Leading voices on today's health policy issues
University of Michigan studies suggest that telehealth has played a major role in maintaining and increasing access to buprenorphine treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, returning jurisdiction over the regulation of abortion to the states. A U-M team assessed the driving distance between each Michigan county and the closest abortion clinic if abortion remains legal and in the potential scenario of an...
Studies of three patient populations found that prescription pulse oximeters missed low blood oxygen levels at a statistically significant higher frequency in hospitalized Black patients than in White patients.
In 2018, the U.S. heart transplant allocation system was modified with the goal of improving access to heart transplants. This brief examines the impact of this policy change on equity in transplant access among patients at the greatest risk of pre-transplant death.
As telehealth use surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding its use for outpatient evaluation and the extent it continues to serve as a substitute for in-person care are important analyses. This brief examines national Medicare claims data to better understand whether the use of...
A multidisciplinary U-M team, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, developed a series of COVID-19 data tracking tools to inform public health responses in Michigan throughout the pandemic.
U-M researchers examine barriers to primary and specialty pain care for patients taking opioids for chronic pain and outline a series of policy considerations to improve access.
U-M researchers analyze the relationship between virtual care adoption among primary care practices and emergency department visits or hospitalizations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted state and federal policy changes that enabled behavioral health providers to rapidly shift from in-person to telehealth visits to continue treating clients. This IHPI brief examines Michigan providers’ experiences with virtual care and outlines policy considerations...
Efficient testing during the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a problem and a priority of public health leaders. This IHPI brief examines the current supply chain landscape of COVID-19 testing in Michigan, identifies key barriers to scale-up, and outlines policy considerations.
People exposed to opioids for the first time after other elective surgeries are at an increased risk for persistent opioid use. Research at Michigan OPEN examined opioid use among those exposed to opioids for the first time after wisdom tooth extraction.
One in three Americans with a high-deductible health plan lack a health savings account. This brief outlines policy options that could increase their uptake and help Americans navigate rising health care costs.
This brief highlights findings from the first five years of the evaluation of the Healthy Michigan Plan, Michigan's Medicaid expansion program.
As lawmakers and educators reimagined the K-12 model for fall 2020, an online survey led by Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, assessed parents’ plans in Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio for in-person school and support for 15 potential measures to reduce the risk of COVID...
The number of hospitals providing TAVR could double in the U.S., due to recent changes to Medicare coverage rules. This IHPI brief outlines important policy considerations to help ensure optimal outcomes for patients.
Opioid prescribing limits for acute pain have had modest effects in limiting overprescribing. Researchers outline why that may be and discuss potential policy considerations to maximize the ability of limits to reduce excessive prescribing.
Patients seeking elective surgery can choose surgeons and facilities that are covered by their insurance (“in-network”). However, they are unable to choose other providers who may be involved in their care. If these providers are out-of-network and the patient’s insurance company does not...
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. Disasters can disrupt access to healthcare services and community support, worsen...
Renuka (Renu) Tipirneni, M.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Michigan Medicine, received a 2019 Impact Accelerator (IA) Award for her role in the evaluation of Medicaid policy changes in Michigan, and her timely and insightful translation of those findings to inform policy...
Each year at least 100,000 people die in U.S. hospitals following elective surgery. Major complications that can develop following surgery — such as blood clots, infections, and heart attacks — are a significant cause of these deaths, as well as disability and other serious health conditions. In...
The U.S. is experiencing a significant increase in births affected by substance use disorders (SUDs), particularly opioid or methamphetamine (or meth) use disorder. Untreated SUDs during pregnancy pose increased risks for life-threatening health problems, even death, for mothers and their infants...
This brief examines approaches that states are taking to restrict access to short-term health plans, which offer limited benefits and do not cover maternity care. April 2019
What is Tobacco 21 (T21) and why does it matter? Tobacco use remains a major public health concern in Michigan, causing over 16,000 deaths each year. Compared to the national average, 20% more Michigan 12th graders have smoked a cigarette, smoked a cigar, used smokeless tobacco or vaped an e...
Prescribers have little guidance available on opioids, and overprescribing is a widespread problem that contributes to the opioid epidemic currently claiming 130 American lives every day.* With up to 92% of patients having leftover opioids after common operations, millions of pills are left...
Michelle Moniz is an obstetrician-gynecologist and health services researcher who addresses timely questions about women’s reproductive health services, particularly around issues of access, use, costs, and implementation. Her work has directly informed Medicaid reimbursement and commercial...
Reshma Jagsi is a radiation oncologist who applies social scientific methods to bring greater clarity to complex problems and ethical issues within medicine. Complementing a substantial body of work in the areas of cancer care and decision-making, bioethics, and health policy, Jagsi has made...
Sepsis is a life-threatening, extreme immune response to infection. Without early detection and appropriate treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. More than 1 million Americans develop sepsis each year, and 250,000 will die. Sepsis most often occurs in...
IHPI is partnering with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to conduct a long-term evaluation of the Healthy Michigan Plan (HMP), Michigan’s Medicaid expansion program. Domain IV of the evaluation includes a series of surveys called Healthy Michigan Voices. June 2018
Immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) refers to the insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) or contraceptive implant immediately after childbirth, before hospital discharge. February 2018 Both IUDs and contraceptive implants may be placed prior to hospital discharge...
Sound public health policymaking depends on a solid evidence base to frame choices and alternatives around critical decisions that can potentially affect millions of people. But when the available evidence is scarce, and the outcomes of various scenarios appear murky, how can decision-makers...
Dr. Vineet Chopra’s research program is devoted to improving the use of vascular access devices and preventing device-associated complications, which rank among the most costly and prevalent healthcare-acquired conditions in the U.S. This work, which has provided insights into the intersection...
A leader in the fields of healthcare policy and assessment methodology, Dr. Brant Fries has devoted his career to developing assessment measures to improve the care of vulnerable populations across a broad spectrum of healthcare settings. He applies science-driven methods to implement these data...
Dr. Sanjay Saint’s research program focuses on enhancing patient safety by preventing healthcare-associated complications, with a special focus on reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), one of the most common and costly hospital infections in the world. In nearly two...
Kidney disease significantly alters the quality of life of millions of people worldwide who live with this illness, as well as the family and friends who may provide care for them. It exacerbates a host of other chronic conditions, contributing both to shortened lifespan and a huge cost burden on...
Learn more about the work of Dr. Darrell "Skip" Campbell, Jr., and the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC) that focuses on reducing common surgical complications to improve outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and care before, during, and after surgery. November 2014
In the 1990s, a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Michigan led by A. Mark Fendrick, MD, developed a concept to restructure health benefit designs so they better supported the clinical indications for care. The concept, ultimately named Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID)...
Prescription drug overdoses have become an alarming public health issue linked to increased rates of opioid prescribing and use - what does the research tell us about how to prevent dangerous and even fatal side effects from opioids? March 2016
A study published in the journal Health Affairs showed the availability of primary care appointments actually improved for people with Medicaid in the first months after the State of Michigan launched the Healthy Michigan Plan under the Affordable Care Act. The research, led by Renuka Tipirneni...
In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became federal law. Two months later, Nicholas Bagley, J.D., joined the University of Michigan Law School faculty. The timing may be coincidental. But the impact of the work the latter has done on the former is not. In the years since...