The advancement of knowledge and innovation in the U.S. health care system depends on the availability and accessibility of information and data. And yet, data for research may be costly, difficult to acquire, complex to analyze, and hampered by policies that inhibit access to data.
In response to a recent call for proposals from Health Data for Action (HD4A), a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation managed by AcademyHealth, grantees will receive no-cost access to highly valued datasets that can inform policy to make health care more affordable and equitable. Data sets include electronic health record and clinical data; claims and encounter data; and transparency in coverage data. We are excited to announce more than 20 new projects beginning under this program that will use data over the next 1-2 years to examine chronic and complex conditions, payment for health care services, reproductive health, access to care and treatment, and more.
Data on Reproductive Health to Illuminate Effects of Policy Changes and National Trends
Reproductive health and rights are currently a major topic of national discourse. To better understand the impact of the recent legislative policies and trends on maternal and infant health outcomes, three research teams will conduct timely studies using datasets offered through the HD4A program. Researchers at Boston College will utilize the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) patient claims data to analyze the impacts of legislative restrictions on abortion care on fertility and maternal morbidity outcomes. Two research teams will leverage the New Jersey Integrated Population Health Data (NJ iPHD) Project to examine the trends in fatal and nonfatal opioid-related overdoses among pregnant and postpartum women and assess the impacts of obstetric unit closures on maternal and infant health in New Jersey.
Grantees will also use electronic health and medical records data to examine disparities in maternal health outcomes. Two teams will utilize data provided from the Nebraska Healthcare Collaborative and Truveta to study postpartum care disparities in women with gestational diabetes and disparities in pregnancy morbidity due to air pollution, respectively. Researchers at Brown University will use Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files (TAF) data to study the association of continuous Medicaid eligibility during COVID-19 with postpartum coverage and health care use.
Transparency in Coverage Data Presents New Opportunities to Understand Price Variation and its Effects
Historically, the U.S. health care market prices have been shrouded in obscurity. With the passage of the Transparency in Coverage final rule and increased availability of this data, four awarded projects will utilize transparency in coverage data to understand how transparency in pricing can promote consumer-driven care and improve care delivery. Two research teams will use Clarify Health data to better understand health care price variation and classify the payment basis of hospital-insurer contracts.
As private equity investment in health care continues to grow rapidly, a team from Duke University will study the effects of price transparency on private equity acquisitions and health care prices using data offered by Serif Health in combination with Colorado all-payer claims data. The Virginia Center for Health Innovation aims to inform Medicaid policies by examining negotiated rates across payers and providers of behavioral health and primary care services in Virginia using Mathematica Health Data Innovation Lab data in combination with Virginia all-payer claims data.
Data from Diverse Sources to Highlight Effects of Medicaid and Medicare Policy
Grantees will leverage the available claims, enrollment, and electronic health record datasets to understand trends in the cost and utilization of services by Medicaid or Medicare enrollees and the effects of program policy changes. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County will examine what happens to young adults with special health care needs when they age out of public insurance using Virginia all-payer claims data. Using HealthShare Exchange data, researchers at Temple University will study the anti-obesity medication prescribing patterns before and after the introduction of Medicaid anti-obesity medication coverage. Similarly, researchers at the University of Colorado will utilize T-MSIS TAF data to better understand the medical and social service use among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities enrolled in Medicaid home and community-based services. The Congressional Budget Office will leverage HCCI data to investigate whether changes in Medicare payments for services in hospital outpatient departments have spillover effects on the payments commercial insurers make for those services.
Rich Data Creates Avenues to Explore Many Complex and Chronic Conditions
Grantees will also study a variety of chronic and complex conditions. Two research teams from Boston Medical Center Corporation will utilize OCHIN data to study tuberculosis infection care and assess the cardiovascular health of sexual and gender minorities. Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center will also harness OCHIN data to address social determinants of health for the achievement of behavioral health equity.
Two awarded projects will utilize state all-payer claims data from The Center for Improving Value in Health Care (CIVHC) and Virginia Health Information (VHI) for the analysis. A team at the Tufts Medical Center will create a novel data linkage of the Specialty Drug Evidence and Coverage (SPEC) database and VHI data to examine step therapy restrictions for inflammatory bowel disease drugs. Researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore will study the impact of public health emergency policies on medication use and follow-up among youth with ADHD using CIVHC data. A team at University of Arkansas will utilize HCCI data to understand variations in commercial payment rates for access to oncology services and treatment.
Real-World and Real-Time Data Offer Opportunity to Address Violent Injuries
Violent injuries, particularly resulting from interpersonal and firearms violence are a growing national public health crisis. Two projects will use the available data to study the impacts of violence on health outcomes. Researchers at Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund will examine the identification, precursors, and outcomes of firearm injuries and identify future opportunities for prevention and intervention using Real-World Data provided by Truveta. Similarly, the team at the University of Pennsylvania will identify rates and risk factors for recurrent violent injury in the Philadelphia region using HealthShare Exchange data.
You can learn more about all the awarded projects here.
As the new HD4A studies get underway, AcademyHealth will work closely with the HD4A grantees to monitor their studies, provide support and technical assistance, and offer opportunities to build skills and capacity in the dissemination and communication of research findings.
In addition to extending access to highly valuable datasets for research through the HD4A program, AcademyHealth remains committed to ensuring researchers have unrestricted access to data through several related and complementary efforts, including supporting data learning networks and collaborations, and advocacy. Join us for this year’s Health Datapalooza on September 16 and17 in Washington D.C. We’ll have interactive workshops, unconference sessions, and networking opportunities for data innovation stakeholders to exchange ideas and expertise.
Health Data for Action is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with direction and technical assistance provided by AcademyHealth. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.