Latest IMPH Community News

Medicare beneficiaries without low-income subsidies were less likely to fill important prescriptions, new study finds

Many Medicare beneficiaries do not fill high-price specialty drug prescriptions, particularly those that do not receive a low-income subsidy. Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, Russell Rothman, MD, MPP, and colleagues found that beneficiaries receiving subsidies were twice as likely to obtain the prescribed drug than those not receiving subsidies, demonstrating the need to increase the accessibility of high-price medications by reducing out-of-pocket expenses under Medicare Part D. 

Finding ways to improve participation of communities of color in lung cancer clinical trials

The Study  STRIDES was started to discover strategies to improve participation of communities of color in lung cancer clinical trials. The study will focus on obtaining better understanding of the barriers to clinical trial participation among Black patients in Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. Initially, the project will survey and interview different people who play a role in the clinical trial process, from patients to doctors, to find out what items contribute to decreased clinical trial participation among Black patients in th

Hydroxychloroquine does not help patients hospitalized with COVID-19: Study

Findings from a national study published Nov. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) “do not support” the use of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19, the report concludes. The Outcomes Related to COVID-19 treated with Hydroxychloroquine among In-patients with symptomatic Disease (ORCHID) study found that, when compared to inactive placebo, hydroxychloroquine did not significantly improve clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized for respiratory illness related to COVID-19.

Kripalani to lead Center for Health Services Research

Sunil Kripalani, MD, MSc, professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been appointed director of the Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research The center, a critical component of the Institute for Medicine and Public Health (IMPH), engages with more than 160 scientists and other professionals across VUMC to conduct research and discover, implement and disseminate workable solutions for modern-day problems in health care delivery, health care quality and patient-centered outcomes.