Teresa Waters, PhD
Dean, School of Public Health Augusta University
- Augusta GA
Dr. Teresa Waters' research focuses on applying economic tools to the delivery and financing of healthcare.
Multimedia
Biography
Areas of Expertise
Accomplishments
UT Student Government Association Excellence in Teaching Award, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
2003
HCUP Outstanding Article of the Year Award, AHRQ and AcademyHealth
2016
Education
Vanderbilt University
Ph.D.
Economics
1992
Dordt College, Sioux Center
B.A.
Accounting
1987
Affiliations
- American Economic Association : Member, 1991 – 1998
- Association for Health Services Research/AcademyHealth : Member, 1992 – Present
- International Health Economics Association : Member, 1998 – Present
- American Society of Health Economists : Member, 2012 – Present
Media Appearances
UK awarded $19 million to research tobacco regulation in Appalachia, inform FDA
University of Kentucky News online
2023-10-06
Co-directing AppalTRuST are Ellen J. Hahn, Ph.D., the Marcia A. Dake Endowed Professor in the College of Nursing, the director of the Bridging Research Efforts and Advocacy Toward Healthy Environments (BREATHE), and Teresa M. Waters, Ph.D., professor and dean of public health at Augusta University, and formerly professor and chair of health management and policy in the UK College of Public Health.
Articles
Considering Relative Rurality in Tobacco Regulatory Science
Nicotine and Tobacco Research2024-12-19
The overarching goal of our TCORS Center, AppalTRUST (Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory Science Team), is to evaluate the impact of the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) regulatory policies in rural communities. Our Center focuses on a historically understudied population disproportionately affected by tobacco use. As of 2018-2019, Kentucky had a tobacco product use prevalence among adults that was nearly 10 points above the national average (24.8% vs. 15.4%). More recently, the use rate of any tobacco product was estimated to be higher in rural Kentucky (32.4%) versus urban locations in the state (26.4%).
Technology, data, people, and partnerships in addressing unmet social needs within Medicaid Managed Care
BMC Health Services Research2024-03-23
Individuals with unmet social needs experience adverse health outcomes and are subject to greater inequities in health and social outcomes. Given the high prevalence of unmet needs among Medicaid enrollees, many Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) are now screening enrollees for unmet social needs and connecting them to community-based organizations (CBOs) with knowledge and resources to address identified needs. The use of screening and referral technology and data sharing are often considered key components in programs integrating health and social services. Despite this emphasis on technology and data collection, research suggests substantial barriers exist in operationalizing effective systems.
The Impact of Prescription Drug Coverage on Disparities in Adherence and Medication Use: A Systematic Review
Medical Care Research and Review2024-01-04
Prescription drug cost-sharing is a barrier to medication adherence, particularly for low-income and minority populations. In this systematic review, we examined the impact of prescription drug cost-sharing and policies to reduce cost-sharing on racial/ethnic and income disparities in medication utilization. We screened 2,145 titles and abstracts and identified 19 peer-reviewed papers that examined the interaction between cost-sharing and racial/ethnic and income disparities in medication adherence or utilization. We found weak but inconsistent evidence that lower cost-sharing is associated with reduced disparities in adherence and utilization, but studies consistently found that significant disparities remained even after adjusting for differences in cost-sharing across individuals.
Association Between Community Social Vulnerability and Preventable Hospitalizations
Medical Care Research and Review2023-09-21
Preventable hospitalizations are common and costly events that burden patients and our health care system. While research suggests that these events are strongly linked to ambulatory care access, emerging evidence suggests they may also be sensitive to a patient’s social, environmental, and economic conditions. This study examines the association between variations in social vulnerability and preventable hospitalization rates. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of county-level preventable hospitalization rates for 33 states linked with data from the 2020 Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). Preventable hospitalizations were 40% higher in the most vulnerable counties compared with the least vulnerable.
Combined impact of Medicare’s hospital pay for performance programs on quality and safety outcomes is mixed
BMC Health Services Research2022-07-28
Three major hospital pay for performance (P4P) programs were introduced by the Affordable Care Act and intended to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The financial risk to hospitals associated with Medicare’s P4P programs is substantial. Evidence on the positive impact of these programs, however, has been mixed, and no study has assessed their combined impact. In this study, we examined the combined impact of Medicare’s P4P programs on clinical areas and populations targeted by the programs, as well as those outside their focus.
Measurement matters: changing penalty calculations under the hospital acquired condition reduction program (HACRP) cost hospitals millions
BMC Health Services Research2021-02-10
Since October 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has penalized 25% of U.S. hospitals with the highest rates of hospital-acquired conditions under the Hospital Acquired Conditions Reduction Program (HACRP). While early evaluations of the HACRP program reported cumulative reductions in hospital-acquired conditions, more recent studies have not found a clear association between receipt of the HACRP penalty and hospital quality of care. We posit that some of this disconnect may be driven by frequent scoring updates. The sensitivity of the HACRP penalties to updates in the program’s scoring methodology has not been independently evaluated.
