Funding a Health Disparities Research Agenda: The Case of Medicare Home Health Care

Abstract

Medicare home health care provides critical skilled nursing and therapy services to patients in their homes, generally after a period in an inpatient facility or nursing home. Disparities in access to, or outcomes of, home health care can result in patient deterioration and increased cost to the Medicare program if patient care needs intensify. This article describes the process of obtaining funding to support a multiphased research agenda to document, enhance understanding, and work toward prevention of outcome disparities in the Medicare home health care benefit. The article discusses the importance of obtaining preliminary findings to support application for National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other federal agency funding, the need to employ interdisciplinary research teams and expert consultants, and it highlights the NIH R21 mechanism. Study methods and findings from the R21-funded mixed methods study are presented along with pedagogical opportunities resulting from this research agenda. Finally, next steps in this research agenda are outlined.