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Health Care Policy
Elizabeth Warren’s take on the election and the path forward
The Massachusetts senator’s discussion with Fels Distinguished Fellow Elizabeth Vale was part of the Fels Public Policy in Practice series.
A post-pandemic path to solving the nursing home crisis
A collaboration of experts across Penn schools has created a detailed, long-term policy plan for nursing homes, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Across U.S. Catholic archdioceses, child protection policies vary widely
A report from CHILD USA, led by Professor of Practice Marci Hamilton, found that such policies lack uniformity, aren’t comprehensive, and often don’t take a victim-centered approach.
Aging and the costs that come with it
As a high school student, junior Darcey Hookway spent time volunteering on a dementia ward at a local hospital. “The social aspect of their condition really struck me,” says Hookway, who is from London. “They struggled immensely with social isolation. And now with COVID exacerbating that more than ever, I think that’s a huge detriment to their health.”
Enhanced Recovery program significantly reduces post-op opioid use
An Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol for elective spine and peripheral nerve surgery decreases opioid use and the length of hospital stays.
New machine learning method allows hospitals to share patient data privately
An emerging technique called federated learning is a solution for health systems and hospitals that are often resistant to sharing patient data, due to legal, privacy, and cultural challenges.
Community health worker interventions can reduce hospitalizations
A new study adds to the growing evidence base that community health workers can help meet the challenges of traditional health care delivery and strained health systems.
Half of low-income communities have no ICU beds
A new Penn study says policies that facilitate hospital coordination are urgently needed to mitigate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Police violence, structural racism, and the science of reform
Co-sponsored by LDI and the Penn Injury Science Center, a virtual seminar on Policing, Race and Health: Prospects for Reform kicks off what will be a continuing series of conversations on the topic over the next year.
Spending on charity care stalled as Medicaid expanded
A new study shows increased coverage for lower-income patients did not lead to more community benefit spending from hospitals between 2011 and 2017.
In the News
ALS drug fails large clinical trial and may be withdrawn from market
Holly Fernandez Lynch of the Perelman School of Medicine says that the lack of good treatment options for ALS has led to an insatiable desire to develop something that is going to modify the course of this disease.
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Most Americans flunk when it comes to retirement literacy, study finds
Rachel M. Werner of the Leonard Davis Institute, Wharton School, and Perelman School of Medicine says that the U.S. lacks any sort of comprehensive approach to funding for long-term care.
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After his wife died, he joined nurses to push for new staffing rules in hospitals
Karen Lasater of the School of Nursing and Leonard Davis Institute says that the nursing shortage crisis is rooted in unsafe staffing ratios at hospitals.
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Can kidney dialysis be done at home? We can make treatment more accessible, so why aren't we?
In a co-authored Op-Ed, Yuvaram Reddy of the Perelman School of Medicine and the Leonard Davis Institute identifies medical efforts to improve access to home kidney dialysis, such as Joel Glickman’s Home Dialysis University.
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Tyson Foods drops CVS for upstart pharmacy benefit manager, as industry upheaval over cost concerns spreads
Lawton Robert Burns of the Wharton School isn’t convinced that the movement toward greater price transparency will be a magic bullet that brings down drug prices.
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Health systems want tech to make work ‘more human’
Penn Medicine CEO Kevin Mahoney says that one of his most exciting challenges in the next year will be integrating technology to streamline care and improve experiences for patients and providers.
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