Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies

Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies
PRL-IHPS contributes to the solution of complex and challenging health policy problems through leadership in research, training, technical assistance, and public service.
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Masters of Science in Health Policy and Law
Learn more about the new on-line Masters of Science in Health Policy and Law Degree Program at UCSF and UC Hastings College of Law.
Click to Learn more at hpl.ucsf.edu
Hal Luft Award Winner 2017
In recognition of UCSF faculty who are engaged in health services and/or health policy research in their mentoring roles which demonstrate the qualities exemplified by Dr. Harold Luft.
Hal Luft Award

 

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New to IHPS, Louise C. Walter, MD

Louise WalkerLouise C. Walter, MD is a Professor and Chief of the UCSF Division of Geriatrics. Dr. Walter received her MD from Stanford University and completed a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Geriatrics at UCSF prior to joining the UCSF faculty in 2001. She is an internationally known clinician-researcher and a primary care geriatrician at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Dr. Walter has transformed our approach to cancer screening in older adults.  She has developed novel methodology demonstrating the fundamental importance of life expectancy rather than age in determining benefits and risks of screening.  Virtually every cancer screening guideline cites her research. Dr. Walter is also the Associate Director of the UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute Career Development (KL2) Program and Director of the San Francisco VA's Health Services Research and Development Program to Improve Care for Veterans with Complex Comorbid Conditions. She also leads the Research Education Component for the UCSF Pepper Center for Aging Research.  She is passionate about training the next generation of researchers to conduct high-impact research focused on improving the well-being of older persons and looks forward to building new mentoring and collaborative research relationships with IHPS.

Working Parents, Take a Deep Breath: Preschool, Daycare Do Not Raise Asthma Risk

Social MediaA UCSF study that involved combing through more than 50 years of data to assess the link between asthma and daycare and preschool attendance may provide welcome reassurance to working parents. Early child care does not boost children’s risk for developing this common respiratory disease, according to the study led by researchers at UCSF and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco.

In fact, attending a child care facility is protective of asthma in children ages 3 to 5, lowering their odds of developing asthma by 34 percent, according to senior authors Michael Cabana, MD, MPH, and Janet Coffman, PhD and first author Alicia Swartz, concluded in their study published in the Journal of Asthma.

“The early benefit of child care exposure can potentially be explained by the hygiene hypothesis,” said Michael Cabana, MD, MPH, chief of the UCSF Division of General Pediatrics.  “This theory suggests that lack of exposure to infectious diseases commonly found in child care settings may decrease the risk of allergic diseases, including asthma.” 

Read more: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2018/04/410186/working-parents-take-deep-breath-preschool-daycare-do-not-raise-asthma-risk

Anthem rescinds evaluation and management reimbursement policy to cut payments

Social MediaAnthem has dropped its plan to reduce by 25 percent payments for certain evaluation and management codes. The insurer made the policy change in response to strong opposition from the American Medical Association and other physician groups. 

"Anthem's decision to drop its planned modifier 25 policy is a positive step forward, demonstrating again that when doctors and health plans work together, the best outcome for patients can be achieved," Jack Resneck, Jr., MD, AMA Board Chair, Professor in the UCSF Department of Dermatology and affiliated faculty member of IHPS, said. "This policy is one of a number of issues that the physician community has been working on with Anthem, and the AMA looks forward to continuing these efforts to find ways to collaborate on strategies to deliver affordable, high-quality, patient-centered care."

Read more: http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/anthem-rescinds-evaluation-and-management-reimbursement-policy-cut-payments