WASHINGTON (July 18, 2016) — The George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) has established a new Center for Healthcare Innovation and Policy Research (CHIPR). The new Center will absorb the Office of Clinical Practice Innovation and Urgent Matters, expanding its reach across GW.
“The major focus of CHIPR will be the rigorous study of the most innovative practices in medical care with the goal of promoting evidence-based public policy,” said Jesse Pines, M.D., M.B.A., director of CHIPR, professor of emergency medicine at GW SMHS, and professor of health policy and management at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at GW. “We hope to contribute to effective policymaking and improve healthcare in a time of major delivery system and payment changes.”
CHIPR focuses on multi-disciplinary, collaborative scholarship on enhancing value in health care delivery. Value in health is the relationship between the costs of care and the quality of services and outcomes. The CHIPR core faculty includes Pines, Steven Farmer, M.D., Ph.D., associate director of CHIPR, associate professor of medicine at GW SMHS, and associate professor of health policy and management at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at GW, Andrew Meltzer, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine at GW SMHS, Barbara Gage, Ph.D., M.P.A., and Trudy Mallinson, Ph.D., OTR/L, both associate professors of clinical research and leadership at GW SMHS. The team brings a broad and diverse perspective to this challenge. Their expertise includes practice innovation, measurement, health policy, payment reform, healthcare management, and education. Associated faculty and senior scholars extend CHIPR expertise and include Ken Harwood, PT, Ph.D., Ali Moghtaderi, Ph.D., M.B.A., Gaetano R. Lotrecchiano, Ed.D., Ph.D., and Eliot Sorel, M.D.
As a foundational strength, CHIPR creates robust cross-linkages across a multi-disciplinary team. For example, Pines and Meltzer work with stakeholder groups and government agencies to enhance understanding of policies affecting acute, unscheduled care. They also conduct clinical research studies in emergency medicine. Gage and Mallinson collaborate on several federal projects to address critical gaps in beneficiary assessment within the Medicare and Medicaid home and community-based services programs. Farmer and Moghtaderi are exploring the joint effect of malpractice risk and financial incentives on cardiovascular testing. “We are directly engaging with physician leadership and policymakers to ensure that implementation of the Affordable Care Act and other legislation, such as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act positively impact patient care and reduce costs,” said Farmer.
CHIPR faculty have established strong ties across GW and collaborate extensively with experts from other institutions. At GW, current projects engage researchers drawn from health sciences, public health, physical therapy, and systems engineering. Nationally, projects connect faculty drawn from multiple institutions from the disciplines of epidemiology, economics, business administration, law, health policy, and medicine. CHIPR collaborations may be formally recognized through the CHIPR fellows and scholars program, and interested candidates are encouraged to apply.
In addition to its research and policy development activities, CHIPR has an educational and dissemination mission. CHIPR is home to Urgent Matters, a multi-modal online program that supports innovations in practice and policy in acute and emergency care. In order to develop a new cadre of medical students who understand the importance of value in shaping health care, Pines co-leads the clinical practice innovation and entrepreneurship track at GW SMHS. The track broadens the skills that students can bring to their future practice and develops a new generation of leaders. Additionally, Mallinson and Gage advise and mentor students in the new Ph.D. in Translational Health Sciences in GW SMHS. This exciting new program will build effective leaders who can close the gap between evidence generation and policy implementation. Farmer advises doctoral and post-doctoral candidates in health economics and business administration. In addition, CHIPR faculty mentor numerous medical students on research projects each summer, many of which result in peer-reviewed publications.
