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Morgan Henderson of The Hilltop Institute at UMBC co-authors new research investigating the feasibility of price shopping for two common hospital services

Morgan Henderson, principal data scientist at The Hilltop Institute at UMBC, co-authors an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association of Internal Medicine on pricing discrepancies at top hospitals. Continue Reading Morgan Henderson of The Hilltop Institute at UMBC co-authors new research investigating the feasibility of price shopping for two common hospital services

A nursing home resident using a wheelchair receives an injection from a health professional

CIDER program supports new approach to measuring nursing home quality, plus more research collaborations

Assessing the quality of nursing home care has historically been a challenging and complex process that considers only a portion of the factors involved—generally, clinical indicators reported by the nursing homes themselves. UMBC researchers are collaborating on a new measure of nursing home quality that combines care experiences with clinical data. And they are doing it with funding from a new UMBC program designed to support novel research across different teams.  Continue Reading CIDER program supports new approach to measuring nursing home quality, plus more research collaborations

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The Hilltop Institute at UMBC revolutionizes data analytics to advance health and wellbeing

The Hilltop Institute at UMBC has led numerous high-impact health care research projects over a nearly 30-year history at UMBC. “The Hilltop Institute epitomizes the spirit of UMBC’s mission to integrate teaching, research and engaged scholarship, and service to benefit communities in Maryland and beyond,” says Cynthia Woodcock, executive director of Hilltop. Continue Reading The Hilltop Institute at UMBC revolutionizes data analytics to advance health and wellbeing

How to make comparing prices of an MRI or colonoscopy as easy as shopping for a new laptop

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost 33 cents of every dollar spent on health care in the U.S. goes to hospitals – and that’s excluding what your doctor bills you separately. But hospital pricing isn’t just expensive. It’s also murky. Continue Reading How to make comparing prices of an MRI or colonoscopy as easy as shopping for a new laptop

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UMBC’s Fei Han, of The Hilltop Institute, receives grant to develop model predicting patients’ COVID-19 hospitalization risk

UMBC’s Fei Han has received a COVID-19 Accelerated Translational Incubator Pilot (ATIP) award for research to help predict and reduce patients’ risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19. He will further develop the Hilltop Pre-AH Model™, a preventative risk model, to apply to pandemic conditions. Continue Reading UMBC’s Fei Han, of The Hilltop Institute, receives grant to develop model predicting patients’ COVID-19 hospitalization risk

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CS3 leads research summit on community-based violence prevention in Baltimore

“We wanted to purposefully use this summit to convene as many researchers as possible to examine, discuss, and share expertise and data,” Mallinson says. “Our intent is increasing collaboration and resources beyond this room, between institutions and the community, to create tangible, applicable and responsive human- and community-centered research in violence prevention with and for Baltimore.” Continue Reading CS3 leads research summit on community-based violence prevention in Baltimore

Michael Abrams

The Hilltop Institute Senior Research Analyst Michael Abrams presents 2015 Shinogle Fellowship Lecture

On Friday, December 4, Hilltop Senior Research Analyst and UMBC Public Policy PhD candidate Michael T. Abrams, MPH, gave the 2015 Judith A. Shinogle Memorial Fellowship lecture at UMBC. Abrams discussed the research projects—spearheaded by Shinogle before her tragic death in 2012—that he and UMBC researchers are conducting to inform policy decisions about health care and treatment for adults with serious mental illness, and children with asthma. He also discussed his dissertation research, which focuses on the impact of news coverage on the dissemination of prescription drug warnings issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Colleagues from Hilltop and… Continue Reading The Hilltop Institute Senior Research Analyst Michael Abrams presents 2015 Shinogle Fellowship Lecture

Hilltop Publishes New Issue Brief on Hospital Community Benefit Policy

The Hilltop Institute’s Hospital Community Benefit Program has just released the eleventh issue brief in its series, Hospital Community Benefits after the ACA. The brief discusses the fact that payment reform focusing on value and quality is driving change that is redefining the hospital’s role in the continuum of care and the health of the broader population. This brief also identifies opportunities for state policymakers to encourage the evolution of hospital community benefit policy in ways that complement and support the realignment of the hospital business model, proactively address the social determinants of health, and ultimately improve the health of… Continue Reading Hilltop Publishes New Issue Brief on Hospital Community Benefit Policy

Cynthia Woodcock, Hilltop, Discusses Affordable Care in Healthcare Journal of Little Rock

Cynthia Woodcock, executive director of The Hilltop Institute,  was quoted in an article in the May-June 2015 issue of the Healthcare Journal of Little Rock titled “The Cost of Caring” by John W. Mitchell. The article focuses on the tension for nonprofit tax-exempt hospitals between requirements that they provide community benefits and the financial costs to them of providing expensive life-saving treatments, all while remaining financially viable. Woodcock discussed that under the Affordable Care Act and the new 501r Final Rule, hospital billing and collection practices have improved for patients, and that increases in coverage have afforded increased access to… Continue Reading Cynthia Woodcock, Hilltop, Discusses Affordable Care in Healthcare Journal of Little Rock

Hilltop Researchers in the Journal of Pediatrics

Hilltop Senior Research Analyst Michael T. Abrams, MPH, and Policy Analyst Carl H. Mueller, MS, are co-authors of a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics titled “Transcranial Doppler screening of Medicaid-insured children with sickle cell disease.” The work was conducted in collaboration with researchers at Johns Hopkins and University of South Carolina medical schools, under the direction of Dr. David Bundy. The study found that letters to parents and doctors of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) did not succeed in increasing their use of a simple screening technique (transcranial Doppler imaging: TDI) for stroke risk, even as… Continue Reading Hilltop Researchers in the Journal of Pediatrics

The Hilltop Institute Celebrates 20 Years of Service

On October 23, The Hilltop Institute celebrated 20 years of service with “A Look Ahead: the Next 20 Years in Federal and State Health Policy,” an event featuring talks by national and regional health policy experts and a well-attended reception. Keynote speaker Bruce Vladeck drew on his experiences as the Senior Advisor for Nexera and former Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) to provide an overview of how the next 20 years of health policy could impact the nation. David Salkever, public policy, spoke about the availability of information and how… Continue Reading The Hilltop Institute Celebrates 20 Years of Service

Hilltop Hospital Community Benefit Program Issue Brief Cited in HealthAffairs

A recent HealthAffairs blog post explored how non profit hospitals are affected by their tax-exempt status under the Affordable Care Act. In the post, author Sara Rosenbaum cited The Hilltop Institute and referenced its Hospital Community Benefit Program’s brief titled “Hospital Community Benefits after the ACA: Addressing Social and Economic Factors that Shape Health.” Click here to read “Tax-Exempt Status For Nonprofit Hospitals Under The ACA: Where Are The Final Treasury/IRS Rules?” in HealthAffairs.

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