Our Research
As a public benefit company, Waymark is committed to learning from our research, sharing our findings, and moving community-based care forward.
Medicaid Expansion and Racial-Ethnic and Sex Disparities in Cardiovascular Diseases Over 6 Years: A Generalized Synthetic Control Approach
Findings report that Medicaid expansion was associated with a reduction in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality overall and in particular among minority and female subpopulations.
Financing Thresholds for Sustainability of Community Health Worker Programs for Patients Receiving Medicaid Across the United States
We sought to estimate minimum threshold Medicaid payment rates to enable community health worker (CHW) program sustainability, and found that higher Medicaid fee-for-service and capitated rates than currently used may be needed to support financial viability of CHW programs. We also present a revised payment estimation approach that may help state officials, health systems and plans discussing CHW program sustainability.
Prediction of non emergent acute care utilization and cost among patients receiving Medicaid
Patients receiving Medicaid often experience limited access to primary care, leading to high utilization of emergency departments for non-emergent conditions. We tested alternative widely-debated strategies to improve Medicaid risk models, the results of which demonstrate a modeling approach to substantially improve risk prediction performance and patient equity.
A Social ACO For Medicaid Managed Care
Numerous studies have shown that the failure to address individuals’ health-related social needs (HRSNs) can result in poorer health outcomes and increased health care costs. Here, we propose an alternative value-based arrangement for Medicaid managed care that addresses social needs by placing primarily non-clinical staff at the center of care to maximize impact.
Advancing Access to Care in Washington State
Access to quality primary care is associated with improved health outcomes and lower medical costs, but social determinants of health (SDOH) can impact access to care. Patients with the greatest risk for poor health outcomes may be disconnected from primary care. Connecting these patients to primary care improves health outcomes reduces emergency department utilization and reduces total cost of care.
Value Veneers and How To Enable Value In Medicaid Care Delivery
Here, we argue that adoption of value-based care (VBC) in Medicaid has been limited due to a lack of revenue optimization opportunities via risk adjustment, the complexity of implementing VBC models across state Medicaid programs, high member churn, and the growth of “value veneers,” or modest value-based arrangements that nominally pass as VBC but do not meaningfully alter care delivery.
Estimated Costs of Intervening in Health-Related Social Needs Detected in Primary Care
In this decision analytical model, the cost of providing evidence-based interventions for social needs averaged $60 per member per month. The findings of this study suggest that a substantial increase in resources would be needed to implement a comprehensive approach to addressing social needs that falls largely outside of existing federal financing mechanisms.
Eliminating Food Insecurity in the USA: A Target Trial Emulation Using Observational Data to Estimate Effects on Health-Related Quality of Life
Food insecurity is associated with many aspects of poor health but trials of food insecurity interventions typically focus on outcomes of interest to funders rather than quality of life outcomes that may be prioritized by individuals who experience food insecurity. Our findings show that food insecurity elimination may improve important, but understudied, aspects of health.
Financing Health Care System Interventions Addressing Social Risks
Social determinants of health affect the distribution of individual-level social risks to health, such as food and housing instability, and inadequate transportation. For these reasons, those in the health care system are increasingly seeking to help with social risks, often by working with agencies and community-based organizations for multi sector collaboration.
Does Primary Care Availability Mediate the Relationship Between Rurality and Lower Life Expectancy in the United States?
PCP density is a meaningful mediator of the relationship between urbanity and life expectancy. The mediation effect observed was higher in rural counties compared to all counties. Understanding how PCP density may be increased in rural areas may be of critical benefit to rural life expectancy.
