Department of Health Policy Archives
Researcher’s decade of analyzing the price of drugs leads to big reforms
Nov. 3, 2022—Vanderbilt's Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, and several colleagues were able to reflect recently on the South Lawn of the White House about how their contributions through research and data informed the provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that will save older Americans on Medicare tens of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs each year.
Complementary research, resources, policies improve outcomes for those with substance use disorders: Panel
Sep. 14, 2022—A panel of experts on opioid use disorder (OUD) recently discussed the importance of building recovery ecosystems or networks of resources to respond to the opioid epidemic.
Distinguished visitor
Aug. 4, 2022—Rahul Gupta, MD, MPH, MBA, director of National Drug Control Policy visited Vanderbilt last week to learn about the Medical Center’s efforts related to child-maternal addiction care, the Firefly program and Team Hope.
Hospital readmissions tied to supply of nearby care options: study
Jul. 14, 2022—Vanderbilt research finds that hospitals' 30-day readmission rates were lower if they had a larger supply of primary care physicians, nursing homes or palliative care services nearby.
Insurance claims for gender-affirming therapies have increased, but filling prescriptions without insurance may be more affordable, new study finds
Jun. 28, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers found that both gender dysphoria diagnoses and use of gender therapies have increased substantially between 2013 and 2019.
Filling multiple opioid prescriptions after childbirth associated with maternal death risk
Jun. 9, 2022—In a new study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers, women who filled two or more prescriptions for opioids after childbirth faced a 46% greater risk of death than women who did not.
New study illustrates how much it would cost for cancer drugs covered under Medicare Part D
May. 10, 2022—A new study by Vanderbilt researchers highlights how some older Americans diagnosed with cancer can face unlimited out-of-pocket spending for prescription drugs under the current structure of the Medicare Part D benefit.
Medicare beneficiaries without low-income subsidies were less likely to fill important prescriptions, new study finds
Apr. 4, 2022—Vanderbilt research shows that Medicare Part D beneficiaries who did not receive federal subsidies to lower their out-of-pocket costs were nearly twice as likely as others to not fill prescriptions for serious health conditions like cancer or hepatitis C treatment.
Study shows little variance in overdose deaths when sorting by Medicaid expansion status
Mar. 3, 2022—A study by researchers from Vanderbilt and Boston University found that the increase in drug or opioid overdose deaths experienced during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was similar in states with and without Medicaid expansion.
Capacity building activities and new curriculum strengthen medical education in Liberia
Feb. 24, 2022—Liberia's fragile health system is being strengthened through U.S.-Liberia partnerships focused on medical education and capacity building at the country's only medical school, A.M. Dogliotti (AMD) School of Medicine in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Liberia.
Study finds LGBQ people report higher rates of adverse childhood experiences than straight people, worse mental health as adults
Feb. 24, 2022—A new study led by researchers at Vanderbilt found that 83% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBQ) individuals reported going through adverse childhood experiences such as sexual and emotional abuse, and worse mental health as adults when compared to their heterosexual peers.
Health Policy lecture
Feb. 17, 2022—Seema Verma, MPH, former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, was recently the guest of the Department of Health Policy for its Research into Policy and Practice Lecture Series.
