NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 EDITION
 
 


 
White House cites IHPI members' research in signing bill to combat Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

A new law passed with bipartisan support and signed by President Obama on November 25 aims to identify evidence-based approaches to care for babies affected by Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome due to drug withdrawal after birth. The White House announcement noting the occasion cited two studies by IHPI Deputy Director Matt Davis, M.D., MAPP, and former U-M health services research fellow Stephen Patrick, M.D., an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at U-M.

 
 
 
Kheterpal named to NIH Precision Medicine advisory panel

On November 17, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins announced the members of a new advisory panel that will guide NIH's Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program. Sachin Kheterpal, M.D., M.B.A., U-M associate professor of anesthesiology, has been named to it.

 
Dr. Sachin Kheterpal
 
 
Just in time for Supreme Court arguments, Nicholas Bagley explains what's at stake for healthcare price transparency in NEJM

Professor Nicholas Bagley
Nicholas Bagley, J.D, professor of law at the U-M Law School, published a Perspective piece in the New England Journal of Medicine titled, "Transparency and the Supreme Court ---- Can Employers Refuse to Disclose How Much They Pay for Health Care?" It came out a week before the recent Supreme Court arguments in the case of Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual. Bagley points out that the decision could affect all-payer claims databases and other state initiatives aimed at improving the health care system. 

 
 
Heisler quoted in New York Times about attacks on medical personnel, facilities in Syria

A New York-based human rights organization is accusing the Syrian government of flouting international law by killing health workers, bombing hospitals and blocking lifesaving aid from entering a strategic city in northern Syria that was held by the opposition groups. IHPI member Michele Heisler, M.D., M.P.H., professor of general medicine, and author of a report detailing the accusations, told th e New York Times, "It appears to be systematic. It's certainly repeated."

Heisler's analysis appeared in the NEJM as a Perspective piece titled, " Attacks on Health Care in Syria----Normalizing Violations of Medical Neutrality?

 
Dr. Michele Heisler
 
  NEWS
Pay for performance fails to improve quality of health care payer programs
Double bonuses paid to some Medicare Advantage plans under a pay-for-performance program did not result in higher quality ratings, according to research conducted by the University of Michigan. In fact, the only measurable change from the extra investment in quality was nearly a 6 percent increase in the number of plans offered, said lead author and IHPI member, Andrew Ryan "What we found is that those double payments cost over $1 billion annually. That's a lot of money paid for extra quality that we just didn't see," said Ryan.

 
Associate Professor
Andrew Ryan
 
 
IHPI Director Ayanian: How nonprofit hospitals overcharge the (under and) uninsured

A lot of people who don't have health insurance worry about getting hit with huge bills if they go to the hospital. Most consumers probably don't realize that many hospitals are supposed to let you know if you qualify for free or reduced-price care ----and charge you fairly, even if you don't have insurance. IHPI Director John Ayanian, M.D., M.P.P., tells the Washington Post, "How hospitals handle charity care is especially important in the 19 states that have not expanded Medicaid to cover people with lower incomes. In those states, there is likely to be more demand for charity care."

This news report was triggered by the NEJM Perspectives article, " Hospital Charity Care----Effects of New Community-Benefit Requirements."

 
 
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The Institute brings great minds together to address healthcare's biggest challenges. More than 460 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.

 
U-M doctor tapped for analytical expertise in failure to rescue for new $4M AHRQ grant

Dr. Amir Ghaferi
Recognizing every year that at least 100,000 Americans die after undergoing inpatient surgical procedures and another 100,000 patients die while hospitalized for a medical illness, a team of researchers from U-M and Dartmouth are designing a Failure to Rescue-Patient Safety Learning Lab (FTR-PSLL). Amir Ghaferi, M.D., M.S., U-M assistant professor of surgery, will lead a team that will investigate the human factors (key facilitators and barriers) that can make up the ideal rescue environment.

 
 
Progress continues, challenges persist in Electronic Health Records adoption

Assistant Professor Julia Adler-Milstein
The continued increase in hospital adoption of electronic health records (EHR) since the EHR Incentive Program's implementation four years ago shows that the program's "carrot and stick" approach has worked, although small and rural hospitals still lag behind. That's according to a new analysis of nationwide data on EHR adoption from 2008 --14, led by Julia Adler-Milstein, Ph.D., an assistant professor and researcher at the University of Michigan School of Information and School of Public Health.

 
 
U-M receives $6.7M PCORI award to educate patients and medical teams on safer dialysis sessions

Helping kidney dialysis patients have healthier treatment sessions and longer lives is the goal of a new $6.7 million project at the University of Michigan. Patients in the study will attend six peer-mentoring sessions that aim to support behavior change. Medical professionals in the study will receive online education, team training and checklists. Tiffany Veinot, Ph.D., an associate professor in the School of Information and the School of Public Health, will lead the project. Rajiv Saran, M.D., M.B.B.S., M.R.C.P., M.S., professor of internal medicine and epidemiology at the U-M Medical School and School of Public Health, and associate director of the Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center, will co-lead the project. This is a multi-collaborative project involving U-M School of Public Health, U-M Medical School and outside partners the National Kidney Foundation, the Renal Research Institute, the Fresenius Medical Care, and the Five Diamond Patient Safety Program.

 
 
Why don't more uninsured people seek health coverage? U-M study suggests knowledge gap



If you need health care in rural Michigan, and you don't have insurance or money, you can turn to a free clinic ----like the one University of Michigan medical students run each Saturday in the tiny town of Pinckney. Hundreds of people still rely on free primary care from the students and the U-M doctors who volunteer with them, because they still lack health insurance. In a new study led by Brent Williams, M.D., M.P.H, associate professor of internal medicine at U-M, main barriers to coverage lie in perceived cost, and a knowledge gap about who is eligible for low-cost plans or programs to help pay for coverage.

 
 
New patient safety report draws on expertise of Sanjay Saint  

D r. Sanjay Saint

The National Patient Safety Council released "Free From Harm," a report on patient safety timed to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the "To Err Is Human" report from the Institute of Medicine that brought patient safety issues and research into the national spotlight. IHPI member and Professor of Internal Medicine Sanjay Saint, M.D., M.P.H., took part in the expert panel that helped the NPSF prepare the report and its recommendations.
 
  EVENTS
Opioid Overdose Summit highlights critical issues

The statistics about opioid use, abuse and overdose in America are staggering ----and the urgency to address the impact on society is growing. On December 1, the U-M Injury Center hosted an all-day summit on the issue, with sponsorship from IHPI and other groups at U-M.

The summit gave researchers and practitioners from many disciplines a chance to come together to hear the latest updates on the issue, including research findings and efforts to combat opioid-related overdoses and other public health issues.



Read a  Detroit News story from the event
 
 
 
HIV/AIDS experts gather at U-M; video available

On November 5, dozens of HIV/AIDS experts from the University and the community gathered at the Michigan League for a first-of-its-kind event called "Michigan Innovations in HIV Prevention and Treatment: A Symposium of Research, Practice and Community."

It was designed to increase awareness of research, practice, and community efforts to improve HIV prevention and treatment led by U-M HIV investigators, and by surrounding academic and community organizations.

To view recordings of the event's sessions, click here.


 
 
Tecumseh Community
Health Study Launched in 1956

The Tecumseh Community Health Study began in 1956 through the efforts of SPH and other
U-M faculty. The study focused on behavioral, environmental, and family factors associated with cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions. It also focused on the entire community of Tecumseh, Michigan, rather than a representative sample.The investigators were able to quantify the role of a number of factors involved in the development of coronary heart disease.

 
 
Norman Hayner, John Napier, Benjamin Johnson, Millicent Higgins, and Fred Epstein outside the Tecumseh Community Health Study office. (Photo credit: Cardiovascular Disease History Archive, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota)
 
 
Spotlight: U-M Center for Value-Based Insurance Design

The University of Michigan's Value-Based Insurance Design Center (V-BID) focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of health insurance benefit designs that balance cost and quality of care for consumers, providers, and payers. V-BID is built on the principle of lowering or removing financial barriers (copays, coinsurance, and deductibles) for essential, high-value clinical services. A multidisciplinary team of faculty at U-M conceptualized and coined V-BID over 15 years ago, guiding this approach from early principles to its inclusion in the Affordable Care Act and widespread adoption in private and public health plans.

In September 2015, the federal Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announced a program to test V-BID in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans starting in 2017.

 
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

SUPPORT IHPI
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