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Ms Michelle Tran
2021 Jeff Cheverton Memorial Scholar
PhD student, School of Economics
Centre for the Business and Economics of Health, University of Queensland
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The Jeff Cheverton Memorial scholarship at the Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research has provided me an opportunity to experience working on real-life problems and applying my knowledge and skills in economics to identify the solutions.
Currently, I am in my final year of the PhD program at the University of Queensland, working on the project: “Economics of Aging, Health Outcomes and Workforce Planning” where I exploit policy changes to establish the interrelationship between family health, housing wealth, and health workforce on health outcomes and healthcare utilisation of the older population.
Working on these projects, I learnt that the consumers or patients may not respond to changes in health policies as it was intended, due to the inefficiency and inequity existing in the health market. For example, one of my research papers found evidence that the Consumer Directed Care model in Australia unintendedly resulted in higher stress for older home care consumers, especially in the areas with higher utilisations of home care services. Applying economic theories to health policies can help to identify barriers in the health system, improving the efficiency and equity of the policies.
My scholarship at the Deeble Institute has focused on improving the efficiency and equity of the telehealth funding policy in Australia, which supports the design of a more sustainable funding model that improves patient outcomes and maintains future health expenditures. My Issue brief highlights the importance of reforming the provider reimbursement model and the importance of relaxing the “regular practice” restriction to deliver efficient and equitable telehealth services in Australia.
Indeed, more evidence regarding the impact of telehealth services on the health system is required to support the development of these reforms. However, the lack of individual-level data, as well as well-defined clinical guidelines, has created challenges for telehealth evaluation and performance monitoring.
Working with Deeble Institute has given me the opportunity to discuss my research with policymakers. For someone in the early stage of their research career, this has been an invaluable experience as it allowed me to understand how research can influence policy development and to develop skills in external stakeholder engagement. I highly recommend the scholarship program to fellow PhD candidates and early career researchers who wish to have an impact on health policies and to translate their research into real-life solutions.
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More information on the scholarships program can be found here.
The Jeff Cheverton Memorial Scholarship is proudly supported by Brisbane North PHN and North Western Melbourne PHN.
