Our expert answers 3 Questions
My research focuses on the management of chronic conditions, particularly inflammatory bowel disease. I am interested in identifying the barriers to delivering high-value care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, with a focus on transitions and access to care. I am also interested in exploring the relationship between providers who manage complex chronic conditions, especially between a) primary and specialty care providers, b) medical and surgical care providers, and c) inpatient and outpatient care providers.
Though inflammatory bowel disease is less prevalent than other chronic conditions, inflammatory bowel disease management is costly to our healthcare system and imposes significant burdens on quality of life for patients. In clinical practice, I have noticed the variation in quality of care provided to these patients, and the impact of delays in access to specialty care and fragmentation on disease outcomes. This has driven me to better understand how specialists can provide optimal chronic disease care.
The U.S. health system is plagued by low-value care, poor access to health resources, and fragmentation. While we have seen improvement in the value of care provided to patients with targeted conditions, there has been less of a focus on high expenditure low prevalence conditions. My overall research goal is to create data-driven models that reduce fragmentation, facilitate transitions, and improve outcomes for patients with chronic disease, especially inflammatory bowel disease.