Department of Health Policy

December 12, 2018

High-dose antipsychotics place children at increased risk of unexpected death

Children and young adults without psychosis who are prescribed high-dose antipsychotic medications are at increased risk of unexpected death, despite the availability of other medications to treat their conditions, according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published today in JAMA Psychiatry.
Unexpected death includes deaths due to unintentional drug overdose or cardiovascular/metabolic causes.

By Craig Boerner
December 6, 2018

Schaffner honored by Infectious Diseases Society of America

William Schaffner, MD, professor of Preventive Medicine in the Department of Health Policy and professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, is the recipient of the 2018 D.A. Henderson Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Health.

By Craig Boerner
x-ray of stomach
December 4, 2018

Study defines association of oral anticoagulants and proton pump inhibitors to gastrointestinal bleeding risk

A Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published this week in JAMA shows that patients already at higher risk for gastrointestinal bleeding gain a marked protection from this risk when they take a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in combination with an oral anticoagulant.

By Jill Clendening
September 27, 2018

Innovative strategies crucial in opioid epidemic response

Reining in the nation’s opioid epidemic will require diverse and innovative strategies ranging from drug discovery to “policy translation,” according to speakers at a recent Vanderbilt Faculty Cutting-edge Discovery Lecture.

By Bill Snyder
August 9, 2018

Study to explore how rising medication costs impact elderly

As both drug prices and out-of-pocket expense for prescription medications continue to climb, a team of Health Policy experts at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) have received a grant to determine if these factors are causing older Americans enrolled in Medicare Part D for medication coverage to delay or never fill their prescriptions.

By Jill Clendening
August 2, 2018

Grant set to boost patient-centered outcomes research

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a five-year federal grant to train investigators in Learning Healthcare Systems research, aimed at improving patient outcomes and the community’s overall health.

By Bill Snyder
July 26, 2018

Team Hope program’s mission is to enhance care for newborns with NAS

A collaborative program across units at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is changing the way nurses and doctors care for newborns diagnosed with drug withdrawal symptoms at birth, also known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).
By Christina Echegaray
July 12, 2018

Study reveals opioid patients face multiple barriers to treatment

In areas of the country disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, treatment programs are less likely to accept patients paying through insurance of any type or accept pregnant women, a new Vanderbilt study found.
By Christina Echegaray
May 17, 2018

Early discharge of NAS infants prolongs treatment

Infants who are diagnosed with drug withdrawal after birth who are treated with medication as outpatients at home are treated three times longer than infants treated solely as inpatients, according to a new Vanderbilt study.
By Christina Echegaray
May 9, 2018

Study finds generic options offer limited savings for expensive drugs

Generic drug options did not reduce prices paid for the cancer therapy imatinib (Gleevec), according to a Health Affairs study released this week.
By Craig Boerner
March 23, 2018

Study tracks impact of NAS on state Medicaid programs 

In the United States, one infant is born every 15 minutes with withdrawal symptoms after being exposed to opioids before birth, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.
By Christina Echegaray
February 12, 2018

Opioid use increases risk of serious infections

Opioid users have a significantly increased risk of infections severe enough to require treatment at the hospital, such as pneumonia and meningitis, as compared to people who don’t use opioids.
By Craig Boerner
January 5, 2018

What you need to know about this year’s flu

Discover what strains are prominent, how effective this year’s vaccine is, and how hard the virus has hit Tennessee so far.
By VUMC News and Communications
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