Lacey Loomer, a 2020 Program graduate in Health Services Research (HSR) successfully defended her dissertation titled "The Impact of Rural Add-on Payment on Medicare Beneficiary Access and Outcomes.”​ Joining the HSR Program in 2016, Lacey received numerous awards to support her research including the Agency for Healthcare Research (R36) and the Nora Kahn Piore Award. 

Her doctoral dissertation examined how higher payments for home health episodes in rural counties changed the post-acute care distribution in rural areas relative to urban areas, and found the payment increase had no impact on the proportion of hospital discharges that utilized home health. She presented this work at national conferences including AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting and the American Society of Health Economists Annual Conference.

Lacey joined Brown’s HSR program as a doctoral student in 2016. She has received numerous awards to support her research including the Agency for Healthcare Research (R36) and the Nora Kahn Piore Award.

Lacey's work focuses on how policies, financing systems, and organizational structures influence the quality and cost of health care. Her doctoral dissertation examines how higher payments for home health episodes in rural counties changed the post-acute care distribution in rural areas relative to urban areas, and found the payment increase had no impact on the proportion of hospital discharges that utilized home health. She has presented this work at national conferences including Academy Health Annual Research Meeting and the American Society of Health Economists Annual Conference.

Lacey’s other research areas include rural health disparities, nursing home private prices, advance care planning, and health care measurement.

Lacey's expected graduation date is Spring 2020 and she can be reached by email at [email protected]

Her list of publications can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/lacey.loomer.1/bibliography/public/"
 

Tell us about your time at Brown. What did you enjoy most about being a doctoral student here?

Working with and learning from amazing faculty, particularly with my advisor Vince Mor.

What public health issues do you hope to address through your dissertation?

My dissertation focused on Medicare payment policy and its impact on home health access and outcomes for rural Americans.

What are your future plans now that you have finished your PhD?

I will be joining the University of Minnesota -Duluth as an assistant professor of healthcare management in the fall.