AcademyHealth Blog

Welcome to the AcademyHealth blog, together with our members, we promote interaction across the health research and policy arenas by bringing together a broad spectrum of players to share their perspectives. Here we offer important perspectives from people passionate about expanding access to care, reducing costs and improving quality, as well as updates on AcademyHealth activities relevant to the community.

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Reflections on the Flywheel Effect of Government on Digital Health Tech

In this interview with Greg Downing, CareJourney President Aneesh Chopra reflects on 10 years since the HITECH Act and offers his thoughts on the role of transparency, patient data access, and interoperability in delivering better care.

Posted Oct 9, 2019 By Aneesh Chopra, M.P.P., Gregory Downing, D.O., Ph.D.

Topics Using Health Data Delivering Better Care

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Where Is Public Health in the 2020 Election?

Health care is a leading issue in the 2020 election. But that doesn’t mean the debate addresses the issues public health advocates think are the most important. AcademyHealth Senior Scholar Edward L. Hunter offers his perspective on how the debate should be broadened to achieve fundamental change.

Posted Oct 1, 2019 By Edward L. Hunter

Topics Public & Population Health Building Healthy Communities

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Addressing Low-Value Care: The Promise of Electronic Health Data

The wealth of new, electronic health data sources presents new opportunities for conducting research on and ultimately eliminating low-value care.

Posted Sep 23, 2019 By Marya Khan, M.P.H.

Topics Using Health Data Delivering Better Care

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Adopting Clinical Analytic Tools in your Institution’s Health Information Management Strategy: Peril or Promise?

Health Data Leadership Institute speaker Rebecca Freeman provides first-hand reflections on the complexities of making something useable out of the data quagmire many find themselves standing in.

Posted Sep 20, 2019 By Rebecca Freeman, Ph.D., R.N., P.M.P.

Topics Using Health Data Hospitals & Health Systems Delivering Better Care

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Reflections on World Patient Safety Day: An Urgent Call for Radical Action

With medical errors causing more than 250,000 deaths annually, Karen Wolk Feinstein of the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, an AcademyHealth organizational affiliate, issues a call for change in four key areas to save lives and improve care.

Posted Sep 19, 2019 By Karen Wolk Feinstein, Ph.D.

Topics Delivering Better Care Quality Improvement Costs & Payments

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Senate’s Labor HHS Funding Bill Includes Unacceptable Cuts to Health Research

AcademyHealth urges the Senate to revisit a devastating cut to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and to act to ensure sufficient and stable funding as it works with the House to finalize spending bills this fall.

Posted Sep 18, 2019 By Lisa Simpson, M.B., B.Ch., M.P.H., FAAP

Topics Advocacy

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Evaluation of Iowa’s 1115 Waiver Highlights Importance of Communication, Instrument Testing

Recent AcademyHealth webinar presenter and behavioral scientist Natoshia Askelson reflects on the evaluation of Iowa’s Healthy Behavior Program 1115 Waiver.

Posted Sep 18, 2019 By Natoshia M. Askelson, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Topics Access to Care Insurance, Medicare & Medicaid

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The First World Patient Safety Day: Time for a Moonshot for Health Services Research?

AcademyHealth member and Professor Hardeep Singh and Tejal Gandhi, chief clinical and safety officer at IHI, highlight three considerations for the field of health services research to advance patient safety.

Posted Sep 16, 2019 By Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H. , Tejal Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H.

Topics Patient & Consumer Engagement Translation, Dissemination & Implementation Quality Improvement

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Review Highlights Need for More Holistic Measures around Low-Value Care

A review commissioned by AcademyHealth finds that most efforts to decrease low-value care focus more on the reduction of certain tests and treatments, rather than on assessing unintended consequences, listening to patients and providers, and measuring outcomes.

Posted Sep 13, 2019 By Lauren Adams, M.A.

Topics Delivering Better Care Quality Improvement

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Health Care’s Failure to Share Data: An Issue of Culture or a Crisis of Integrity?

Health Data Leadership Institute speaker Laura L. Adams reflects on the barriers to better health data sharing, calling for stakeholders to find the will and the way to advance data sharing.

Posted Sep 12, 2019 By Laura L. Adams

Topics Data Sharing Delivering Better Care