Magnet Groups

Health Economics Research Group

The Health Economics Research Group (HERG) within the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Center for Health Services Research (CHSR) provides guidance and support in applying health economics theory and methodologies for examining: a) issues related to health services delivery, b) factors shaping healthcare access and health inequality, and c) evaluating health and healthcare-related policy.

In partnership with CHSR leadership, HERG aims to achieve the following:

Advance the utility of incorporating health economic theory and methods in health services research.
Evaluate the impacts of policy and/or practice changes on healthcare access, quality of care, and health outcomes.
Adapt and implement data-driven study designs leveraging cutting-edge econometric methodologies to evaluate health and social welfare programs, policies, and interventions.

HERG Skills, Technical, and Methodological Expertise

HERG faculty members have diverse methodological and technical expertise, including:

Analyses using large administrative databases (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance claims databases as well as hospital outpatient and inpatient databases) and population-based surveys to assess healthcare utilization patterns, changes, and disparities
Quasi-experimental study designs to isolate the causal impacts of healthcare programs, interventions, and policies in situations where randomized clinical trials are not feasible.
Empirical policy analyses using economic frameworks, econometric study designs, and statistical methods to evaluate the effects of healthcare policy, programs, and interventions.
Economic evaluation approaches such as cost-benefit analysis.

HERG Services

Services offered by HERG members may include:

Consultation services: HERG members can provide methodological guidance and collaborate with researchers on health services research-related projects.
Grant proposal development: HERG members can assist investigators (i.e., faculty, staff, students) in developing grant proposals for health services research funding.
Dissemination of research findings: HERG members can assist investigators in disseminating their findings through peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs for non-technical audiences, and presentations.
Training and workshops: HERG members can offer short workshops on using econometric study designs in health services research studies and using certain databases (i.e., administrative databases and large population-based surveys) for health services research studies.

HERG Leadership

For more information about HERG, including membership opportunities and the role of health economics in health services research, please contact us.

Joseph Benitez, PhD

Assistant Professor

Martin School of Public Policy and Administration

University of Kentucky

joseph.benitez@uky.edu

https://martin.uky.edu/people/joseph-benitez

Jayani Jayawardhana, PhD

Associate Professor

Department of Health Management and Policy

College of Public Health

University of Kentucky

jayani.jayawardhana@uky.edu

https://cph.uky.edu/directory/jayani-jayawardhana

Implementation Science Research Group

The Center for Health Services Research Implementation Science magnet group is intended for investigators interested in implementation science, as well as those who have previously used implementation science principles in their research. By bringing together investigators with varying levels of experience, we intend to foster conversations that result in the development of collaborative research projects that apply implementation science frameworks and methods. Discussions will include funding opportunities, emerging innovations in implementation science, and presentations of works in progress. Investigators at all levels of experience are welcome, including doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars.

For more information about the Implementation Science group, including membership opportunities and the role of implementation science in health services research, please contact us.

Aaron J. Kruse-Diehr, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Associate Director for Implementation Science, Center for Health Services Research | Co-Director, CCTS Center for Implementation, Dissemination & Evidence-based Research (CIDER) | Director, CCTS Community Leadership Institute of Kentucky (CLIK)

kruse-diehr@uky.edu

https://medicine.uky.edu/users/akr254