Duke-Margolis kicks off education initiative with 2016-2017 Bass Connections

Seeking Medicaid Reform Advisory Team!

The Duke-Robert J. Margolis, M.D., Center for Health Policy is new – established in January 2016, but the center is kicking off its first full academic year with a Bass Connections course that will give students the opportunity to tackle a pressing problem close to home – North Carolina’s Medicaid program.

Duke-Margolis connects the intellectual resources at Duke with policymakers and policy analysts in the public and private sector. Disciplines involved in Center include business, biomedical research, clinical care, public policy, population health, global health, law and other areas.  The goal of the center is “real-world, data driven policy solutions,” says Mark McClellan, the Center’s director. 

The Bass Connections Medicaid Reform Advisory Team will combine these areas of expertise to craft a reform proposal designed to fit the constraints and demands of North Carolina politics, rules for Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, and the state’s need for budget predictability.  Participants will also consider the potential effect of policy solutions on access to care, quality of care and the private insurance market.

“These are some of the toughest issues in health policy,” says Barak Richman, law professor and one of the team leaders.  “How do we define value for patients?  For taxpayers?  For communities?  The answers to these questions are dependent on complex sets of assumptions and considerations.”

The team provides a great opportunity for students, says Don Taylor, public policy professor and the team’s co-leader.  “They will get to see how policy is made in Raleigh, work with representatives from advocacy organizations, the Duke Office of Government Relations, Duke Physicians, and community health institutions – representing a broad range of stakeholders.”

Other team members include Amanda McMillan from Duke Translational Medicine, Allison Rice from the Law Clinics, Elizabeth Richardson from Duke-Margolis, and Leigh Ann Simmons from the School of Nursing.

To elevate the importance of exploring societal and cultural challenges by engaging faculty and undergraduate, professional and graduate students in teamwork; integrating disciplinary approaches and professional practice; and applying knowledge, research and skills in problem-solving

Duke-Margolis focuses on policy that influences healthcare cost, quality, innovation and delivery where desirable outcomes are poorly aligned with healthcare payments and the goals of reform. This goal requires understanding the incentives embedded in the system, a deep knowledge of how healthcare is delivered across a number of settings, the data systems needed to support high value care, and ensuring that reimbursement supports the policy decisions that will help achieve this larger goal.