Elevance Health Public Policy Institute

#ICYMI We presented at AHIP's 2025 Medicare, Medicaid, Duals & Commercial Markets Forum on a few of our recent papers focused on Medicare Advantage (MA). These papers found high uptake of MA supplemental benefits and evidence that supplemental benefit use is associated with improved healthcare utilization. Another of our papers found that increasing MA penetration contributes to slowing growth in overall Medicare program spending. At the event, we further discussed what may drive some of these findings. Check out the full reports below: 🍎 https://lnkd.in/e4t2HnYg 🩺 https://lnkd.in/eEbW2Tsh 📉 https://lnkd.in/e3vw745q

Our research shows enormous value in having access to doula care. Our latest evaluation of doula services found lower risk of having a C-section and preterm birth, as well as higher odds of attending a postpartum visit, among those who used a doula. The report also explores considerations for Medicaid programs interested in implementing a future doula benefit. Read more from our 2024 research ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ezb5_Xrk Our 2023 research ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e4ePSBUV

Access to clean, safe, and healthy foods is a critical concern in the U.S., contributing to the development and worsening of many chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Last month, we published a report highlighting how Elevance Health’s affiliated health plans have implemented Food as Medicine strategies, which can increase access to nutritious foods and address diet-related health conditions. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gZryb9MZ

We're thrilled to share that PPI's own Leah Ramirez and Benjamin Ukert will be presenting this week at #2024APPAM! The APPAM Fall Research Conference is a multi-disciplinary event that allows researchers to share their work on a wide range of pressing policy and management topics. Leah and Ben will present research on the relationship between obstetric care provider incentive levels and birth cost savings from value-based care in Medicaid and arbitration outcomes for out-of-network medical bills under the No Surprises Act, respectively. Read Leah's Abstract ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eB5DzTrK Read Ben's Abstract ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ePXnpbgZ

Did you catch PPI researcher Benjamin Ukert on the Managed Care Cast Podcast from AJMC - The American Journal of Managed Care? On it, he discusses his study that explores prior authorization and whether it is a factor in disparities in cancer care. The study ultimately found no differences in the prior authorization process for Black and Hispanic patients with cancer and higher rates of prior authorization approvals for Asian patients compared with White patients. 🎙️Listen to the Podcast: https://lnkd.in/eQ53a5FR 💡Read the Paper: https://bit.ly/3A3zPU4

#ICYMI PPI's recent paper on #MedicareAdvantage (MA) growth and lower Medicare spending was featured last week in Fierce Healthcare. As the article notes from our study findings, across counties, 10 percentage point higher MA penetration is associated with 1.9% lower Medicare spending per capita. Using this estimate, cumulative savings resulting from the growth in MA penetration from 2012-2021 are as high as $144 billion. 📰 Read the Fierce Healthcare article: https://lnkd.in/eCkUmg3h 💡 Read our PPI paper: https://bit.ly/3YHJjxM

In the last decade, growth in total #Medicare program spending has slowed greatly, spurring questions from policymakers and researchers on why this may be. Today, we published important new research demonstrating the significant association between higher Medicare Advantage penetration and lower total Medicare spending per capita, both across counties and year-over-year within a county. This correlation may well be a key driver behind these recent Medicare spending trends. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3YHJjxM

#ICYMI PPI's recent publication on the role of doulas in improving maternal health and health equity was featured in an article by Science News Magazine earlier this week! The article also quoted PPI associate research director and lead author on the paper, April Falconi. Congrats to April and team! The article summarizes findings from our paper  – such as lower risk of having a C-section and preterm birth and higher odds of attending a postpartum visit among those who received doula care – and offers possible directions for future research. 📰 Read the Science News article: https://lnkd.in/d76fk6jg 💡 Read our PPI paper: https://bit.ly/3BsF7ce

In a new paper published last week, researchers from Elevance Health and Carelon explore whether the prior authorization process is a factor in racial and ethnic disparities in cancer care. No differences in the prior authorization process were found among Black and Hispanic patients compared with White patients, while Asian patients tended to have lower denial rates than White patients. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3A3zPU4 Authors: Benjamin Ukert, Stephanie Schauder, Daniel Cullen, david debono, Michael Eleff, Michael Fisch

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are often-preventable infections that can occur in the part of the body where a surgery took place. These infections account for up to 20-31% of all hospital-acquired infections, making them a notable cause of further hospitalization and even death. A new study co-authored by PPI evaluates the impact of SSIs on patient outcomes. The research found that patients who had an SSI following one of several procedures experienced longer lengths of stay in the hospital, higher readmission rates, and higher rates of reoperation, compared to patients who received the same procedure but did not experience an SSI. In some cases, patients also had a higher risk of mortality in the 12 months after surgery. The findings highlight the need to explore strategies to reduce surgical site infections and their long-term adverse consequences for patients. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/4gUFD2W Authors: Sonali Shambhu, Aliza Gordon, Ying Liu, PhD, Maximilian Pany, PhD, Bill Padula, Peter Pronovost MD, PhD, FCCM, Eugene Hsu, MD, MBA