New Study Suggests Reduced Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage May Increase Infant Infections
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection acquired at birth or during early infancy can lead to lifelong health complications, including chronic liver disease. Despite longstanding recommendations for prenatal screening, an estimated 12% to 16% of pregnant individuals in the U.S. are not screened for hepatitis B. This gap leaves a portion of newborns at risk for undetected […]
Cost per Opioid-Free Year: A Complementary Outcome Measure for Economic Evaluations
The quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) is widely acknowledged as the standard effectiveness measure for comprehensive economic evaluations, and the only one with recognized willingness-to-pay thresholds for defining value. Recognizing the benefits of alternative effectiveness measures, Babasoji Oyemakinde, postdoctoral associate at Weill Cornell Medicine and a 2025-2026 CHERISH pilot grant recipient, is developing cost-effectiveness thresholds for the […]
Survey Results Reveal How Participants at Syringe Service Programs Decide on Treatment
In the U.S., as few as 1 in 8 individuals who inject drugs receives the necessary care to prevent or treat their substance use and related health conditions like wound infections, hepatitis C virus (HCV), or HIV. While syringe services programs (SSP) offer non-stigmatizing and low-barrier care, such as needle exchange, on-site HCV and HIV […]
Prior Authorization Bans for Buprenorphine Alone May Not Improve Treatment Retention
State laws that ban insurance prior authorization for buprenorphine—a leading medication for opioid use disorder—may not help more patients stay in treatment for the recommended minimum of 180 days, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers report. Though prescription buprenorphine can be a life-saving treatment that relieves opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms, adherence to the medication is low. […]
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Peer-delivered Services in South Africa
The fight against HIV in South Africa is complicated by alcohol and other drug use (AOD), which has been cited as a common barrier to adherence of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The economic burden of disordered alcohol use further strains the country’s public health resources through increased healthcare utilization, social welfare payments, crime, and lost productivity. […]
Pilot Grant Analysis Examines Prior Authorization Trends for MOUD in Private Insurance
There is a growing body of research illustrating a movement to remove prior authorization for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Prior authorization requires providers to request approval from an insurer before providing a medication or service. This process is historically enforced for a wide range of medications, including certain MOUD, and has been found […]
CHERISH Pilot Grantee Highlight Low PrEP Use Among Women
The introduction of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention has been paramount to reducing HIV transmission and improving the lives of people living with HIV. However, trends in HIV cases and PrEP uptake suggest unaddressed opportunities to reach women and other communities at risk of contracting HIV. Cis-gender women represent 20% of new HIV cases […]
Understanding the Costs of Using Implementation Facilitation to Implement Emergency Department-Initiated Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine, when prescribed in the emergency department (ED), increases the chances for treatment engagement and retention among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). The patient uptake and clinical administration of ED-initiated buprenorphine for OUD, however, has been slow despite evidence of its effectiveness. Implementation facilitation (IF), a strategy that leverages external facilitators and a local […]
Health and Economic Outcomes of Addressing Encampments of Individuals Using Opioids
Lead author Hana Zwick, a research data analyst at the Syndemics Lab, and colleagues published a new simulation modeling study in JAMA Network Open to understand the public health and economic outcomes of strategies that arrest, disperse, or house people who live in encampments and experience high-risk opioid use compared to the encampment status quo. […]
Cost of Implementing Substance Use Disorder Treatment Strategies for Youth in the Legal System
In a new article in the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, lead author and CHERISH Methodology Core Director Kathryn McCollister and colleagues conducted a cost analysis of implementing evidence-based interventions to improve substance use disorder (SUD) treatment among youth in the legal system (YLS). By analyzing implementation costs, this study offers insights about […]
Health Economic Outcomes of a Minimal Monitoring Approach to Providing HCV Therapy
In a new article in Hepatology Communications, lead author and CHERISH Population Data & Modeling Core Director Benjamin Linas and colleagues report new economic analyses from MINMON, an AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG 5360) study that used a minimal monitoring approach to provide treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). Findings suggest that the simplified […]
Hepatitis C Virus Screening in Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women After Universal Screening Guidelines
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing guidelines were updated in 2020 to provide universal, one-time screening for adults ages 18 through 79 and during each pregnancy. This departure from their 2013 recommendation not only aims to improve early detection of HCV across age groups but also acknowledges pregnancy as a critical period for diagnosing and treating […]
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