BRO A D SPEC T RUM
Emerging Leader A health economist whose research focuses on the intersection of public policy and healthcare markets, Erin Trish is nationally renowned for her work on surprise medical billing, Medicare Part D and health insurance markets. After serving as associate director of the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Economics & Policy for the past several years, she was appointed co-director this fall. She serves alongside founding director Dana Goldman, who was recently appointed dean of the USC Price School of Public Policy (see story, page 27). “I am confident that under the leadership of Erin Trish and Dana Goldman, the center will continue expanding its impact to improve health policy and delivery,” says Leonard D. Schaeffer, advisory board chair and center namesake. “Erin’s evidence-based research has already made meaningful contributions to informing public policy.” Trish is an assistant professor of pharmaceutical and health economics at the USC School of Pharmacy. In 2018, she received the American Journal of Managed Care’s Seema S. Sonnad Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award, which recognizes early-career achievements concerning managed care that demonstrate potential for long-term leadership contributions to the field. Here, she talks about her latest research, her aims as Schaeffer Center co-director and more. What attracted you to USC and the Schaeffer Center? I came here as a postdoctoral fellow in 2013 because I wanted to be in a place that not only supports traditional research but also engages with policymakers and private-sector stakeholders. I was drawn to the unique opportunity to develop skills as a researcher and communicator and am grateful for the incredible mentorship and collegiality that I have experienced here. You recently co-wrote a study on the cost of generic drugs in Medicare Part D participants. What did you find? We found that Medicare could have saved over $2.6 billion in 2018 by simply buying common generic drugs at Costco. The problem is bad incentives and a complex supply chain. Though pharmacy benefit managers— who oversee prescription drug benefits for most Americans—are able to negotiate low prices for generic drugs, they don’t have the right incentives in place to pass those savings on to patients. Instead, Costco uses a streamlined distribution system and has strong incentives to deliver the lowest prices since customers are paying directly, just like with paper towels. Our work highlights the need for policymakers to address the issues in the supply chain, including bringing more transparency and competition to improve these incentives. Your research has influenced nationwide legislation to shield patients from surprise medical bills. Tell us about this work. Patients who diligently seek providers from within their insurance networks can still get stuck with massive bills from emergencies and other situations where choice is not possible. Even for preapproved surgeries, patients seldom have a choice of ancillary clinicians—like anesthesiologists and radiologists—who may be out of network even though the hospital and surgeon are not. Most policymakers agreed that this was unfair to patients, but not on how to address the problem. Our research helped to move the debate forward by highlighting the market failures and evaluating the impact of potential policy solutions. Late last year, Congress passed the No Surprises Act, which will outlaw these bills starting in January 2022. What are you looking forward to in your new role as co-director? Leonard Schaeffer endowed our center to improve health and economic policy through rigorous, independent research. Helping fulfill his vision means a great deal to me, and I am honored to become co-director of the Schaeffer Center alongside my mentor Dana Goldman.
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