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Examining the accuracy of Medicare payments to physicians
Medicare made $70 billion in payments to physicians in 2017 for care they provided to the 44 million Americans. But who decides how much a physician should be reimbursed from Medicare for their services?
An unintended consequence of Open Payments database, which reveals physician payments from drug companies
Drug companies and medical device manufacturers have long cultivated ties with physicians and hospitals in an effort to promote their wares. This has led to some suspicion that patients may end up with prescriptions for drugs they don’t need or devices they don’t want.
Marcella Alsan wins Arrow Award for research on medical legacy of Tuskegee Study
Marcella Alsan and Marianne Wanamaker are recipients of this year’s prestigious Arrow Award from the International Health Economics Associationfor research that shows the health of African-American men was adversely impacted by the Tuskegee syphilis study of the early 20thcentury.
Evidence suggests paid family leave yields long-term child and maternal health benefits
Maya Rossin-Slater lays out the evidence that suggests the introduction of paid family leave for up to one year in duration may yield significant child and maternal health benefits, both in the short and long term.
Physicians with multiple malpractice claims are more likely to stop practicing or go solo
Stanford researchers find that physicians with poor malpractice liability records are no more likely than physicians who did not experience claims to relocate for a fresh start elsewhere. However, they were more likely to cease practice or to shift to smaller practice groups or to solo practice.
Study finds China’s population control policy before the One Child Policy was responsible for 200,000 'Missing Girls'
An estimated 210,000 girls may have “gone missing” due to China’s “Later, Longer, Fewer” campaign, a birth planning policy predating the One Child Policy, according to a new study led by Stanford Health Policy researchers published by the Center for Global Development.
Douglas K. Owens named chair of USPSTF, the body of experts behind many health-care decisions
Stanford Health Policy’s Douglas K. Owens was named chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Tasks Force, an independent panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine that makes health-care recommendations to Congress and the American public.
The common denominator to improving health in developing countries: Democracy
A new study led by Stanford Health Policy's Tara Templin and the Council on Foreign Relations suggests that a better way to measure the role of democracy in public health is to examine the causes of adult mortality, such as noncommunicable diseases, HIV, cardiovascular disease and transportation injuries. Little international assistance targets these noncommunicable diseases.
Stanford scholars examine the advantages of informal health expertise
A helpful reminder — something as simple as "Are you taking your medications?" — could conceivably prolong a life.
And now, a Stanford study provides novel, concrete evidence on the power of exposure to health-related expertise – not only in improving mortality rates and lifelong health outcomes, but also in narrowing the vexing health gap between the rich and poor.
Machine-learning expert recommendations can influence Medicare Part D choice
Stanford Health Policy’s M. Kate Bundorf and Maria Polyakova developed an online decision-support tool to test whether machine-based expert recommendations would influence choice among Medicare Part D enrollees — and make it easier.
Opioid epidemic makes eastern inroads and targets African-Americans
New research led by Stanford shows that not only have opioid-related deaths jumped fourfold in the last 20 years, but that those most affected by the epidemic, and where they live, has also shifted dramatically. In fact, the District of Columbia has had the fastest rate of increase in mortality from opioids, more than tripling every year since 2013.
New study indicates that more primary care physicians lead to longer life spans
There is little debate over the importance of primary care physicians — the virtual quarterbacks of our medical teams running us toward the end zones in good health. New research now shows us just how important those primary care physicians are in what to many is the most important contest of all: prolonging our lives.
Rhode Island adopts regulations to slow health-care costs — and they appear to work
As the price of health care in the United States continues to accelerate — to the consternation of both patients and providers — it’s refreshing to find one state pilot project that appears to prove that implementing mandatory price controls can actually work.
Choice of Medicare drug plan reduces opioid use
New research by a trio of Stanford scholars shows how different insurance strategies affect the volume of opioid use and could help stem inappropriate prescribing behaviors.
A glimmer of hope in the opioid epidemic among patients with musculoskeletal pain
In new research by Health Research and Policy’s Eric Sun, the risk for chronic opioid use among patients with musculoskeletal pain actually decreased slightly between 2008 and 2014.
Paul Wise: Yemen's cholera epidemic hits children hardest
Since 2016, two severe cholera outbreaks have impacted more than 1.2 million people. Children account for 30 percent of the infections; more than 2,500 people have died.
A Q&A with Hank Greeley: The First Gene-Edited Babies
Last month, He Jiankui, a Chinese researcher, announced the birth of the world’s first gene-edited babies, whose DNA had been edited to reduce the risk of HIV infection.
Encouraging Edge Science through NIH Funding Practices
Science moves forward when scientists take risks in their work and explore new, untested ideas, writes SHP's Jay Bhattacharya. For example, one of the hottest new ideas in cancer treatment involves using patients’ own immune cells to treat their cancer.
Global study predicts 20-percent rise in insulin use by 2030 — but half the world's diabetics who need it won’t get it
The amount of insulin needed to effectively treat type 2 diabetes will rise by more than 20 percent worldwide over the next 12 years, according to new research led by Stanford Health Policy’s Sanjay Basu.
Proposed CMS rule about disclosing drug costs on TV ads could have public health & legal concerns
The Trump administration has proposed a new rule that would require direct-to-consumer TV advertisements for prescription drugs to disclose the price of their products.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said the disclosures would help consumers “make informed decisions that minimize not only their out-of-pocket costs, but also expenditures borne by Medicare and Medicaid, both of which are significant problems.”
Task Force: Patients at high risk of HIV should take daily preventive drug
A national panel of medical experts is recommending for the first time that clinicians offer daily preventive medication to patients who are at high risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS.
Meet Suhani Jalota: PhD candidate in health policy who wants to help women help themselves
Suhani Jalota was only 20 years old when she established a foundation to help impoverished women in the slums of her native city, Mumbai. She was 23 when Forbes named her one of Asia’s 30-Under-30 Social Entrepreneurs as her foundation was taking off. Now, at the ripe old age of 24, she is embarking on her pursuit of a PhD in health policy on the econ track at Stanford Medicine’s Department of Health Research and Policy.
Beijing Workshop Explores Options for Interventions in Civil Wars
Shorenstein APARC’s U.S.-Asia Security Initiative (USASI), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), and the School for International Studies at Peking University recently co-hosted the security workshop “Civil Wars, Intrastate Violence, and International Responses.” Held in Beijing...
Understanding the link between preeclampsia and heart disease later in life
Stanford researchers are awarded a 4-year, $6 million NIH grant to study the links between preeclampsia and subsequent risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) as they grow older.
It's a win-win: Hospitals should apologize for mistakes
Research by Stanford Health Policy’s Michelle Mello looks at what happens when a group of hospitals started systematically acknowledging adverse outcomes in care by apologizing and proactively offering compensation where substandard care caused serious harm.
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