Department Of Health Policy

Stephen Patrick, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy in the Division of Neonatology with the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, recently testified before congress about the rise in neonatal abstinence syndrome. Read More

As health care organizations implement new strategies to improve quality and reduce costs, a physician researcher at VUMC is setting out to identify whether there could be unintended effects. Read More

Legally prescribed narcotics taken during pregnancy can lead to neonatal abstinence syndrome, especially in combination with tobacco or SSRIs. Read More

Humility, persuasion and a good sense of timing are essential for translating health policy research into real world practice that actually improves the health of Americans, according to former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. Read More

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a lawsuit challenging the Obama Administration’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Vanderbilt University legal expert James Blumstein says the true issue surrounding the King v. Burwell case is separation of powers. Read More

Tennessee must improve the health of its citizens if it wants to offer an attractive workforce to businesses, Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos said during a Nashville Community Health Forum attended by state legislators and other stakeholders. Read More

One way to lower overall health care costs and lessen health disparities among the poor may be to allow public and private health insurers to incentivize patient adherence to evidence-based protocols for chronic diseases and conditions. Read More

As the nation’s health care system undergoes unprecedented challenges, Melinda Buntin’s appointment as chair of Vanderbilt’s new Department of Health Policy couldn’t come at a better time. Read More

Melinda Buntin, Ph.D., deputy assistant director for Health at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), will become chair of the new Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in late August. Read More