Research

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.
Learn more about IHPS
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

 

Featured Story-

Study shows Flame retardants linked to lower child IQ

A hazardous class of flame retardant chemicals commonly found in furniture and household products damages children’s intelligence, resulting in loss of IQ points, according to a new study by UC San Francisco researchers. “Despite a series of bans and phase-outs, nearly everyone is still exposed to PBDE flame retardants, and children are at the most risk,” said UCSF’s Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH, professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences and a member of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. “Our findings should be a strong wake-up call to those policymakers currently working to weaken or eliminate environmental health protections.” Read More

Link to SFgate Article 
Link to Study

Doctors and patients – what’s your experience with Medi-Cal?

If you’re on Medi-Cal, it’s likely more difficult for you to get health care access, including appointments and services like psychiatry, than for Medicaid recipients in others states.

Out of all the states in the U.S., California ranks 48th in how much it pays physicians who take on Medi-Cal recipients. Would doctors be more likely to take on Medi-Cal patients if they got larger reimbursements for them?

Guest: Janet Coffman, associate professor of health policy at UCSF school of medicine.

Link to KPCC Radio Interview
Link to MediCal Report in CALmatters 

Why have ER visit rates increased in California, despite the ACA?

Kathryn PhilipsMore than five million Californians have gained coverage under Obamacare, either through the expansion of Medi-Cal, California’s version of the Medicaid program for low-income people, or by purchasing health plans from Covered California, the state’s insurance exchange. Emergency room visits by people on Medi-Cal rose 75 percent over five years, from 800,000 in the first quarter of 2012 to 1.4 million in the last quarter of 2016. Renee Hsia, professor of emergency medicine and health policy at UCSF; director of the policy lab for acute care & emergencies at UCSF, joins Lanhee Chen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and former policy director for the Romney-Ryan 2012 presidential campaign in this radio interview hosted by KPCC's Larry Mantle. Read More