Health Research & Policy Center
The AIR Health Research & Policy Center focuses on identifying and answering important and timely questions about the cost and quality of care, people’s access to care, and health disparities, among other pressing policy issues.
Informing Policy, Improving Lives
The Health Research & Policy Center—along with the five-year, $100 million-plus AIR Equity Initiative—demonstrates our organizational commitment to mission-driven, self-funded research to inform public policy and increase opportunities and access for all. Our goal is to deliver timely insights by analyzing data and translating research findings into actionable information for policymakers through issue briefs and other publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles.
Leveraging the experience and expertise gained through our work with federal, state, foundation, and industry clients, the center’s purpose is to provide independent, nonpartisan research and analysis for policymakers and other stakeholders, including consumers and patients, providers and payers, and the public.
Our Work
Spanning health research and policy topics from costs and quality to access and equity, AIR Health Research & Policy Center researchers are identifying and analyzing spending and utilization trends and promising policy interventions using leading-edge data science and technology tools. For example, center researchers are analyzing Medicare and Medicaid enrollment and claims data via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Virtual Research Data Center to study spending and utilization trends for beneficiaries.
Center researchers also have focused on how the COVID-19 public health emergency affected care for Medicare beneficiaries with ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease; medication adherence for Medicare beneficiaries living with hypertension; and telehealth use during the pandemic by Medicare beneficiaries with ACSCs. Other projects include an examination of the potential impact of interchangeable biosimilars to lower costs and increase access to lifesaving drugs, especially for Medicare beneficiaries.
