Research Projects

Examples of health care evaluation and research projects done by the Center for HOPES:

Clinical and Translational Science Award (National Institutes of Health).

The Center for HOPES is designing and coordinating the overall evaluation of the project's effects on clinical and translational science, including the translation of biomedical discovery into clinical practice. The overall $34.4 million CTSA grant is one of the largest ever received by the university and will be used to build The Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translationsl Science, a research center that will help streamline the patient care process.

The Design of a Strategy for Evaluating Community Benefits Resulting from Columbus Medical Association Foundation Funding (Columbus Medical Association Foundation).

The Center for HOPES is providing technical assistance to help the Columbus Medical Association Foundation develop a specific assessment process for measuring and evaluating the community benefits and impacts derived from four specific community health initiatives: Access HealthColumbus, Our Optimal Health, the Central Ohio Trauma System (COTS), and the Physicians Free Clinic.

Economic Evaluation of Mental Health Board Funding Formulas (Ohio Department of Mental Health)

Provision of technical assistance, direction, and guidance to the Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) to review and update the department’s current funding formula. This funding formula is used to allocate funds to the 50 local mental health boards in Ohio on an annual basis. Expertise was provided to ODMH for developing and evaluating a variety of scenarios for alternative funding formulas that could be applied during the coming fiscal year 2010.

Employed Immigrant Health Initiative (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation).

Evaluation of various models developed for improving access to health care for Latino workers in the hotel and restaurant industries in the Columbus area. Our involvement includes the design of effective strategies for enhancing access to timely and appropriate care and preventive services, assessment of the potential for each model to be feasibly replicated, and evaluation of the various models relative to various outcomes including cost, patient satisfaction, health status, and employer productivity.

Establishing a Medical Home Network in Franklin County (Access HealthColumbus).

An economic feasibility study to estimate the costs that would be involved in expanding medical care capacity through three models of a "medical home" concept in Franklin County. The project uses benchmark data from a variety of setting and involves a review and assessment of costs incurred in creating medical homes in other locations. Analyses include economic cost modeling, relative to existing provider staffing practices.

Estimating the Community Benefits Related to the Provision of Charitable Care.

The Center for HOPES was recently approached by a consortium of Ohio health care systems to help them estimate the spillover economic and social benefits that are experienced by a community as the result of the system's provision of charitable care.

An Estimation of Potential Cost Savings from the Use of Nutritional Support Therapies in the Treatment of Pressure Ulcers in the United States (Abbott Nutrition).

Systematic review and anlysis of existing literature on the use of nutritional products and nutritional therapeutic products in the treatment of pressure ulcers and other wounds and development of economic models for assessing differentials in outcomes in care with therapeutics compared to conventional care. This will result in the development of economic model for the net savings nationally that accure from the use of these supplements, and a policy analysis for federal Medicare to explore reimbursement options.

Evaluating the Impact of State Coverage Reform Proposals (Ohio Department of Insurance).

An estimation of the effects of the state health care reform proposals developed by the Ohio State Coverage Initiative Advisory Committee, including analysis of the effects of the reform proposals on worker productivity, wages, employment and labor market factors, job growth, health care cost stability, small businesses, disparities, wellness and prevention, disease and chronic care management, and general economic impacts.

Evaluation of the Mansfield STD Re-entry Testing Pilot Program(Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections).

Evaluation of a program to screen for sexually transmitted diseases among inmates upon release from incarceration to determine the extent of infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and to assess behavioral risk factors in a prison population. the Center's role includes monitoring the implementation of the STD pilot testing program, developing an inmate survey and analyzing survey data to assess potential desease risk factors during incarceration.

Health Care in Columbus.

This study summarized the current state of health care in the Columbus area, and identified strategies that could be undertaken by the business community for improving health care delivery.

Impact Evaluation of Your Plan for Health (Managed Health Care Systems, Inc.)

A retrospective cohort study to evaluate the impact of Your Plan for Health on utilization and costs of health services. Analyses will be done to determine the effects of person health assessment (PHA) completion on cost and utilization of services, controlling for other key covariates and to assess changes in health status and behavioral risk status for those who take more than one PHA and biometric screening.

Metrics and Measurement Development Process (Managed Health Care Systems, Inc.)

Development and implementation of a plan for development of a set of performance standards to assess costs, quality of care, and utilization of services for this managed care plan.

Status Report on Recommendations from the Ohio Commission to Reform Medicaid (Center for Community Solutions)

An evaluation of the progress made by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services on the recommendations and action steps issued in the January 2005 report. The project aimed to determine the current status of each recommendation and action step from the report, identify key factors that have influenced the progress or lack of progress, and indicate the main policy implications for consideration at ODJFS and legislative levels.

Study of Employer-Sponsored Eldercare Programs (Retirement Research Foundation)

Collection of baseline information concerning specific types of elder care services used by U.S. employers, their features, costs, and their actual use by employees; compilation of preliminary information on the effects of employer-sponsored elder-care programs on participating employees and their families; and identification of best practices and model programs to guide employers and policy makers on how to optimize these services for the benefit of workers and their aging dependents.