Department of Health Policy Archives
Women in criminal justice system less likely to receive evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder
May. 18, 2020—Pregnant women involved in the criminal justice system are disproportionately not receiving medications for opioid use disorder, as compared to their peers, according to a Vanderbilt-led study published today in PLOS Medicine.
Study finds newborn opioid withdrawal rates show evidence of stabilizing
May. 12, 2020—Rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) have plateaued after 20 years of increasing frequency across the country, according to a new study published in Health Affairs. NAS is a withdrawal syndrome experienced by some opioid-exposed newborns after birth.
Rheumatoid arthritis patients on Medicare seeing increased out-of-pocket costs for specialty medications
May. 7, 2020—After a sharp drop in out-of-pocket costs between 2010 and 2011, Medicare patients who use specialty biologic medications for rheumatoid arthritis have seen higher out-of-pocket spending for those same drugs because of gradual price increases, a new study finds.
Vanderbilt Health Policy COVID-19 model finds evidence of flattening curve, recommends distancing policies continue
Apr. 9, 2020—Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have found evidence of the rate of COVID-19 infection slowing in Tennessee, which reduces the chance that the state will run out of hospital capacity for patients.
VUMC study named as JAMA Surgery’s top paper
Apr. 9, 2020—The world’s No.1 ranked surgery journal, JAMA Surgery, has announced that a June 2019 study led by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center was the journal’s top paper of the year as measured by Altmetric Attention Score.
Vanderbilt team develops COVID-19 predictive model for Tennessee
Apr. 6, 2020—A team including health economists, epidemiologists and a biostatistician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University are amassing and processing data to develop a complex predictive model of the spread of COVID-19 within Tennessee, with region-specific projections, as well as a model of projected resource use during response to the pandemic.
Analysis finds Affordable Care Act has dented health care cost curve
Mar. 4, 2020—A decade after the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, there is evidence that the landmark health care legislation has contributed to slower growth of U.S. health care spending.
Buntin named deputy editor of JAMA Health Forum
Jan. 29, 2020—Melinda Buntin, PhD, chair of Health Policy at VUMC, has been named deputy editor of JAMA Health Forum, a new online information channel published by JAMA Network.
Study links Medicaid expansion and recipients’ health status
Jan. 6, 2020—In Southern states that expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, adults experienced lower rates of decline in both physical and mental health, according to research published this month in the journal Health Affairs.
Lecture explores Medicare for All’s potential impacts
Nov. 21, 2019—The concept of a single-payer, government-run health care program — Medicare for All — has sparked national debate, and that proposal was the focus of a spirited discussion on Nov. 19 at the Research into Policy and Practice Lecture sponsored by the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Martin to help guide Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health’s education, training efforts
Oct. 25, 2019—Marie Martin, PhD, MEd, has been named associate director for Education and Training in the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health
New podcast seeks to explain health care system’s many mysteries
Oct. 23, 2019—Everyone wants to fix the massive and complex U.S. health care system. But the truth is there is no silver bullet that will seamlessly reform the industry that consumes one-fifth the world’s largest economy.
