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Case Studies Illustrate Use of Health Services Research
Contact: Cheryl Pedersen, (609) 275-2258
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 4, 2009)—Findings from well-conducted health research can help policymakers improve health care delivery, control costs, and enhance quality of care. But few studies examine in depth how this occurs and the processes involved. A new report from Mathematica Policy Research presents seven case studies illustrating examples of different ways selected research findings have been moved to the policy and practice realm.
The case studies were part of a larger evaluation Mathematica conducted for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to review their grant-funded research on health care costs, productivity, organization, and market forces. The case studies are being circulated separately to help researchers learn how their colleagues made findings more relevant for different audiences. The case studies also may generate insight for users and funders of research on the translation process; the role researchers, users, and intermediaries can play; and ways the process can be supported.
The case studies show that research findings get known through publication in peer-reviewed journals but efforts that go beyond journal publications to reach target user audiences also are invaluable. Investigators that involved users as part of the research process garnered their support for later dissemination and uptake of research findings. By becoming known for their expertise on particular topics, researchers also became more prominent and visible to potential users of that research.
Common key lessons from the seven case studies include the importance of:
- Developing relationships with potential users
- Understanding how results might be used for different policy decisions and the timing of these decisions
- Fitting individual projects within a broader “stream” of research conducted by the investigator and contributing to a broader body of research conducted by other investigators
- Developing investigators’ expertise—and reputation for expertise—to enhance the quality and visibility of the research among policymakers
The seven case studies were:
- “The Effect of Clinic Payment and Structure on Costs” (Karlewski, University of Minnesota)
- “Rural Response to Medicare+Choice: Change and its Impact” (Mueller, University of Nebraska Medical Center)
- “Prescription Drug Cost-Sharing: Affordability/Safety” (Hsu, Kaiser Foundation Research Institute)
- “Asthma Quality in Varying Managed Medicaid Plans” (Lieu, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care)
- “Quality Measures and Managed Care Markets” (Luft, University of California San Francisco)
- “Structuring Markets and Competition in Health” (Newhouse, Harvard Medical School)
- “Quality of Care for Children with Special Needs in Managed Care” (Shenkman, University of Florida)
Grants ranged in size from $203,000 to $5.3 million and were funded between 1998 and 2006, with the length of studies ranging from two to five years.
“Our hope is that these case studies and findings will encourage discussion on the linkages between research and policy and promote an enhanced understanding of how to strengthen these linkages,” said Marsha Gold, Mathematica senior fellow and project director for the study.
“Strategies for Translating Health Services Research to Policy and Practice: Selected Case Studies of Investigator-Initiated Research Funded by AHRQ” by Timothy Lake, Tara Krissik, Kate Stewart, and Gold is available at www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/pdfs/Health/AHRQ_casestudies.pdf.
Mathematica, a nonpartisan research firm, provides a full range of research and data collection services, including program evaluation and policy research, survey design and data collection, research methods and standards, and program management/data system support, to improve public well-being. Its clients include federal and state governments, foundations, and private-sector and international organizations. The employee-owned company, with offices in Princeton, N.J., Ann Arbor, Mich., Cambridge, Mass., Chicago, Ill., Oakland, Calif., and Washington, D.C., has conducted some of the most important studies of health care, education, family support, employment, nutrition, and early childhood policies and programs.