FEATURE STORIES

Promoting Public Benefits in the Emergency Department

Austin Kilaru, Raina Merchant, and Anish Agarwal found that adding follow-up text messages to paper flyers increased the likelihood that discharged patients contacted a benefits navigator. 

Rural Health Transformation in Pennsylvania

Paula Chatterjee testified before the Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors on Rural Health Transformation Program funding and implementation. 

"Pill Mill" Laws Cut Opioid Overprescribing and Deaths

Research by David Powell revealed that state laws targeting pill mills effectively reduce harms caused by opioids without a shift to the illicit drug market.  

Risk-Based Contracts Unlikely to Cut Waste in Medicare Advantage

Aaron Schwartz, Sumedha Chhatre, and Amol Navathe found mixed evidence on whether switching to risk-based contracts is associated with changes in health care use. 

LIHEAP Must Include Cooling

In an op-ed in STAT News, Charles Leonard urged the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to require cooling in addition to heat assistance.

PENN LDI AT ACADEMYHEALTH

Research by many LDI Fellows will be represented at the 2026 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, May 30–June 2 in Seattle. Browse our day-by-day Fellow presentation schedule, and stop by LDI's booth #611 in the exhibitor hall. 

 EVENT RECAP

PARC Retreat Examines Growing Pressures Facing Aging Americans

At the 2026 Population Aging Research Center Retreat, researchers explored how aging, workforce shortages, and rising federal debt are reshaping U.S. health care. 

IN THE MEDIA

“The Testosterone Moment is Here. And Men May Never Look the Same.” Derek Griffith. New York Times Magazine

“American Hospital Association Podcast: Healing Trauma From Violence.” Elinore Kaufman. Advancing Health

“After Dobbs, Miscarriage Care Looked Different in States With Abortion Bans.” Courtney Schreiber. Science News

“Inside America’s Emergency Room Crisis.” Austin Kilaru. WHYY

“Lawmakers to Reform Free Hospital Care Rules Following Spotlight Delaware Investigation.” Guy David. Spotlight Delaware 

PUBLICATIONS

“Prevalence and Treatment of Anxiety and Depression Among U.S. Health Care Workers, 2021–2024.” John C. Lin, Chloe Gao, Anthony Zhong, Jaya Aysola, Judith A. Long. Journal of General Internal Medicine

“Examining Staff Perceptions of a Proactive, Telephonic Transition-of-Care Program for Pregnant People With Emergency Department Utilization.” Stephanie M. Garcia, Lanelle Quzack, Erica Hartmann, Natasha Dravid, Michelle Adyniec, Meredith Matone. Health Services Research

“Trends in Prescription Drug Coverage Restrictions in Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial Insurance Plans, 2011–2019.” Michael Anne Kyle, Pragya Kakani, Samantha L. Burn, Luca Maini. Health Affairs Scholar

“Association of Stress and Neighborhood Social Context With Actigraphy-Measured and Self-Reported Adolescent Sleep Outcomes.” Gabrielle DiFiore, Hannah Martin, Jonathan A. Mitchell, Ian Barnett, Douglas Wiebe, Mathias Basner, Alexander G. Fiks, Karen Glanz, Stephanie L. Mayne. Journal of Adolescent Health

“Do Prolonged Donor Warm Ischemic Times Correlate With Kidney Transplant Outcomes? The Largest Study of Donation After Circulatory Death Donors in the United States.” Olivia Y. Ong, Nicolas Munoz, Douglas E. Schaubel, Kyle R. Jackson, Ronald F. Parsons, Peter L. Abt, Elizabeth M. Sonnenberg. Transplantation 

Penn’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics is a national leader in advancing health policy through transformative research.