Author Archives: Damika Barr and Sophie Ranen

About Damika Barr and Sophie Ranen

Damika W. Barr is always looking for the policy solution in healthcare challenges. Damika is a Public Policy Manager at AmeriHealth Caritas, where she evaluates legislative, regulatory and public policy activities related to Medicaid and Medicare. Before joining, AmeriHealth Caritas, Damika served as the Policy Surveillance Director at Public Health Law Research at Temple University. Ms. Barr has a Juris Doctor from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, a graduate certificate in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Science from George Mason University. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of AmeriHealth Caritas. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of AmeriHealth Caritas.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Community Health Workers

According to the 2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, hospital inpatient expenses account for a large portion (nearly 30%) of total health care expenses and health care spending is highly concentrated among a relatively small proportion of individuals. The top 1% of spenders accounted for 21.5% of total expenditures while the lower 50% accounted for just… Read More »

Racial and Ethnic Disparities after the ACA: Good News and Bad

By | June 9, 2016

The major goal of the Affordable Care Act was to expand health insurance coverage. The Department of Health and Human Services will tell you that the Affordable Care Act is working: more Americans are insured. About 16.4 million people gained insurance in the past five years. What do these numbers mean for racial and ethnic minorities who… Read More »

Evaluating the ability of patient-centered medical homes to improve clinical outcomes

By | August 24, 2016

Support for patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) has been growing in recent years.  A typical PCMH model includes a primary care physician supported by a multidisciplinary team, coordinated care, measurements of quality and safety, and enhanced access to same-day appointments. Preliminary program evaluations have shown that PCMHs can improve access and quality, but to date, there… Read More »