Robert P. Pack, PhD, MPH

• Current Projects - (1)
• Completed Projects - (2)

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Current Projects - (1)

• Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Penetration in Rural vs. Urban Healthcare Settings in the U.S.
  This study will include an analysis of 2018/2019 Medicare, Medicaid and Commercial claims to compare the penetration of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and its different components in rural compared to urban healthcare settings. Within the overarching analysis, the study team will examine the type of interventions conducted within the SBIRT framework stratified by provider type, healthcare setting, and rural and urban provider ZIP codes. Findings will be analyzed within the context of county-level substance use rates, historical enactment of state SBIRT billing codes, overdoses, and alcohol poisoning-based hospital admissions contrasting trends in SBIRT administration with a proxy for community need.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health promotion and disease prevention, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, Mental and behavioral health, Private health insurance, Public health, Substance use and treatment
  

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Completed Projects - (2)

• Assessment of the Area Deprivation Index in Rural Areas
  The Area Deprivation Index (ADI) was created by University of Wisconsin researchers to provide a score for neighborhoods based on their level of disadvantage. This study characterized differences in ADI in rural vs urban areas, summarized the existing literature on ADI, and described expert considerations for utilizing the ADI for future policy.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Frontier health, Poverty, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health
  
• Characteristics of Buprenorphine Therapy Among Commercially-Insured Pregnant and Postpartum Women
  This project analyzed claims from a national commercial insurance database to characterize buprenorphine therapy initiation persistence and adherence among pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder (OUD) and assessed differences in buprenorphine OUD treatment characteristics among rural and urban pregnant/postpartum women.
  Research center: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Healthcare access, Maternal health, Substance use and treatment
  

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