Policy Research
The NCPC Policy Division conducts research to evaluate the impact of proposed and existing policies on the primary care system and the elimination of health disparities. Healthcare finance and delivery policies are rapidly evolving toward improving quality and paying for performance. The NCPC Policy Division’s research seeks to understand the impact of these policies on primary care clinicians, especially those serving uninsured patients and those insured by Medicaid. Some examples of our work studying the impact of policies include:
- Primary care clinicians that serve minority and rural populations adopted electronic health records at a slower rate than clinicians serving other populations.
- Telemedicine was rarely used in the Medicaid program and almost exclusively to provide mental health services.
- Missed policy opportunities to advance health equity in the implementation of the Meaningful Use program.
- Integrating health equity into learning health systems using the PETAL framework.
Informing Policy
The NCPC Policy Division translates and disseminates research with the intent of informing evidence-based policy that advances health equity. We inform policy through public comments, discussions with policymakers, collaboration with partners, service on legislative committees and task forces, and through social media.