Focus Area
To hone my knowledge and skills related to my capstone focus area of health policy and consulting, I engaged in elective coursework and completed a project assessing network adequacy among Medicare Advantage plans.
Coursework
I explored concepts and built skills related to health policy and healthcare consulting through coursework in public health, management, and medicine.
Health Economics
Health Policy II
Leadership & Management in Public Health
Quantitative Methods for Program & Policy Evaluation
Public Health
Managerial & Organizational Effectiveness
Spreadsheets for Business Analytics
Data Visualization
Healthcare Analytics
Health Care Startups Practicum
Management
Clinical Informatics
High Value Care: In Policy & In Practice
Community Healthcare
Medicine
Figure from memo: Maps show data for a single network ID. Red dots represent the centroids of census block groups included in this network’s service area. Gray shaded areas represent the area within a 30-minute (a and c) or 60-minute (b and d) drive of an in-network Medical/Surgical (a and b) or Radiation (c and d) Oncologist for this network.
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(a) Medical/Surgical, 30-minutes, (b) Medical/Surgical, 60-minutes, (c) Radiation, 30-minutes, (d) Radiation, 60-minutes
Network Adequacy Project
Mentor: John Graves, PhD
I conducted a qualitative review of network adequacy standards for Medicare Advantage plans and related policy issues. Additionally, I performed an exploratory quantitative analysis of network adequacy for oncology care among Medicare Advantage plans offered in Tennessee using R. I summarized both qualitative and quantitative findings in a memo.
Competencies
Through the above activities, I built and demonstrated the following MPH competencies.
VU Epi1
Compare the strengths and weaknesses of observational study designs and select an appropriate observational study design for population-based research.
CEPH CC4
Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice.
CEPH CC15
Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.
CEPH CC21
Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health.