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Health Care Policy
Past plagues, current pandemics, and public hygiene messaging
Past plagues, current pandemics, and public hygiene messaging
History Ph.D. candidate Sarah Xia Yu discusses her research on public hygiene in China and what the past might tell us about how governments could better communicate public health messages.
Africa’s Iron Lady
Africa’s Iron Lady
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, came to Perry World House as part of the Global Order Colloquium.
Hospitals with more nurses linked to better outcomes, more satisfied patients
Hospitals with more nurses linked to better outcomes, more satisfied patients
According to a new study published in Medical Care, hospitals that employ more inpatient nurse practitioners have lower surgical mortality, higher patient satisfaction, and lower costs of care.
A new approach to determining post-acute care for older adults with dementia
A new approach to determining post-acute care for older adults with dementia
Two new studies measure the outcomes of home health care versus a skilled nursing facility for patients with dementia after being discharged in hospitals, and find that the mental status at the time of discharge is more relevant than a dementia diagnosis.
More than a third of Congressional members held significant health care assets
More than a third of Congressional members held significant health care assets
Due to their role in shaping health care policy, lawmakers should divest from assets while in office, Penn Medicine researchers recommend.
Four things to know about the latest IPCC climate report
Four things to know about the latest IPCC climate report
The assessment describes ‘unequivocal’ human influence that no doubt caused ‘widespread and rapid changes’ to the atmosphere, oceans, and more. Professors Mark Alan Hughes and Michael Weisberg discuss the findings, plus how we can avoid passing the point of no return.
Scaling the model of care for patients with opioid use disorder
Scaling the model of care for patients with opioid use disorder
Data show that concurrent with the opioid overdose crisis, there has been an increase in hospitalizations of people with opioid use disorder. One in ten of these hospitalized medical or surgical patients have comorbid opioid-related diagnoses.
100 years of insulin
100 years of insulin
On July 27, 1921, Canadian doctors Frederick Banting and Charles Best successfully isolated the hormone insulin, one of the most important breakthroughs in treating diabetes. Experts from around the University share their thoughts on the medical triumph on the 100th anniversary.
Advocating reimbursement parity for nurse practitioners
Advocating reimbursement parity for nurse practitioners
The current Medicare reimbursement policy for nurse practitioners allows them to directly bill Medicare for services that they perform, but they are reimbursed at only 85% of the physician rate. A new Penn Nursing article argues that payment parity is essential.
The SCOTUS decision that keeps the Affordable Care Act intact
The SCOTUS decision that keeps the Affordable Care Act intact
Penn Law professor Allison Hoffman, an expert on health care law and policy, explains the ruling on California v. Texas, the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Mixed-status immigrant families have complex health insurance needs that require simple solutions
Diana Montoya-Williams of the Perelman School of Medicine wrote an opinion piece about the intersection of health insurance and immigration status. “Expanding insurance coverage to all children who live in our state—regardless of documentation status—would decrease confusion among mixed-status families, reduce administrative burden and costs associated with the verification of different eligibility requirements within families, and save public health dollars,” she said.
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NJ.com
N.J. kids on Medicaid deserve equal access to specialty care
Alycia Bischof of the School of Nursing advocated for a New Jersey bill that, if signed into law, would allow Medicaid patients to access specialty care without having to travel more than 60 minutes or file an appeal for out-of-network coverage.
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The New York Times
Pandemic relief bill fulfills Biden’s promise to expand Obamacare, for two years
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel spoke about provisions within the coronavirus relief bill that expand subsidies for health insurance purchased under the Affordable Care Act. “For people that are eligible but not buying insurance it’s a financial issue, and so upping the subsidies is going to make the price point come down,” he said.
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MarketWatch
Opinion: Would you want your parents to live in a nursing home owned by private equity?
Atul Gupta of the Wharton School co-led a study that explored how private equity investments affect nursing home patients. It revealed a 10% increase in mortality for Medicare patients in such facilities.
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The New York Times
Pandemic lessons in improving the medical system
Amol Navathe of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the high cost of health care in the U.S. “Our system is set up to produce a lot of health care but not necessarily a lot of health,” he said.
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The Hill
How the pandemic is changing medicine
PIK Professor Jonathan D. Moreno and the Law School’s Stephen N. Xenakis wrote that the pandemic could change many countries’ approaches to public health. “The battle against the virus presents an opportunity to recalibrate our health care system as well as advance our practices,” they wrote.
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