Center For Health Care Research and Policy http://chrp.org Tue, 26 Feb 2019 18:56:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9 118593273 Shari Bolen, MD, appointed to the National Clinical Care Commission for the Department of Health and Human Services /2018/08/27/shari-bolen-md-appointed-to-the-national-clinical-care-commission-for-the-department-of-health-and-human-services/ Mon, 27 Aug 2018 19:36:09 +0000 /?p=4577 Shari Bolen, MD, MPH, a faculty member in the Center for Health Care Research and Policy and Associate Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, will serve on the National Clinical Care Commission for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Dr. Bolen will represent primary care clinicians on the committee, and will serve as one of 12 selected non-federal committee members. The Secretary of the DHHS is required to establish this committee to evaluate and make recommendations regarding improving the coordination and leveraging of programs within DHHS and other federal agencies related to clinical care of adults on insulin. The Commission’s work will contribute to the development of federal programs to improve diabetes care within our patient populations. The Secretary and congress must have an operational plan made on the committee recommendations within 90 days of the first meeting. ]]> Shari Bolen, MD Shari Bolen, MD, MPH, a faculty member in the Center for Health Care Research and Policy and Associate Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, will serve on the National Clinical Care Commission for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Dr. Bolen will represent primary care clinicians on the committee, and will serve as one of 12 selected non-federal committee members.

The Secretary of the DHHS is required to establish this committee to evaluate and make recommendations regarding improving the coordination and leveraging of programs within DHHS and other federal agencies related to clinical care of adults on insulin. The Commission’s work will contribute to the development of federal programs to improve diabetes care within our patient populations. The Secretary and congress must have an operational plan made on the committee recommendations within 90 days of the first meeting.

Other federal committee members include the heads of Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Institutes of Health, Department of Veteran Affairs, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture, and the Office of Minority Health.

]]> 4577 Center Researchers Present on Plasma Donation Study /2018/08/01/center-researchers-present-on-plasma-donation-study/ Wed, 01 Aug 2018 22:37:54 +0000 /?p=4735 Heather Olsen, a CWRU student and researcher in the Center's "Patient Centered Media Lab"  presented findings of a recently completed study of plasma donation. The study was conducted with Dr. Perzynski, Associate Professor of Medicine, sociologist, and faculty member in the Center for Health Care Research and Policy and Dr. David Margolius, General Internist and Center faculty member. The research was presented at the International Health Congress at Oxford University Olsen

Heather Olsen, a CWRU student and researcher in the Center’s “Patient Centered Media Lab”  presented findings of a recently completed study of plasma donation. The study was conducted with Dr. Perzynski, Associate Professor of Medicine, sociologist, and faculty member in the Center for Health Care Research and Policy and Dr. David Margolius, General Internist and Center faculty member. The research was presented at the International Health Congress at Oxford University. The team found that paid plasma donation centers tend to be located in low socioeconomic status neighborhoods, and that the most frequent use of money earned from donating by donors in Cleveland is to pay for food and other basic necessities. Other center studen research associates contributing to the project included Sarah Shick, Anupama Cemballi and Kristen Berg.
Click to view the presentation slides.

]]> 4735 Dr. Adam Perzynski Named a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America /2018/07/02/dr-adam-perzynski-named-a-fellow-of-the-gerontological-society-of-america/ Mon, 02 Jul 2018 01:35:51 +0000 /?p=4542 Dr. Adam Perzynski was recently named a Fellow of the "Gerontological Society of America (GSA)."  Fellowship in GSA is an acknowledgment of outstanding and continuing work in the field of gerontology. Dr. Perzynski, Associate Professor of Medicine, sociologist, and faculty member in the Center for Health Care Research and Policy has been an active member of GSA since his first presentation at the annual meeting in 2002. Since being a graduate student at the University of Toledo under Dr. Cary Kart in 1997, he has been commitment to research and teaching that improves the lives of older adults.]]> Perzynski

Dr. Adam Perzynski was recently named a Fellow of the “Gerontological Society of America (GSA).”  Fellowship in GSA is an acknowledgment of outstanding and continuing work in the field of gerontology. Dr. Perzynski, Associate Professor of Medicine, sociologist, and faculty member in the Center for Health Care Research and Policy has been an active member of GSA since his first presentation at the annual meeting in 2002. Since being a graduate student at the University of Toledo under Dr. Cary Kart in 1997, he has been commitment to research and teaching that improves the lives of older adults.

]]> 4542 Eileen Seeholzer, MD, co-authors article on preparing physicians to counsel patients on obesity, nutrition and physical activity /2018/05/23/eileen-seeholzer-md-co-authors-article-on-preparing-physicians-to-counsel-patients-on-obesity-nutrition-and-physical-activity/ Wed, 23 May 2018 16:55:57 +0000 /?p=4511 An article co-authored by Eileen Seeholzer, MD, has been selected for the inaugural edition of "The Best of Health Promotion Practice." The article focuses on a study conducted by Dr. Seeholzer and other medical professionals on how primary care residency programs are preparing physicians to counsel patients about obesity, nutrition and physical activity (ONPA). The study identified widespread expectations that primary care physicians should counsel their overweight and obese patients, but few residency programs provide the training to support such counseling. MetroHealth's OB/GYN, Family Medicine and Internal Medicine residency program participated in the study. To read the article, click here. ]]> An article co-authored by Eileen Seeholzer, MD, has been selected for the inaugural edition of “The Best of Health Promotion Practice.” The article focuses on a study conducted by Dr. Seeholzer and other medical professionals on how primary care residency programs are preparing physicians to counsel patients about obesity, nutrition and physical activity (ONPA). The study identified widespread expectations that primary care physicians should counsel their overweight and obese patients, but few residency programs provide the training to support such counseling. MetroHealth’s OB/GYN, Family Medicine and Internal Medicine residency program participated in the study.

To read the article, click here.

]]> 4511 Thomas Love wins Diekhoff Award for Graduate Teaching at CWRU /2018/05/15/better-healths-chief-data-scientist-recipient-of-teaching-award-from-case-western-reserve-university/ Tue, 15 May 2018 15:20:05 +0000 /?p=4499 Thomas E. Love, PhD, Director Biostatistics and Evaluation at the Center for Health Care Research and Policy, as well as Professor of Medicine, and Population & Quantitative Health Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, and Chief Data Scientist for Better Health Partnership, is a 2018 recipient of The John S. Diekhoff Award for teaching. This prestigious award is presented to full-time faculty making exemplary contributions to the education and development of graduate students at CWRU. Congratulations Dr. Love! Read more at the Case Daily article]]> Thomas E. Love, PhD, Director Biostatistics and Evaluation at the Center for Health Care Research and Policy, as well as Professor of Medicine, and Population & Quantitative Health Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, and Chief Data Scientist for Better Health Partnership, is a 2018 recipient of The John S. Diekhoff Award for teaching. This prestigious award is presented to full-time faculty making exemplary contributions to the education and development of graduate students at CWRU. Congratulations Dr. Love!

Read more at the Case Daily article

]]> 4499 New Study Reports on Importance of Repeating Blood Pressure /2018/04/20/new-study-reports-on-importance-of-repeating-blood-pressure/ Fri, 20 Apr 2018 15:10:18 +0000 /?p=4485 JAMA Internal Medicine reports the effect of repeating an initially elevated blood pressure (BP) on final blood pressure control.  Funded by grants from the Centers for Disease Control and the Mount Sinai Foundation,  faculty member Douglas Einstadter was lead author on the investigation alongside other faculty and Senior Scholars of the Case Western Reserve University-MetroHealth System Center for Health Care Research and Policy, including Shari Bolen, James Misak, David Bar-Shain, and Randall Cebul. The study examined more than 38,000 patients with hypertension who made over 86,000 visits to the primary care clinics at MetroHealth during 2016. Across all visits, re-measuring an initially elevated BP was associated with a median 8 mm Hg drop in the systolic BP.  Among those with a repeat BP, the final BP readings were <140/90 mm Hg 36% of the time.  Overall, repeating an initially elevated BP increased the overall rate of good BP control from 61% to 73%.  While much of the change in systolic blood pressure may be attributed to regression to the mean, the observed decrease remains clinically important, comparable with that associated with addition of an antihypertensive medication. The full article is available here https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2678452 .]]> A study published on-line in the April 16, 2018 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine reports the effect of repeating an initially elevated blood pressure (BP) on final blood pressure control.  Funded by grants from the Centers for Disease Control and the Mount Sinai Foundation,  faculty member Douglas Einstadter was lead author on the investigation alongside other faculty and Senior Scholars of the Case Western Reserve University-MetroHealth System Center for Health Care Research and Policy, including Shari Bolen, James Misak, David Bar-Shain, and Randall Cebul. The study examined more than 38,000 patients with hypertension who made over 86,000 visits to the primary care clinics at MetroHealth during 2016. Across all visits, re-measuring an initially elevated BP was associated with a median 8 mm Hg drop in the systolic BP.  Among those with a repeat BP, the final BP readings were <140/90 mm Hg 36% of the time.  Overall, repeating an initially elevated BP increased the overall rate of good BP control from 61% to 73%.  While much of the change in systolic blood pressure may be attributed to regression to the mean, the observed decrease remains clinically important, comparable with that associated with addition of an antihypertensive medication. The full article is available here https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2678452 .

]]> 4485 Drs. Sehgal and Gunzler receive $3.3 million grant to study depression in kidney dialysis patients /2018/04/17/drs-sehgal-and-gunzler-receive-3-3-million-grant-to-study-depression-in-kidney-dialysis-patients/ Tue, 17 Apr 2018 19:08:40 +0000 /?p=4473 Ashwini Sehgal, MD, and Douglas Gunzler, PhD, were awarded a $3.3 million NIH R01 grant to study depression among patients receiving kidney dialysis. Many dialysis patients have depression that is difficult to diagnose and treat due in part to the overlap between depressive symptoms (e.g. appetite change, trouble sleeping, feeling tired) and symptoms related to kidney dialysis treatment (e.g. nausea, nocturnal cramps, feeling washed out after treatment). The goal of this project is to develop a screening instrument to improve diagnosis and to test the value of weekly directly observed antidepressant treatment in managing depression. Innovative features of the proposed project include the use of advanced statistical techniques to address overlap, administration of a long-acting weekly antidepressant, directly observed treatment, and a rigorous randomized controlled trial design. Dr. Sehgal is the Duncan Neuhauser Professor of Community Health Improvement and Professor of Medicine, Bioethics and Population and Quantitative Health Services. Dr. Gunzler is Assistant Professor of Medicine and Population and Quantitative Health Sciences.]]>
Ashwini Sehgal, MD, and Douglas Gunzler, PhD, were awarded a $3.3 million NIH R01 grant to study depression among patients receiving kidney dialysis. Many dialysis patients have depression that is difficult to diagnose and treat due in part to the overlap between depressive symptoms (e.g. appetite change, trouble sleeping, feeling tired) and symptoms related to kidney dialysis treatment (e.g. nausea, nocturnal cramps, feeling washed out after treatment). The goal of this project is to develop a screening instrument to improve diagnosis and to test the value of weekly directly observed antidepressant treatment in managing depression. Innovative features of the proposed project include the use of advanced statistical techniques to address overlap, administration of a long-acting weekly antidepressant, directly observed treatment, and a rigorous randomized controlled trial design. Dr. Sehgal is the Duncan Neuhauser Professor of Community Health Improvement and Professor of Medicine, Bioethics and Population and Quantitative Health Services. Dr. Gunzler is Assistant Professor of Medicine and Population and Quantitative Health Sciences.

]]> 4473 A. James O’Malley, Ph.D., Visit to Cleveland and Metro on April 19 and 20, 2018. /2018/04/16/a-james-omalley-ph-d-will-visit-cleveland-and-metro-on-april-19-and-20-2018-james-is-professor-of-biostatistics-at-the-dartmouth-institute-and-the-department-of-biomedical-data-science-at-the/ Mon, 16 Apr 2018 16:50:26 +0000 /?p=4451 PDF of slides | PDF article on social network methods). We will also hold a workshop session over lunch from 12-1 on Friday April 20 in Rammelkamp R219 at Metro (view PDF), where interested faculty, staff and students can hear more about some of James' work in comparative effectiveness research, health services research and other areas, and talk about some of their own work. James' methodological interests encompass statistical inference for social networks, comparative effectiveness research including causal inference for both randomized and observational studies, Bayesian statistics, and multivariate hierarchical models. His subject matter research interests include the relationship between health and social networks, evaluation/estimation of variations in health quality and outcomes, vascular surgery, cardiology, shared decision making and risk communication with patients, and evaluation of medical devices. Specific research projects are typically motivated by problems encountered in his collaborative work with physicians, sociologists, health economists, health services researchers, epidemiologists and others. James is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his research and service to the academic community, including the Mid-Career Excellence Award from the American Statistical Association's Health Policy Statistics Section.]]> James O’Malley, PhD is Professor of Biostatistics at The Dartmouth Institute and the Department of Biomedical Data Science at the Geisel School of Medicine. He will be giving his main talk from 9:00-10:30 AM on Friday April 20 at the Center for Health Care Research and Policy at MetroHealth Medical Center, entitled “A précis of key types of social network analyses and recent applications involving physician networks” (PDF of slides | PDF article on social network methods).

We will also hold a workshop session over lunch from 12-1 on Friday April 20 in Rammelkamp R219 at Metro (view PDF), where interested faculty, staff and students can hear more about some of James’ work in comparative effectiveness research, health services research and other areas, and talk about some of their own work.

James’ methodological interests encompass statistical inference for social networks, comparative effectiveness research including causal inference for both randomized and observational studies, Bayesian statistics, and multivariate hierarchical models. His subject matter research interests include the relationship between health and social networks, evaluation/estimation of variations in health quality and outcomes, vascular surgery, cardiology, shared decision making and risk communication with patients, and evaluation of medical devices. Specific research projects are typically motivated by problems encountered in his collaborative work with physicians, sociologists, health economists, health services researchers, epidemiologists and others.

James is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his research and service to the academic community, including the Mid-Career Excellence Award from the American Statistical Association’s Health Policy Statistics Section.

]]> 4451 Thomas Love Ph.D. Invited to Speak for National Public Health Week at Case Western Reserve University /2018/04/10/thomas-love-ph-d-invited-to-speak-for-national-public-health-week-at-case-western-reserve-university/ Tue, 10 Apr 2018 14:45:01 +0000 /?p=4448 On Thursday, April 5th, Thomas Love, Ph.D., spoke at a Lunch-and-Learn session at Case Western Reserve University for National Public Health Week concerning electronic health records and their impact on the health of adults living in Northeast Ohio. The topic was, “Adventures at Better Health Partnership: Learning as a community (aided by electronic health records) to make an impact on the health of Northeast Ohio adults”. Click here to access the slides of the session. To listen to the audio click here.]]> On Thursday, April 5th, Thomas Love, Ph.D., spoke at a Lunch-and-Learn session at Case Western Reserve University for National Public Health Week concerning electronic health records and their impact on the health of adults living in Northeast Ohio. The topic was, “Adventures at Better Health Partnership: Learning as a community (aided by electronic health records) to make an impact on the health of Northeast Ohio adults”.

Click here to access the slides of the session. To listen to the audio click here.

]]> 4448 Thomas Love Received a 2018 Scholarship in Teaching Award from the Case School of Medicine /2018/03/05/thomas-love-received-the-2018-scholarship-in-teaching-award-from-the-case-school-of-medicine/ Mon, 05 Mar 2018 17:17:34 +0000 /?p=4390 Thomas E. Love, Ph.D. is a recipient of the 2018 Scholarship in Teaching award from CWRU School of Medicine for his work on "Foundations of Data Science for Biological, Medical and Health Research: Teaching Reproducible Research with Modern Tools.” This work is part of his ongoing teaching of a two-semester core sequence in statistics and data science for the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at CWRU. Many of the course materials from the Fall 2017 version of the course are available online at at https://github.com/THOMASELOVE/431. Dr. Love also won CWRU's Scholarship in Teaching award in 2005, 2009 and 2010, and the Best Educational Contribution award in 2004. He will give a seminar at the Center on some related issues on Friday, March 16, 2018.]]> Thomas E. Love, Ph.D. is a recipient of the 2018 Scholarship in Teaching award from CWRU School of Medicine for his work on “Foundations of Data Science for Biological, Medical and Health Research: Teaching Reproducible Research with Modern Tools.” This work is part of his ongoing teaching of a two-semester core sequence in statistics and data science for the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at CWRU. Many of the course materials from the Fall 2017 version of the course are available online at at https://github.com/THOMASELOVE/431. Dr. Love also won CWRU’s Scholarship in Teaching award in 2005, 2009 and 2010, and the Best Educational Contribution award in 2004. He will give a seminar at the Center on some related issues on Friday, March 16, 2018.

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