How Health Care Policy Affects Otolaryngology Practice: Primer on Health Services Research

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The payment systems and policies that underpin otolaryngology practice are not readily visible to frontline clinicians; yet these structures affect almost every aspect of how care is accessed, delivered, and consumed. Otolaryngologists in private, academic, and military settings have a critical role to play in evaluating and shaping policies that affect our patients and profession. Recent years have witnessed major developments in surprise billing, head and neck cancer, access to hearing health, and pandemic-inspired practices. In this primer on health services research in otolaryngology, the panelists will dissect how health policy interacts with socioeconomics, health technology, and organizational structures to influence the end products of healthcare delivery. The burgeoning field of health services research provides critical insights into the current state of otolaryngology, whether by evaluating the effects of new policies or by providing evidence to drive innovations in care delivery. A key aspect of health services research relates to detecting, understanding, and reducing the health inequities that have been identified across all subspecialties. The tools of health services research can also afford insights into healthcare utilization across subspecialties, identifying areas of unexpected variation, and uncovering opportunities to improve care. This panel will present specific case examples illustrating how health services research has led to deeper understanding and driven improvements in otolaryngologic care. Participants will learn how specific analytic methods can help to infer causality after health policy exposures and how to evidence from large data sets can inform best practices and policy. The session will also offer foundational knowledge on appraising evidence in health services, empowering participants to create change in their own space through clinical care, implementation, and advocacy.

OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 1: Demonstrate how health services research can be used to investigate healthcare structures, processes, and outcomes in otolaryngology.

OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 2: 2. Describe specific resources, tools, and methods available to perform health services research, including health administrative databases and analyses.

OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 3: 3. Identify high priority areas for health services in otolaryngology and how to critically appraise new policies and outcomes literature.

BACKGROUND STATEMENT: Health services research informs and evaluates innovations in health policy, with far-reaching implications for otolaryngology. Knowledge of tools and methods utilized in health services research is an essential component of practicing evidence-based medicine and effective advocacy.