Research Grants

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Carlson Faculty Research Grants

Check back regularly as this list will continually be updated with new faculty research.

    Social Bonds as a Pooled Financing Mechanism to Address Social Drivers of Health Equity

    Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Systems for Action

    The Business Advancement Center for Health’s initial research initiative is a three-year project awarded in November 2021 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Systems for Action program. It is focused on designing and evaluating a novel financial instrument to align Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) and establish sustainable funding for targeting social influencers of health (SIH), such as housing and food insecurity. This project will design and evaluate a social bond to align MCOs to efficiently invest in SIH needs and to curate long-term, sustainable funds that can be equitably distributed to the needed interventions. A social bond raises funds from investors to support projects that create demonstrable positive social impact and will improve allocation of resources that address racial and other dimensions of health equity so that interventions can reach all individuals in need of these critical services regardless of payer source.  

    This research project is a collaboration between the Carlson School and the Minnesota Hospital Association, with support from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Council of Health Plans, Piper Sandler, PrimeWest Health, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, Second Harvest Heartland, and StratisHealth.
     
    Research Project team:

    • PI: Pinar Karaca-Mandic, PhD, Carlson School of Management
    • Co-PI: Rahul Koranne, MD, MBA, Minnesota Hospital Association
    • Co-I: Susanna Gibbons, CFA, Carlson School of Management
    • Co-I: Richard Thakor, PhD, Carlson School of Management  
    • Co-I: David Haynes, PhD, Institute for Health Informatics
    • Project Manager: Kim Choyke, Carlson School of Management
    • Research Assistant: Ryan Johnson, Accounting, class of 2022
    • Research Assistant: Cindy Li, Finance and Management Information Systems, class of 2023
    • Research Assistant: Fan Yang, Finance and Business Analytics, Computer Science, class of 2023

     

    Learn more about this project from the Systems for Action Research in Progress webinar

    Medical Reversals: De-Implementing Ineffective and Unsafe Treatments

    National Institute of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

    Understanding whether and how robust clinical evidence is integrated into practice is critical from the perspectives of: a) improving patient safety and health outcomes; b) designing programs and policies to accelerate the use of high value, effective treatments and abandon less effective and harmful treatments; c) containing health care costs by allocating limited health care budgets to their most effective use. In most circumstances, physicians and healthcare delivery organizations (HCDOs) are the key agents in determining whether a patient receives a given medical treatment. However, physician and HCDO integration of clinical evidence into practice are not well studied or understood. In general, the term "integration of evidence into practice" could mean both the adoption of new treatments and the de-implementation of established treatments based on new evidence related to effectiveness or safety. In this proposal, we will focus on the latter. The primary focus of this research is to understand how physician networks, HCDOs, and the physician market environment influence the de-implementation of ineffective and unsafe treatments in practice. Read more about the project's specific aims and view the team's publications. 

    Research Project team:

    • PI: Pinar Karaca-Mandic, PhD, Carlson School of Management
    • Co-I: Bryan Dowd, PhD, School of Public Health
    • Research Associate: Ashwini Sankar, PhD, Carlson School of Management
    • Doctoral Student: Zachary Levin, School of Public Health
    • Doctoral Student: Jiani Zhou, School of Public Health
    • Doctoral Student: Kristi Swanson, School of Public Health
    • Doctoral Student: Khoa Vu, College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resource Sciences
    • Project Alumni: Alex Everhart, PhD
    • Project Alumni: Adeniyi Togun, PhD
    • Project Alumni: Lucas Higuera, PhD
    • Project Alumni: Laura Barrie Smith, PhD

    Research Partners:

    • Arizona State University
    • Mayo Clinic
    • Harvard University
    • Yale University

    Project id: 5R01HS025164-02

    Biosimilars: Policy, Insurance and Implications for Cancer Patients

    American Cancer Society, 01/01/2018 - 06/20/2022   

    In recent years, biologics have revolutionized the treatment of cancer as well as many other severe and chronic conditions, but also exceptionally high prices. In the U.S., the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) was passed as part of the Affordable Care Act. The BPCIA created an abbreviated licensure pathway for biological products shown to be either “biosimilar” to or “interchangeable” with a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed biological product (i.e., the reference product). The goal of the BPCIA was to create a pathway for the creation of the biosimilar products that would result in improved competition, reduced prices and greater access for consumers. Biosimilars are expected to be less expensive alternatives than the reference biologics. However, biologics are far more complex in molecular structure than conventional drugs, potentially making them more sensitive to differences in manufacturing. Therefore, safety concerns and sustained efficacy are both critical issues in further development of biosimilars. While the BPCIA laid out the legal and regulatory framework for the biosimilars, the response in the U.S. to this regulatory policy has been slow. After about 5 years of the BPCIA, FDA approved the first biosimilar product, an oncology drug, on March 6, 2015. Zarxio is a biosimilar version of the filgrastim injection manufactured by Sandoz, with Amgen’s Neupogen as its reference biologic product. Filgrastim is a Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) used to prevent and treat neutropenia (low levels of a type of white blood cells) and subsequent infections; it is often associated with myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Zarxio (filgrastim-sndz) was launched in the U.S. in September 3, 2015. Other G-CSFs include Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) injection by Amgen and Granix (tbo-filgrastim) injection by Teva. This study will focus on the launch of the biosimilar, and examine 1) total and out-of-pocket costs of the biosimilar, reference biologic and other G-CSFs; 2) uptake of the biosimilar, and its implications on use of the reference biologic and other G-CSFs; 3) adverse events associated with the biosimilar, reference biologic and other G-CSFs. Three insurance groups will be included: commercially insured, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Fee-For-Service. By focusing on this first biosimilar in the U.S. which is used almost exclusively for cancer supportive care we will: 1) inform policy makers, providers, clinical practice and payers on potential barriers to adoption of the biosimilars; 2) identify how biosimilars can serve as affordable treatment options and reduce costs of cancer care; and 3) provide an evidence-base to evaluate the biosimilar’s safety. As future biosimilar cancer treatments are approved, our study can provide a model to inform and guide biosimilar policy and reimbursement to improve cancer care and reduce its financial burden on patients and on society.

    Research Project Team: 

    Published Manuscripts:

    Chang, J, Karaca-Mandic, P, Go. RS., Schondelmeyer S, Weisdorf D, Jeffery, M “Site of Care potentially limits cost-savings from biosimilars”, American Journal of Managed Care, August 2021

    Karaca-Mandic P, Chang J, Go R, Schondelmeyer S, Weisdorf D, Jeffery M. “Biosimilar filgrastim uptake and affordability among commercially insured and Medicare Advantage enrollees”, Health Affairs, 38(11), 2019

     

    Project id: RSGI-17-154-01-CPHPS

    Competitive Dynamics of Physician Referrals in the Erra of ACOs

    NIHCM Foundation, 01/01/2020 - 06/30/2022   

    This study will examine the relationships between ACO entry and competitive dynamics in regional health care markets, specifically seeking to understand how local market ACO penetration affects referral patterns from PCPs to specialists and whether changes in referral patterns mediate the relationship between ACO entry and cost/quality in the market. By considering the competitive market dynamics related to ACOs, this study is expected to extend the evidence base on ACOs.

    Research Project Team: 

    Contact Business Advancement Center for Health

    Phone: 612-624-1532