Stephanie Hedt
Stephanie Hedt is the policy communications associate at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC.
Stories by Stephanie Hedt:
Americans don’t know what’s a healthy blood pressure — and that’s a problem
People say they know what their blood pressure is — but two-thirds of adults don’t know the upper thresholds for normal or healthy blood pressure, according to a new USC study.
New dialysis studies inform delivery of care, ways to improve patient outcomes
Clinical Fellow Eugene Lin finds dialysis facilities owned by nephrologists may provide better care. A second study evaluates the timing of dialysis and elective surgeries, finding days can make a big difference in post-surgery outcomes.
USC analysis finds dialysis firms overcharge largest Medicare Advantage plans
Large dialysis chains charge Medicare Advantage plans 27% more than the traditional, fee-for-service Medicare program.
Failures in the generic drug market cost patients millions
Growing evidence suggests that U.S. consumers overpay for generics by as much as 20% while pharmacy benefit managers pad profits, a USC Schaeffer Center white paper finds.
Report details potential problems caused by lack of diversity in clinical trials
Model from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics plays key role in report form the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
COVID-19 herd immunity is unlikely, USC study indicates
More than 7 in 10 L.A. County adults already were vaccinated or had COVID antibodies before the delta and omicron surges, research shows.
Why is insulin so expensive? Middlemen take half the profit
USC Schaeffer study tracks down the insulin pricing and distribution chain.
Hesitancy persists months after COVID-19 vaccines were widely available in the U.S.
Social vulnerability was also independently associated with widening disparities in county-level coverage, signaling the need for unique, targeted interventions.
Deaths tied to opioids rose among less-educated whites during stay-home order
Opioid-related deaths among Blacks, Asians and Latinos dropped during the same period, according to a study from USC and the L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.
Kids and cannabis: California dispensaries lack adequate screening to keep out minors, study finds
Many cannabis retailers have inadequate screening processes that allow minors to enter and view items that should be restricted to adults 21 and over, researchers at USC and University of California, San Diego, found.
Costco beats Medicare in generic drug savings nearly 50% of the time
Intermediaries are negotiating good drug prices but lack the incentives to pass savings to beneficiaries and taxpayers, a USC study finds.
Monthly cost sharing doubles throughout the year for some Medicare insulin users
Despite insulin’s importance to these patients, increases in out-of-pocket spending were associated with reduced drug adherence, USC research finds.
New research center to address social and economic impacts of Alzheimer’s
USC’s Center for Advancing Sociodemographic and Economic Study of Alzheimer’s Disease will explore the enormous costs of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
To reduce health disparities, new digital dataset focuses on underrepresented Americans
USC Schaeffer Center researchers are heading up the American Life in Real-time initiative, which will collect data from across all socio-demographic groups in an attempt to lessen systemic inequity.
COVID-19 treatments, not just vaccines, will save lives and generate value
Treatments for COVID-19 would deliver up to $106 billion in gains by the end of 2021, a new analysis from the USC Schaeffer Center finds.
Treatment for leading cause of blindness generates billions in value to society
USC researchers’ economic analysis shows the enormous benefits of treating wet age-related macular degeneration.
Kids treated in general ERs are more likely to be prescribed opioids
According to USC research estimates, general ERs that prescribed similarly to pediatric ERs would have given out 28 million fewer opioid prescriptions.
Do price spikes on some generic drugs indicate problems in the market?
For consumers, that could mean soaring costs to purchase some lifesaving drugs, USC study finds.
Who wins when a prescription copay exceeds the drug price? Not the patient
USC study sheds lights on a practice that occurs more often than we think.
Study: Doctors reduce opioid prescriptions after learning a patient overdoses
USC Schaeffer Center study shows that when clinicians are given information about a patient’s overdose, they prescribe fewer of the powerful painkillers.
How insurance programs could save the lives of more hepatitis C patients
USC’s Neeraj Sood and colleagues propose an approach that leverages competition among drug manufacturers, saving states money and ensuring that more people get treatment.
Doctors need a nudge to reduce antibiotic prescriptions
Findings indicate that low-cost interventions could continue to work if adopted long term.
To save on prescriptions, buy at independent pharmacies and use coupons
USC experts say cash prices for medication can vary widely in the same neighborhood. But few comparison shop for health care.