Center News Archive
November 2015
A recent hospital closure report prepared with the participation of the Methodist Le Bonheur Center for Healthcare Economics made national health headlines. In a financial management story, the Becker’s Hospital CFO reported on November 12, 2015, that 31 rural hospitals in Mississippi were so financially vulnerable that they were at risk of closure. The story was based in part on the results prepared by Dr. Cyril Chang, the Director of the Center for Methodist Le Bonheur Center for Healthcare Economics, for a hospital closure report commissioned by the Center for Mississippi Health Policy. The research team that prepared the report was led by Dr. Maya McDoom-Echebiri of Mississippi State University and other team members included Dr. John Gnuschke of the Sparks Bureau and Dr. David Mirvis of the Methodist Le Bonheur Center for Healthcare Economics. The Becker’s Hospital Review article can be seen 31 Mississippi hospitals at risk of closing and the Mississippi at risk hospital report can be downloaded Rural Hospitals: Economic and Health Implications in Mississippi .
October 2015
The Center has released a third Health Policy Blog titled, "Health Insurance Exchanges: Who in Tennessee has Enrolled?" It examines the participation of Tennesseans in the federal Health Insurance Exchange, the role of federal subsidies in insurance participation, and how the Exchange enrollment has impacted the uninsured in Tennessee. To read it, Health Insurance Exchanges: Who in Tennessee has Enrolled? .
August 2015
The Center has released a second Health Policy Blog titled, “Variations in Health Care Charges: Does Anyone Know How Much It Will Cost?” To read it, Variations in Health Care Charges: Does Anyone Know How Much It Will Cost? .
July 2015
The Center is pleased to announce a new series of online publications – Health Care Blogs. The short reports will focus on assessing the relevance of new findings on the health care system financing and functions to Tennessee. They will appear periodically and can be accessed through the Center's web site. Comments from readers will be welcome using the e-mail addresses included in each report. The first report focuses on the adequacy of the primary care physician supply in Tennessee. In addition to providing data on the size and composition the physician workforce, the essay considers the health and economic consequences of the current and future gap between primary care demand and supply. To download the report, Primary Care in Tennessee: The Gap between Demand and Physician Supply .
The Center has released a new Research Brief titled, “Visitors to Hospital Emergency Rooms: Who, Why, and How Much Do They Cost?” To read the Research Brief, Visitors to Hospital Emergency Rooms: Who, Why, and How Much Do They Cost? .
June 2015
Dr. Cyril Chang's op-ed article, co-authored with Dr. David Mirvis, appeared in the June 29th edition of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. It explained the implications of the most recent Supreme Court case and cautioned that the King v. Burwell ruling supporting the ACA was only one step, albeit an important one, on the road to a truly effective health care system. To read the op-ed article, #.
February 2015
The Center will host Dr. Marjie Harbracht of HealthTeamWorks, a Denver-based multi-stakeholder collaborative working to redesign healthcare delivery system, as speaker for the Health Care Research Journal Club. She will discuss patient-centered medical homes on February 25, 2015, at the Fogelman College of Business and Economics. For more information, Topic: Making Care Coordination Work in Patient-Centered Medical Homes .
October 2014
The Center has updated its TennCare Timeline to include major events and milestones to October 2014. TennCare Timeline: Major Events and Milestones from 1992 to 2016 .
August 2014
The Center has made available sources of useful information on the impacts of ObamaCare reform on Tennessee and the Memphis area. resources.
June 2014
Shelby County Health Statistics
The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps is a collaborative program between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Visit this site for health statistics for the 95 counties in Tennessee and their rankings. Here
are two useful reports about Shelby County, Tennessee. 2014 Shelby County Health Statisticsand 2014 Tennessee Shelby County Health Rankings.
April 2014
Dr. Chang, the Director of Methodist Le Bonheur Center for Healthcare Economics, was quoted at length in an April 9, 2014, Memphis Commercial Appeal article by reporter Kevin McKenzie about the release of Medicare doctor reimbursement data by the Center of Medicare and Medicaid. This was followed by a second article in the Nashville paper, the Tennessean, on the same topic on 04/09/2014. Four days later on 04/13/2014, The Chattanooga Press Free Press published a long news analysis article on the controversy surrounding the release of Medicare doctor data and quoted Dr. Chang extensively.
October 2013
Dr. Cyril Chang, The Director of the Center, published an op-ed article on health
care and free market. The article appeared in the October 13, 2013, edition of the
Memphis Commercial Appeal. Free-market health care not pretty.
The Center was in the news. Reporter Kevin McKenzie of the Memphis Commercial Appeal
quoted the Methodist Le Bonheur Center for Healthcare Economics at length in an article
about high-deductible health plans. High-deductible health insurance cuts medical costs, but can leave consumers unsatisfied.
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