Medicaid Managed Care and Emergency Department Utilization: A North Carolina Analysis
by Temitope Ayokunmi Ojo Abstract In July 2021, North Carolina Medicaid switched from a traditional fee-for-service model to a Medicaid managed care (MMC) network. This thesis explores the effect of this policy change on Emergency Department (ED) utilization for Medicaid beneficiaries in North Carolina. A linear difference-in-difference model was used to estimate the change in […]
The Effect of Community Uninsurance Rates on Access to Health Care among the Insured
by Isabella Antonio Abstract While the direct effects of being uninsured have been studied extensively, there is significantly less research on how a high community uninsured rate can impact health care access for insured individuals. Using data from SMART BRFSS, I examine the effect of community uninsured rates on access to health care for insured […]
Investing in Rural Healthcare: Impact of Private Equity Acquisition on Financial and Utilization Outcomes of Rural Hospitals
by Amanda He Abstract Private equity investment in the healthcare sector has risen considerably in recent decades, yet the impact of private equity ownership in rural hospital markets is largely unknown. Existing research points to a correlation between private equity acquisition and increased hospital incomes and charges. Rural hospitals, however, are structurally and operationally different […]
Impact of Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefit Expansion on Startup Funding
by Judy Tianhong Zhong Abstract In 2018, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they would expand the supplemental benefits that can be included in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. The goal was to encourage insurers to innovate and test new benefit offerings that could improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare spending. A […]
Generic Entry and The Effect on Prices in the Prescription Drug Market
by Sahana Giridharan Abstract Drug firms have utilized a variety of strategies that contribute to rising drug prices in the U.S. for the last few years. Strategic entry timing and number of indications a drug is approved might be two factors that contribute to this rise in prices. While there have been some studies uncovering […]
The Effects of Pharmaceutical Price Regulation on Probability of Patenting in OECD Countries
by Rachel Korn Abstract The introduction of parallel trade mechanisms allowing for the free trade of pharmaceutical goods in the European Economic Area represents a significant departure from the standard monopolistic competition pricing structure in the pharmaceutical market, in which firms have a great deal of control over pricing. Another mechanism, external reference pricing, also […]
The Effects of Leveraged Buyouts on Health Outcomes
by Robert Williams Abstract Private equity firms first began acquiring hospitals in the United States during the early 1990s, yet the effects of private equity ownership on patient outcomes and treatment costs are still not clear. Some argue that although private equity firms are adept at improving operating efficiencies and introducing managerial expertise, these cost-cutting […]
The Effect of Competition on Strategic Discharge at Long-Term Acute-Care Hospitals
By Michael Karamardian Because Medicare’s prospective payment system for long-term acute-care hospitals (LTCHs) makes a large lump-sum form of payment once patients reach a minimum length-ofstay threshold, LTCHs have a unique opportunity to maximize profits by strategically discharging patients as soon as the payment is received. This analysis explores how the level of competition between […]
Incentives and Characteristics that Explain Generic Prescribing Practices
By Rahul Nayak This study uses the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (2006-2010) and Health Tracking Physician Survey (2008) to study the incentives and characteristics that explain physician generic prescribing habits. The findings can be characterized into four main categories: (1) financial/economic, (2) informational, (3) patient- dependent and (4) drug idiosyncratic effects. Physicians in practices […]
