HCP Faculty Awarded NIHCM Grants to Investigate Critical Health Issues.
The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation recently awarded $500,000 in grants to researchers, including three Harvard Department of Health Care Policy (HCP) faculty members: Professor of Health Care Policy Michael Chernew, Assistant Professor Luca Maini,andAssociate Professor Zirui Song. With their collaborators, these researchers will investigate a range of current health care issues, aiming to provide solutions for improved access, affordability, and quality of care.
Song andJane Zhu’s study, Private Equity’s Effects on Primary Care Practices Participating in Medicare Advantage, will explore private equity ownership of primary care practices, with a focus on Medicare Advantage. This study aims to understand how these financial arrangements impact provider behavior, quality of care, and patient outcomes.Song is a prior recipient of the NIHCM grant, last awarded in 2022 for the study:In the Shadows of Trauma: The Economic and Clinical Impact of Childhood Firearm Injuries on Survivors and Family Members.
In their study, How Does Interchangeability Impact Biosimilar Adoption?,MainiandPragya Kakani will examine the potential of biosimilar drugs as a cost-saving and affordability-improving option. Their study explores how the "interchangeable" designation influences biosimilar adoption and the role played by state pharmacy substitution laws in this process.
Chernew, alongside colleaguesAnna Zink and Hannah Neprash, will investigate the impact of AI-powered clinical software on healthcare spending and health outcomes in their study, The Effect of AI-Enabled Clinical Software on Health Care Spending and Health Outcomes. Their research will analyze data from six AI applications to provide the first causal evidence in this area.
These HCP faculty members, along with their collaborators, are conducting crucial research with the potential to inform health care policy and improve health care for everyone.
The NIHCM Foundation's annual grants support independent, investigator-led research that pushes the boundaries of healthcare knowledge.
Visit the NIHCM website to learn more about this year's grantees and their work.