Seminar Series

2002 - 2003

The Health Services Research Seminars feature nationally and internationally known leaders in health services research speak on current topics. These seminars are free and open to the public.

2002-2003 Schedule

Archives

2005-2006 | 2004-2005 | 2003-2004 | 2002-2003 | 2001-2002 | 2000-2001 | 1999-2000 | 1998-1999

Abstracts for HSR Series

Mary L. Fennell,  Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology and Community Health, Brown University

“Rural Hospital Linkages to Long Term Care and Rehospitalization Rates”

Abstract

Mary L. Fennell, Professor of Sociology and Community Health at Brown University, is a specialist in the study of healthcare organizations, and the author of three books and numerous articles in medical and organizational sociology. Her work has focused on leadership, governance and organizational change in medical organizations. Her most recent book (with Kevin T. Leicht) examines recent trends in the history and theory of managerial and professional work, with analyses of the dynamics of elite occupations and the changing nature of the workplace (Professional Work, Blackwell 2002). She has a long standing interest in research on the organization and delivery of healthcare to older populations. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, the Agency for Healthcare Quality Research, and the National Science Foundation. Professor Fennell has been the editor of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, a member of several national advisory committees, and chair of several national professional committees. She is currently Dean of the Faculty at Brown University.

Top

Peter Neumann, Sc.D.
Associate Professor of Policy and Decision Sciences in the Department of Health Policy and Management, and the Deputy Director of the Program on the Economic Evaluation of Medical Technology, Harvard School of Public Health

“25 Years of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Health Care: What Have We Learned?”

Abstract

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have developed a database of 522 original cost-utility analyses, published from 1976 through 2001, as a way of shedding light on society ís best opportunities for saving lives and improving human health, and moving the field towards standardization of methods. Each study was independently audited by two trained readers for a core set of data elements on study methodology and reporting, and a subjective assessment of overall study quality on a scale from 1 (low) to 7 (high)  data site The presentation will provide key findings from the data, including: 1) whether methods and reporting of published cost-utility analyses (CUAs) have improved over time; and 2) whether we are studying the "right" topics? It will also a include a discussion about why the methodology is not used more by decision makers.

Professor Neumann's research focuses on economic evaluations of medical technologies, including evaluations of pharmacological treatments for Alzheimer's Disease, asthma, and lung cancer. He also directs a large-scale effort to develop a comprehensive database of cost-effectiveness analyses. Dr. Neumann has contributed to the literature on the use of willingness to pay and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) in valuing health benefits. His other research has focused on the Food and Drug Administration's regulation of health economic information, and public and private sector uses of cost-effectiveness information. He is the author or co-author of over 60 publications in the medical literature. Dr. Neumann is a member of the editorial board of Value in Health and Medical Decision Making, and a past member of the Geriatrics Measurement Advisory Panel of the National Committee on Quality Assurance. He has also been in various policy positions in Washington, including two years as Special Assistant to the Administrator at the Health Care Financing Administration. He received his doctorate in health policy and management from the Harvard University School of Public Health.

Top

David O. Meltzer, M.D., Ph.D.

“The Effects of Physician Experience on Costs and Outcomes: Results of a Study of Hospitalists”

Abstract

David Meltzer's research explores problems in health economics and public policy. A major area of his research examines the theoretical foundations of medical cost-effectiveness analysis, including issues such as accounting for future costs due to the extension of life and the empirical validity of quality of life assessment. Another major area of his research examines the effects of managed care and medical specialization on the cost and quality of care, especially in teaching hospitals. Dr. Meltzer is currently principal investigator for a randomized trial examining the use of doctors who specialize in inpatient care ("hospitalists") compared to traditional academic physicians in six academic medical centers. His other work examines the role of mortality decline in the economic growth and the demographic transition of developing countries, the effects of prospective payment systems on the cost and quality of care, and the effects of FDA regulation on innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. He is co-director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and the MD/PhD Program in the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and serves on the faculty of the Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy, the Population Research Center, and the Center on Aging. He is also a faculty research fellow for the National Bureau of Economic Research and has served on a panel that is examining the "Future of Medicare" for the National Academy of Social Insurance and a panel examining U.S. organ allocation policy for the Institute of Medicine.

Top
 

Frank Lichtenberg, Ph.D.

“Measuring the Health Impacts of Medical Innovation and Expenditure”

Abstract

In his presentation, Professor Lichtenberg discussed several econometric studies, at the individual, disease, and aggregate levels, that attempt to estimate the impacts of new drugs on longevity, quality of life, and medical expenditure, and a study that examines the effects of Medicare on health care utilization and longevity. Frank R. Lichtenberg is Courtney C. Brown Professor of Business at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He received a BA with Honors in History from the University of Chicago, and an MA and PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Some of Professor Lichtenberg's research has examined how the introduction of new technology arising from research and development affects the productivity of companies, industries and nations. He has performed studies of the impact of pharmaceutical innovation on mortality rates, the effect of computers on productivity in business and government organizations, and the consequences of takeovers and leveraged buyouts for efficiency and employment. His articles have been published in numerous scholarly journals and in the popular press. His book, Corporate Takeovers and Productivity, has been published by MIT Press. He was awarded the 1998 Schumpeter Prize for his paper, "Pharmaceutical Innovation as a Process of Creative Destruction."

Top

Esther Duflo, Ph.D.
Castle Krob Associate Professor, Department of Economics, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

“Health Care and Health Status in Udaipur, Rajasthan”

Abstract

This seminar will present results from an in-depth study of the health status, health seeking behavior, and health care options of 1,000 households in 100 villages in the Udaipur district of the Indian State of Rajasthan. The survey, conducted over a year and a half, contains household interviews, interviews with all the public and private facilities these household use, and a weekly monitoring of presence and usage in the 134 public facilities serving those villages.

The seminar will start by showing a 50-minute documentary, "The Name of the Disease," conducted in the same area in conjunction with the survey. Those findings paint a bleak picture of health care and health status in the areas: health status is poor, with many individuals suffering from limitation in their activities of daily living and reporting symptoms in the past months. Demand for health care is high: on average, households spend 7% of their monthly budget on health care. Available health care is of very poor quality: absenteeism in public facilities reaches 43%. As a result, most households seek health care in private facilities or from traditional providers instead. A minority of the "private doctors," however, hold a medical degree. A sizeable minority did not graduate from high school. The treatment given includes drips and injections in 68% of the visits.

The seminar will conclude by presenting on-going action-research projects, which will evaluate alternative ways to remedy this situation.

Top