ABOUT THE VANNEMAN LAB
LAB MISSION
We are dedicated to informing policy and guiding decision making in health systems, including Medicaid and the Veterans Health Administration. Our research focuses on the impact of policy change on access to care, quality of care, and cost with an emphasis on health equity and mental health. We specialize in a mixed-methods approach that integrates quantitative techniques such as econometrics, biostatistics, and surveys with qualitative methods including in-depth interviews and focus groups. Our goal is to provide comprehensive insights into the impact of policy change on large healthcare and payer systems.
RESEARCH AREAS
- Healthcare Value, Access, Coverage, and Disparities
- Health Policy
- Health Insurance
- Mental Health, Substance Use, Prevention
DATA SOURCES
- Administrative claims, encounter, and provider data, including Medicaid, Medicare, VA-purchased community care, and All-Payer Claims Databases (APCDs)
- Electronic health records
- Qualitative data, including in-depth interviews and focus groups
ABOUT MEGAN VANNEMAN, PHD, MPH
I am a health services researcher specializing in health policy, economics, and organizational behavior. Recently, I have incorporated the fields of informatics and decision science into my work. My primary research focus is on the impact of policy change on large healthcare and payer systems, with a particular emphasis on mental health and health equity. I often employ a mixed-methods approach in my work, utilizing both quantitative techniques (econometrics, biostatistics, surveys) and qualitative methods (in-depth interviews, focus groups). Currently, my research examines the effects of policy change on access, quality, and cost in large healthcare systems, including Medicaid and the Veterans Health Administration. I serve as an Associate Professor with tenure in the University of Utah School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology and Department of Population Health Sciences, Division of Health System Innovation and Research. My teaching interests include research methods and health policy. Additionally, I am a Core Investigator and Career Development Awardee at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System's Informatics, Decision-Enhancement, and Analytic Sciences Center (IDEAS). Before joining the University of Utah faculty, I completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Services Research at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System’s Center for Innovation to Implementation and Stanford University School of Medicine’s Center for Health Policy/Primary Care and Outcomes Research.