PennLDI

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Is Medicare Advantage Working? Calls for reform of MA are now commonplace, but what reforms are needed and will they create a sustainable, affordable Medicare program for taxpayers and beneficiaries? Our experts will weigh in on what's needed.

Tune in Friday, March 13 for our virtual seminar exploring whether Medicare Advantage is delivering on its promise and what reforms are needed to ensure a sustainable, affordable Medicare program for taxpayers and beneficiaries.
https://bit.ly/4bZLjsA

CC: @pennmedicine.bsky.social #CashTransfer

Cash Transfer Programs Can Help Health Outcomes Using data from 37 low- and middle-income countries, the research provides evidence that these programs substantially reduce mortality rates population-wide.

NEW: Our latest brief covers research from LDI Senior Fellows @draaron.bsky.social @hthirumurthy.bsky.social and Jere Behrman that provides the first population-level evidence that cash transfer programs substantially reduce mortality.

Read more here:
https://bit.ly/47gpGkl

This study featured LDI Fellow Se Hee Min of Penn Nursing.

Identifying Hidden Barriers to PrEP Adherence Among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men: Application of Natural Language Processing - AIDS and Behavior In the United States, the incidence rate of new HIV diagnoses continues to increase among young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Despite the availability of effective preventive strategies such as pr...

Why do young men who have sex with men (MSM) discontinue PrEP?

An AIDS and Behavior study used natural language processing to identify common themes — including lack of sexual activity, insurance barriers, and side effects. Read more: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10461-025-04863-z

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Hospital Mergers Push Pregnant Mom Care Farther Hospital mergers lead to higher commercial health care prices, without corresponding improvements in quality.

Do hospital mergers change where Medicaid patients deliver their babies?

New @jamahealthforum.com research finds mergers were associated with more urban patients delivering at safety-net hospitals and rural patients traveling farther for care. https://bit.ly/4b9aoPE

Life Course Perspectives on Medicaid

Join us on March 19 as we welcome Emily Gregory @pennldi.bsky.social to present her research as part of our Emerging Scholars Exchange Program. She’ll discuss how #Medicaid enrollment patterns in early adulthood shape coverage during key life transitions.

More info: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...

Proud to highlight this work featured in JAMA (@jama.com) by Penn DGIM's Paula Chatterjee, Rachel Werner (@pennldi.bsky.social), and Eliza Macneal!

CC: @hhburris.bsky.social @chopresearch.bsky.social
@policylabchop.bsky.social @childrensphila.bsky.social
@pennmedicine.bsky.social @amjperinatology.bsky.social

Following the rollout of telehealth, missed blood pressure measurements among postpartum parents of preterm infants rose from 3.9% to 36.8%, LDI Fellows report. Findings suggest telehealth may need to be paired with in-person BP checks in NICUs. See more: https://bit.ly/46X7tsb

🎉Congratulations to LDI Fellow Meeta Prasad Kerlin of @pennmedicine.bsky.social!

CC: @pennmehp.bsky.social @pennmedicine.bsky.social

SSDI Death Rates During Medicare Waiting Period Among SSDI beneficiaries waiting 24-months for Medicare eligibility, the overall mortality rates were substantially higher than those in the general population.

What happens during Medicare’s 24-month waiting period for SSDI beneficiaries?

New research by LDI Fellow @davidpowell.bsky.social finds higher mortality rates in the SSDI population compared to the general population.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4bnhPDZ

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Can a default-assigned embedded EHR assessment be implemented in community oncology, and identify the aging-related needs of older adults?

LDI Fellow @rsedhom.bsky.social found that it can. A new JCO Oncology Practice publication details implementation, and early outcomes: https://bit.ly/4rFUG5v

The #income-#health gradient among working-age adults in the United States in areas with high vs. low economic opportunity

@oppforhealthlab.bsky.social

CC: @pennmedicine.bsky.social

Subscription-Based Pricing for Lenacapavir This Viewpoint discusses ways in which payer license agreements can facilitate widespread lenacapavir use, a key step in ending the HIV epidemic.

Can subscription-based pricing expand access to injectable PrEP for HIV prevention?

In @jama.com, LDI Fellow @victorroy.bsky.social and colleagues explore how this payment model could increase uptake and improve access to a critical HIV prevention drug:
https://bit.ly/4tU37vv

CC: @pennmemorycenter.bsky.social @pennaging.bsky.social
@pennmedicine.bsky.social

The Future of Alzheimer’s: Lessons from Ozempic An LDI Fellow draws on paradigm-shifting treatments in depression and obesity to consider what meaningful breakthroughs in dementia care could look like.

💊What can Alzheimer’s treatment learn from Ozempic and Prozac?

Breakthrough drugs don’t just treat disease — they transform how we define, diagnose, and invest in it.

LDI Fellow Jason Karlawish explores what this could mean for Alzheimer’s in @statnews.com https://bit.ly/40F9tRX

CC: @hthirumurthy.bsky.social @annualreviews.bsky.social
@pennmehp.bsky.social @pennchibe.bsky.social
@penncancer.bsky.social @upennprc.bsky.social
@pennmedicine.bsky.social

Paying for Healthy Choices A review by LDI Fellows reveals when financial incentives move the needle, and when they don’t.

$300 per month for staying smoke free. A $50 gift card for walking daily. What makes these effective incentives encouraging healthy behaviors?

A new review by LDI Fellows reveals what works in moving the needle---and what doesn’t. Read more on our blog: https://bit.ly/4l1xfkK

Health Affairs Journal

"State Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Mandates: Increased Staff Levels, Minimal Impact On Finances And Closures, 2010–23"

Published March 3, 2026 in Health Affairs
www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10....

Staffing Mandates Boost Care Without Closing Nursing Homes A new LDI study finds that nursing home staffing mandates raised care levels without triggering closures.

Do nursing home staffing mandates hurt profits?

💡 New evidence from LDI Exec Director @rachelwerner.bsky.social & Fellow Norma Coe in Health Affairs finds staffing mandates boost care without reducing profits, supporting the case to restore federal minimum staffing standards
https://bit.ly/4aMqkZd

Elevating Nurses is Key to Fixing Health Care Penn Nursing faculty write that nurses must lead reform in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

In 2025, the nursing profession faced major challenges from the federal government.

In the @inquirer.com, LDI Fellows Connie Ulrich and Mary Naylor highlight the critical role of nurses in strengthening the health system & leading care improvement efforts. Read more: https://bit.ly/4bc8LSj

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@penn-mshp.bsky.social

Your Emergency Surgery May Rely on Which Surgeon Is On Call LDI Fellows discuss their recent study on surgeon decision making in emergency general surgery.

Your emergency surgery may depend on which surgeon is on call.

LDI Fellows Rachael Acker and Rachel Kelz examine wide variation in operative rates in their new study, and what is known about surgical decision-making. Read more: https://bit.ly/3N5Oi8E

Four Conditions Make Cash Transfers Save Lives The success of other countries shows these programs can work in the United States.

NEW: In @theatlantic.com, LDI Fellows Aaron Richterman (@draaron.bsky.social) and Harsha Thirumurthy (@hthirumurthy.bsky.social) share four ways to design cash transfer programs that can reduce poverty and improve health in the U.S.

Read more here:
www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...