Department of Health Policy Archives
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.
Vanderbilt health policy expert explains TennCare block grant proposal
Oct. 9, 2019—Tennessee has made an “opening bid” in its negotiations with the federal government about a block grant that could significantly change how TennCare functions for more than 1 million children and low-income individuals, and making sense of the complex proposal can be tricky.
Private practice physicians less likely to maintain EHRs
Jul. 25, 2019—A new study finds private practice physicians are less likely to maintain electronic health records.
Parental substance use linked to increase in infants in foster care
Jul. 15, 2019—The nation’s opioid crisis is a factor in the recent increase in the number of infants entering the nation’s foster care system, with at least half of all infant placements now a result of parental substance use.
Study shows some generics can cost Medicare recipients more than brand-name drugs
Jul. 1, 2019—Medicare Part D enrollees may pay more out of pocket for high-priced specialty generic drugs than their brand-name counterparts, according to new research by health policy experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
