Translation, Dissemination & Implementation

Rural health care systems have seen dramatic shifts in recent decades. This ‘plain language summary’ reviews recent research published in AcademyHealth’s official journal, HSR, which addresses the current state of rural hospitals and how new investments can prevent ongoing health disparities and reinvigorate the health of rural Americans.

The Affordable Care Act enacted Medicaid expansion with hopes that more states would provide health insurance to low-income Americans. This ‘plain language summary’ reviews recent research published in AcademyHealth’s official journal HSR which shows that early Medicaid expansion in six states led to an increase in the total number of physician visits but did not lead to an increase in total physician participation.

New research indicates Medicare Advantage enrollment provides favorable outcomes over traditional Medicare for those with mental health issues and those at end-of-life, indicating a high efficiency of care aligning with beneficiaries’ preferences. This ‘plain language summary’ reviews recent research published in AcademyHealth's official journal, HSR, which addresses the role of Medicare Advantage in mental health care and end-of-life outcomes for older adults.

AcademyHealth’s Advocacy Team explains how AcademyHealth’s Health Policy Orientation helps attendees maximize the impact of research in policymaking.

Stakeholders in NIH funded research should be informed about upcoming policy changes in data sharing and management strategies. Greg Downing spoke with leaders from NIH and research institutions who spearhead the policy implementation and in this blog post highlights implications for the academic research community and beyond.

At the December meeting Harnessing Medicaid to Improve Health Equity: A Research and Policy Agenda, researchers, policy administrators, and other key stakeholders discussed the various data challenges that hamper progress toward health equity, and shared resources and approaches to improve data definitions, collection, and utilization.