The National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation, a non-profit organization awarded $125,000 in grants as part of a new program to support investigator-initiated healthcare research. Two studies were selected for funding based on strength of design and potential to inform future policymaking.
The first study “Hospital Acquisition of Physician Practices and Health Care Delivery and Costs” will use five years of unique data on physician practice ownership combined with Medicare and private-sector claims data to examine care patterns, quality of care, and spending for services as related to hospital ownership of physician practices.
Funding was awarded to Laurence Baker and Kate Bundorf at Stanford University and Anne Royalty, at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
The second study “Evaluating Coverage, Utilization, and Access to Care in Medicaid Early-Expander States under the Affordable Care Act” will use interviews with Medicaid officials and analysis of secondary data to examine the process and impact of early expansions in Medicaid eligibility. The study will work to draw out implementation lessons and how to understand expansions affecting insurance coverage rates, Medicaid churning, and access to care.
Funding was awarded to Benjamin Sommers and Arnold Epstein, at the Harvard School of Public Health, and Genevieve Kenney, at the Urban Institute.
“We were impressed by the volume of worthy proposals we received in this first year of our research grant program, said Nancy Chockely, President and CEO of NIHCM Foundation. “Given the need for new research funding sources and the abundance of important questions facing the healthcare system, we are working on plans to expand the program in 2013.”
For more information, go to www.nihcm.org or email Katie McDonald at nihcm@nihcm.org or call (202) 296-4426.
