Health Equity Data Access Program
Health Equity Data Access Program
Funding Opportunity Now Open: Gain Access to CMS Restricted Data for Minority Health Research Initiatives
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) is proud to announce the opening of a new notice of funding opportunity for the Health Equity Data Access Program (HEDAP). Through the HEDAP, CMS OMH supports up to three “seats” in the CMS Virtual Research Data Center (VRDC), with each individual grant worth up to $90,000. The HEDAP assists researchers from public and state-controlled, or private institutions of higher education, in gaining access to CMS restricted data for minority health research.
Researchers will conduct health services research focusing on, but not limited to, racial and ethnic minority groups; people with disabilities; members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community; individuals with limited English proficiency; individuals residing in rural areas; and individuals adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. Project should enhance the capacity of the researcher to understand and utilize CMS data in future research projects. HEDAP also encourages cutting-edge proposals that explore intersectionality. Results of the research will provide CMS and its partners (e.g., Quality Improvement Organizations, Hospital Engagement Networks, and other stakeholders) with actionable information on the previously listed subgroups of enrollees.
Researchers that are selected for the grant will receive funding to acquire VRDC seat access for a period of thirty-six months. Review the notice of funding opportunity CMS-2L2-23-001. The deadline to submit applications is August 15, 3pm ET.
Research topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
- To research racial and ethnic minority groups; people with disabilities; members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community; individuals with limited English proficiency; individuals residing in rural areas; and individuals adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality among Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP enrollees.
- The relationship between health disparities and improving the quality of care, increasing access to care, estimating the economic burden/financial costs of disparities, evaluating the effects of health care delivery system and payment model reforms, exploring disparity sensitive conditions or diseases and strengthening population health for all of the above-mentioned populations.
To learn more, email HEResearch@cms.hhs.gov.
For more information, download the Health Equity Data Access Program Postcard (PDF).
Seat Holders
Below are projects that our HEDAP seat holders have completed or propose to carry out using data from CMS.
2016 Projects
Disparities in surgical care among racial and ethnic minorities in Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
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Institution: Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Principal Investigator: Andrew J. Schoenfeld, MD, MSc
Summary: The study examined the effect of accountable care organizations (ACOs) on access to surgical services among minority patients as well as changes in peri-operative outcomes, including morbidity, mortality, readmission, and hospital length of stay.
Publications from this Project:
- Schoenfeld, Andrew J. MD, MSc; Sturgeon, Daniel J. MS; et.al. Disparities in rates of surgical intervention among racial and ethnic minorities in Medicare Accountable Care Organizations. Annals of Surgery, March 2019.
- Lipa SA, Sturgeon DJ, et.al. Do Medicare Accountable Care Organizations reduce disparities after spinal fracture? Journal of Surgical Research, 2019.
Medicaid payment reform and disparities in cesarean birth and maternal morbidity
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Institution: The University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Principal Investigator: Katy Kozhimannil, PhD
Summary: The study evaluated the effects of the policy change on delivery-related Medicaid payments. This study examined: the effects of the policy change on overall cesarean utilization rates; whether the policy change affected cesarean use and quality differentially across race and ethnicity; and whether the policy change narrowed disparities. The study also measured whether the policy change affected rates of severe maternal morbidity overall and by race and ethnicity.
Publications from this Project:
- Cesarean delivery rates and costs of childbirth in a state Medicaid program after implementation of a blended payment policy. Medical Care, 2018.
Accessing mental health care disparities by race and ethnicity, gender, and gender identity
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Institution: Center for Multicultural Mental Health Equity Research Lab at Cambridge Health Alliance, and Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
Principal Investigator: Benjamin Lê Cook, PhD, MPH
Summary: The study assessed differences in ACO participation by enrollees' race and ethnicity, gender (including gender minorities), and mental health status. This study examined: disparities within ACOs by dual eligible status; race and ethnicity; and gender in access, utilization, and quality of mental health care services. It also compared access, utilization, and quality disparities for enrollees in treated within ACOs to those not treated in ACOs (i.e., standard Medicare FFS) by race, ethnicity, and gender (including gender minorities).
Publications from this Project:
- Ana M. Progovac, Benjamin Lê Cook, et.al. Identifying gender minority patients’ health and health care needs in administrative claims data. Health Affairs, 2018.
- Progovac AM, Mullin BO, Creedon TB, Benjamin Lê Cook, et.al. Trends in mental health care use in Medicare from 2009 to 2014 by gender minority and disability status. LGBT Health, 2019 Aug/Sep.
- Progovac AM, Mullin BO, Dunham E, Benjamin Lê Cook, et.al. Disparities in suicidality by gender identity among Medicare beneficiaries. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2020 Mar.
- Acevedo A, Progovac AM, Mullin B, Caputi TL, McWillliams JM, Cook BL. Impact of the Medicare Shared Savings Program on Utilization of Mental Health and Substance Use Services by Eligibility and Race/Ethnicity. Health Services Research. 2021 Feb.
Medicaid payment policy and disparities in mental healthcare among Medicaid and dual eligible beneficiaries
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Institution: Center for Multicultural Mental Health Equity Research Lab at Cambridge Health Alliance, and Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
Principal Investigator: Vicki Fung PhD
Summary: The proposed study aims to study medical care use, including outpatient visits to PCPs for mental health (MH) and non-MH diagnoses, and visits to specialty MH providers. This study examined: quality of care, including selected quality process measures for specific MH conditions overall and by provider specialty, as well as adverse clinical events, including emergency department visits and hospitalizations.
Publications from this Project:
- Vicky Fung, PhD; Mary Price, MA; Andrew A Nierenberg, MD. Assessment of Behavioral Health Services Use Among Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries After Reductions in Coinsurance Fees. JAMA Network Open. October 2020.
Newly Funded HEDAP Projects
Health disparities in vascular access, peritoneal dialysis access, and kidney transplantation
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Institution: University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Principal Investigator: Dr. Nwamaka Eneanya, MD, MPH, FASN
Summary: This study aims to investigate the impact of race, ethnicity, language, gender, and age on access to care for renal patients, and how these factors contribute to a patient’s eligibility for peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplantation as well as the timeliness of fistula access placement.
Characterizing disparities in the HIV prevention and care continuum among transgender and cisgender CMS beneficiaries
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Institution: Brown University School of Public Health
Principal Investigator: Jaclyn White Hughto, PhD, MPH & Theresa Shireman, PhD
Summary: This study aims to identify disparities between transgender and cisgender CMS enrollees in the prevalence and incidence of HIV infection, and engagement in the HIV prevention and care continuum.
Publications from this Project:
- Hughto JMW, Hughes L, Ellison J, Yee K, Alpert A, Babbs G, Downing J, Shireman T. Documenting the Health of Aging and Disabled Transgender and Cisgender Medicare Beneficiaries, 2009-2017. Accepted for oral presentation at the 150th American Public Health Association Conference; November 2022; Boston, MA.
Value-based purchasing and persons with disabilities
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Institution: Department of Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital
Principal Investigator: Alyna Chien, MD, MS
Summary: This study aims to understand the relationship between value-based purchasing interventions and care access, quality, and spending for children and young adults with disabilities, especially during their transition into adulthood.
Page Last Modified:
09/06/2023 05:05 PM