chronic illness while reducing what they spend on the medicines and tests they need most. This bipartisan legislation includes a demonstration project that would allow Medicare Advantage plans to use a principle called value-based insurance design, or V-BID.

 

The V-BID concept grew out of a decade of work by U-M health policy researchers in the School of Public Health and Medical School, and the jointly run V-BID Center.  


 

Read More

 

 

 
 
IHPI announces inaugural 
National Advisory Board

The newly appointed members of IHPI's National Advisory Board will assist the Institute in achieving and monitoring its mission and goals. The Board consists of local, national, and internationally recognized leaders with demonstrated expertise in the areas of healthcare delivery, public policy, research, education, business, and philanthropy.



 
 
State of Michigan taps IHPI to evaluate the Healthy Michigan Plan 

University of Michigan researchers are currently studying and evaluating the Healthy Michigan Plan, the state's expanded Medicaid program for the poor and near-poor through a five-year contract with the Michigan Department of Community Health. In all, 17 U-M faculty members from six of the university's schools, colleges and other institutes are leading projects within the evaluation.


Read More

 
 
Watch the Video:  Evaluating the Healthy Michigan Plan 

 

 

 
 
Expanding state Medicaid stems growth of uncompensated care

On the heels of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld a key part of the Affordable Care Act, new research from the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation offers the first comprehensive look at how well a key part of the ACA --state Medicaid expansions -- is working in Connecticut relative to other Northeastern states.

  

Read More

 
 
HCCI study awarded to Chen and Ryan to study key drivers of health care cost and quality  
Chen and Ryan

The Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) has approved a new study led by Lena Chen, M.D., and Andrew Ryan, Ph.D., "The Effects of Health Care Reform on Cost and Quality."  Their study will evaluate key drivers of health care cost for the commercially insured and will use claims-based quality measures to assess whether the Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Payment Demonstration - a key initiative of the ACA - improved quality of care. 

  

Read More

 
  NEWS
 
 
IHPI one of four sites for new National Clinician Scholars Program

The University of Michigan, University of California Los Angeles, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University have teamed up to launch a new initiative to educate nurses and physicians together to serve as leaders, researchers, and change agents in health care, community health and public policy. The program will train scholars to lead policy-relevant research and catalyze partnerships to improve health and health care. At U-M, the program will be based in the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

 

Read More

 
 

 

Study finds misperceptions about impact of double mastectomy

 

Years of good blood sugar control helps diabetic hearts, VA/UM study finds

 

Having a stroke? Where you are makes a huge difference in your treatment, U-M study shows

 

Media reports on link between asthma and peanut allergies in kids could lead to misdiagnosis

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

The Institute brings great minds together to address healthcare's biggest challenges. More than 450 investigators come to IHPI from U-M's top-ranked schools of medicine, nursing, public health, engineering, social work, law, business, and public policy, among others, as well as members of affiliated local research organizations. 

 

 
Wells appointed State of Michigan Chief Medical Executive

Eden V. Wells, M.D., M.P.H., clinical associate professor at the U-M School of Public Health, has been named Chief Medical Executive of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) effective May 1, 2015. Wells will serve Michigan citizens by providing professional medical leadership, expertise and coordination in addressing public health issues, workforce issues, and health policy development.

 

Read More

 
 
Kheterpal named to President's Precision Medicine Initiative steering group

Sachin Kheterpal, M.D., M.B.A., U-M associate professor of anesthesiology, will serve on a newly formed team of experts selected to chart the course for the President's Precision Medicine Initiative research network. The group will include experts in precision medicine and clinical research studies and is charged with soliciting opinions and developing a vision for the initiative announced by President Obama.

 

Read More 

 
 
Bagian named to special NHTSA advisory team    

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx named a three-person team that will spend the next year advising NHTSA on implementing changes outlined in two internal reports following the massive GM ignition switch recall events. James P. Bagian, M.D.,P.E., U-M professor of engineering practice and director of the U-M Center for Healthcare Engineering and Patient Safety, College of Engineering, will serve as one of three appointees to the Special Safety Systems Team. 

 

Read More

 
 
Low named president-elect of American College of Nurse-Midwives
Lisa Kane Low, Ph.D., CNM, FACNM, FAAN, U-M associate professor of nursing at the School of Nursing, hasbeen elected President-Elect of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). Low is coordinator of the Nurse Midwifery Education Program and associate professor of Nursing and Women's Studies. She has been active in ACNM for nearly 30 years and leads the Healthy Birth Initiative subcommittee tasked with creating BirthTOOLS.org.

 

 
 
Bagenstos featured panelist on workplace wellness 

Samuel Bagenstos, J.D., U-M

professor of law, addressed the consumer perspective and described current legal issues surrounding wellness programs, including privacy protections and potential discriminatory impacts at the June 22, 2015 Alliance for Health Reform briefing, "Workplace Wellness: Promises, Challenges, and Legal Questions." This briefing provided an overview of the scope of workplace wellness programs, as well as their pros and cons from the perspective of both employers and employees.

    

Read More

 
 
Adler-Milstein gives U.S. Senate testimony on Health IT
Julia Adler-Milstein, Ph.D. , U-M  assistant professor of information, and health management and policy, spoke at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She addressed how the nation can better ensure that the substantial investment in health information technology made over the past decade translates into improved health care for all Americans.

 
  EVENTS
National Spotlight: U-M to host Injury Center Sport Concussion Summit

Date: September 24, 2015

Location: University of Michigan Junge Family Champions Center

 

With a balance of in-depth science and thought-provoking discussion led by national experts, this event offers an opportunity to gain a richer understanding of one of today's hottest sports topics. Featured speakers include Grant Baldwin, Ph.D., CDC Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, Keynote with Brian Hainline, M.D., NCAA chief medical officer, and several other concussion experts from around the country. 

  

Read More

 
Polio Vaccine 60 years ago: "Safe, effective, and potent."

With these words on April 12, 1955, Dr. Thomas Francis Jr., director of the Poliomyelitis Vaccine Evaluation Center and chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, announced to the world that the Salk polio vaccine was up to 90% effective in preventing paralytic polio. He made the announcement at U-M's Rackham Auditorium, concluding his two-year national field trials of the poliomyelitis vaccine developed by his former student, Jonas Salk, who did his postgraduate training at U-M. 

 

 

 

With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit of IHPI continues to produce cutting-edge research on vaccine policy and use.


 
Read more about CHEAR's work

 

 
ABOUT IHPI
The Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation is committed to improving the quality, safety, equity, and affordability of health care services

To carry out our ambitious mission, our efforts are focused in four areas:
  • Evaluating the impact of healthcare reforms
  • Improving the health of communities
  • Promoting greater value in healthcare
  • Innovating in IT and healthcare delivery

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If you are interested in supporting health services and health policy research at the University of Michigan, click here


IHPI Informs is published monthly by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation.
 
CONTACT US
U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation
North Campus Research Complex (NCRC)
2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Christina Camilli-Whisenhunt
IHPI Communications Manager
camillic@umich.edu
734-764-9782

 

Kara Gavin

IHPI Research & Policy Media Relations Manager

kegavin@umich.edu 

734-764-2220

 

Eileen Kostanecki

IHPI Government & External Relations Director

ekostan@umich.edu

202-554-0578

 

Colleen Sherman

UMHS Corporate and Foundation Relations Associate Director

cols@umich.edu

734-615-0040