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Dr. Alison Cuellar, Professor of Health Administration and Policy and Director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics in the College of Health and Human Services, has been awarded a grant from the National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic changed health care for patients with chronic conditions. The goal of the study is to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected treatment for patients with chronic conditions during the immediate lockdown period, gradual reopening, and post-reopening phases.
Following the onset of the pandemic, sharp declines in outpatient and emergency department visits were observed nationally, with more pronounced reductions depending on patients’ age, gender, and region. Moreover, recent surveys have found that some patients are continuing to postpone their care.
A number of factors could explain delays in care, including patient preferences, practice characteristics, and state policy. By examining drivers of care for patients with chronic conditions across the United States this study seeks to inform a broad range of policy recommendations, ranging from patient outreach, clinician and practice support, alternative practice payments, to competition and telehealth policy.
Cuellar will receive $56,000 from the NIHCM for this project. Funding will begin in February 2021 and will end in late January 2022.