Washington, DC – The Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, one of the nation’s leading health care socioeconomic research organizations, today announced the awarding of six research grants to support studies of the role of diagnostic imaging in today’s changing health care payment and delivery structures.

“Our health care system is evolving to emphasize positive patient outcomes, wellness and early diagnosis and prevention as opposed to transactionally treating disease under traditional fee-for-service models,” said Dr. Richard Duszak, CEO of the Neiman Health Policy Institute. “Health policymakers need a greater understanding of the role diagnostic imaging plays in advancing quality care and cost-efficiency in this new environment, and we’re excited to be supporting research to expand our knowledge in this arena.”

The Neiman Health Policy Institute is pleased to announce its 2013 Grant Recipients [Principal Investigators (Institutions), Project Titles]:

1. Dr. Saurabh Jha (University of Pennsylvania), “Utilization of Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging in Medicare Beneficiaries Undergoing Coronary Revascularization”
2. Dr. Marta Heilbrun (University of Utah), “Demonstrating the Value of Imaging: Measuring the impact of Whole – Body versus Selective CT on length of stay in severe trauma”
3. Dr. William Hsu (UCLA), “Utilization and Value of Imaging in the Elderly Population”
4. Dr. Suhui Li (George Washington University), “How Does Tort Reform Affect Physicians’ Ordering of Diagnostic Imaging Services?”
5. Dr. Michael Lu (Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital), “Reducing Repeat Imaging Due to Transfer of Care: Import to PACS and Formal Reports for Outside Imaging”
6. Dr. Amir Khaliq (University of Oklahoma), “The Scope, Variation, and Cost of Imaging Services at Critical Access Hospitals”

In the official Call for Proposals, issued last December, the Neiman Institute identified four broad areas of interest: (1) understanding the value of imaging in improving patient outcomes and reducing costs; (2) examining the role imaging will play in the “next generation” of health care delivery models, such as Accountable Care Organizations and medical homes; (3) analyzing the impact imaging has on care quality, specifically the effects of the shift from fee-for-service to quality- and value-based payment on overall quality of care and the practice of radiology; and (4) understanding how the changing regulatory and payment environment will affect imaging utilization and patient access to diagnostic care. The winning research studies span all of these areas, and are quite diverse beyond their interest in the role radiology plays in health care delivery.

These six research projects were selected from a pool of almost 40 submissions by a six-member selection committee composed of both HPI professional staff and distinguished academic radiology leaders. Each project proposal was first reviewed and scored across several criteria. These composite scores were then compiled and screened in two rounds, first for those proposals that scored highest in “Fits HPI Mission.” The proposals within this pool with the highest aggregate composite scores across all of the criteria were selected to receive research grants until grant funds were exhausted.

“We’re rapidly moving toward an environment that stresses value in health care payment and delivery, where we get better results for less cost,” Dr. Duszak said. “Radiology services have a critical role to play in terms of reducing unnecessary treatments and providing the right care for the right illness at the right time. These six research studies will help us better understand and quantify how to optimize the impact of imaging in 21st-century health care.”

The Neiman Institute conducts and supports research regarding medical imaging use, quality and safety metrics and human resources as medicine moves toward non-traditional, value-based payment and delivery. The data gleaned from these efforts will serve as the basis for true, evidence-based medical imaging and health care policy.