School of Social Work News

Professor Emerita Edie Kieffer’s latest research “Diagnosis and Care of Chronic Health Conditions Among Medicaid Expansion Enrollees: A Mixed-Methods Observational Study, was included in a front page Washington Post story. The study finds people with chronic conditions are significantly more likely to report improved physical and mental health since enrolling in the Healthy Michigan Plan, the state’s expanded Medicaid program. Ann-Marie Rosland, now an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, is the first author of the study. Originally published in published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the research has also inspired an article on U-M’s Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation (IHPI) website. Kieffer has been a member of IHPI’s Healthy Michigan Plan evaluation team since its beginning in 2014.

Kieffer led the qualitative interview component of the evaluation and is also survey team member. “This was a mixed methods study, which uses both survey and interview data, and integrates the results” she explains. She was responsible for analyzing the interview data and integrating key interview themes and quotations with the survey results in the manuscript. 

“Why do we include interview data?  It is used as part of the evaluation because personal stories are important,” says Kieffer. “Policymakers are often most moved by the stories – these bring the numbers alive.  The interviewees told truly important stories about the impact of having the Healthy Michigan Plan on getting diagnosed, getting needed care to help them to manage their conditions, and on the functional impact on their lives.”   

A new study by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (IHPI) finds that nearly half of people covered by Healthy Michigan Plan– the state’s expanded Medicaid program – felt their physical health improved within the first year or two after they enrolled in the program. Almost 40% reported that their mental or dental health had improved. See key findings below.

Edith Kieffer, Professor of Social Work, who serves as the study’s co-investigator on the evaluation team, led the qualitative and dental data analyses. Renuka Tipirneni, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, is the lead author of this study. John Z. Ayanian, IHPI director, leads the interdisciplinary evaluations team, which includes 17 U-M faculty members from across multiple schools and departments.

Professor Edie Kieffer participated in a Congressional Briefing on Latina maternal and child health on September 27 in Washington, DC. A scholarly review featuring Kieffer’s research and that of 11 other authors was shared outlining five recommended national action steps ranging from creating more culturally competent programming to establishing a National Center for Latino Maternal and Child Health.  

Professor Edie Kieffer presented "The Impact of Michigan's Medicaid Expansion on Dental Care Utilization, Oral Health and Job-Related Outcomes" at the 2018 Academy Health Annual Research Meeting.

Professor Edie Kieffer presented "Healthy Mothers on the Move: A Community Health Worker-Led Diabetes Prevention Intervention for Pregnant and Postpartum Latinas” at the American Diabetes Association conference. Research Associate Brandy Sinco contributed to this presentation.

Kieffer and Sinco were also co-authors on the poster presentation, "Cost-Effectiveness of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support in the Community: Projections from a Randomized Controlled Trial"

Professor Edith C. Kieffer, MPH, Ph.D., is a co-investigator on an award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services for ​the evaluation of the Healthy Michigan Plan (HMP), Michigan's Medicaid expansion program under the Affordable Care Act.

Professor Edith C. Kieffer, MPH, Ph.D., co-authored two policy briefs "Advancing the Profession and Sustainability of Community Health Workers" and "Revisioning the Care Delivery Team: The Role of CHWs within State Innovation Models" that were published by the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation.

Professor Edith C. Kieffer, MPH, Ph.D., is leading a quality improvement project conducted with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan Department of Corrections and the University of Michigan's Child Health Evaluation and Research Center. It will generate information about former state prisoners’ enrollment in Michigan’s Medicaid expansion and impact on health care use.