Research

With Medicare spending growth over the next decade expected to exceed GDP growth, the trust fund projected to be depleted in 2026, and evidence of persistent and pervasive waste and disparities in health care, attention has returned to the role of payment reform in controlling Medicare spending growth and driving more efficient and equitable care delivery.

It is unclear whether private equity investment is itself a problem or whether, in the absence of private equity, other sources of capital—such as public equity, venture capital, health systems, and insurers—would similarly exploit existing market failures and legal loopholes in the healthcare system.

In over 26 years of research and development in Alzheimer’s disease, only six novel drugs have reached FDA approval.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has facilitated treatment of aortic stenosis in patients otherwise ineligible for corrective surgery or who are reluctant to undergo open-heart surgery. Schaeffer Center experts estimate the social value of past and future TAVR procedures.

The researchers create a Markov decision process model to maximize overall survival among patients listed for liver transplantation with grade three acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF-3) within the first 7 days of listing

Given the increased attention to the opioid epidemic and the role of inappropriate prescribing, there has been a marked increase in the number of studies using claims data to study opioid use and policies designed to curb misuse.

A team from the USC Schaeffer Center undertook a full assessment of the first year of the pandemic’s mortality burden by measuring years of life lost and accounting for quality-of-life differences, factoring in age, sex, race/ethnicity and comorbidities.

Acute myocardial infarction is a common cause of hospital admissions, readmissions, and mortality worldwide. Digital health interventions that promote self-management, adherence to guideline-directed therapy, and cardiovascular risk reduction may improve health outcomes in this population.

Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome is an emerging clinical issue associated with cannabis use. Legalization of cannabis has led to an increase in vomiting-related illnesses in health care settings.