December 27, 2023 Louisiana Medicaid awards $922,097 to universities for 13 research projects2024 Public University Partnership Program (PUPP) awards

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dec 27, 2023 - Louisiana Department of Health, Bureau of Healthcare Financing (Medicaid), announced the 2024 Public University Partnership Program (PUPP) awards to researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL), Southeastern Louisiana University (SELU), Louisiana State University – Shreveport (LSUS) and McNeese State University (MSU). A total of $922,097 was awarded to the four university researchers, which brings the total to 13 research projects. Since its inception in 2021, over $2.5M has been committed to advancing innovation in Medicaid care delivery. 

 The four 2024 research projects are:

1. University of Louisiana at Lafayette: Principal Investigator: Stephen Barnes, Ph.D., “RENEW (Redetermination and Enrollment: Evidence at Work) Trial.”;
2. Southeastern Louisiana University (SELU): Principal Investigator: Linda Collins, Ph.D., “Population Health and Promoting Positive Health Outcomes with Medicaid: Evaluation Study.”;
3. Louisiana State University – Shreveport (LSUS): Principal Investigator: Urska Cvek, Sc.D., “IMPACT-IBD: Improving Cost-Control and Treatment for IBD.” and
4. McNeese State University (MSU): Principal Investigator: Joanna B. Thompson, Ph.D., BCBA-D, “Meeting Technology Needs to Improve Access to High-Value Behavioral Healthcare” (continuation award),

ULL, SELU, and LSUS are inaugural PUPP awardees and join these universities with existing grant funding:  Louisiana State University A&M, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, and Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Current research topics range from evaluating new technology for autism care to mapping resource needs for children to assessing perceptions for abandoning the use of diabetes devices.

All Louisiana public colleges or universities are eligible to submit a proposal. Successful proposals identify opportunities to evaluate or inform on Medicaid priorities, such as childhood health and development, health equity, chronic disease and evidence-based care, maternal/infant outcomes, or behavioral health and substance abuse treatment. PUPP supports cross-disciplinary research in medicine, behavioral health, social sciences, nursing, health policy, health sciences, health informatics, or population health.

Research proposals are scored for relevance, innovation, and applicability to advance the delivery of evidence-based, high-quality, accessible, and cost-effective care within Medicaid. Proposals are then ranked for funding. Additionally, the university provides a 50% cost-match of the total research project expenses, which allows LDH to offer this program through federal financial participation.

Learnings from the research projects are intended to inform policy to foster innovation and new approaches.  Research teams provide study findings at scheduled intervals during the project timeline which are disseminated to interested parties and stakeholders within LDH, parish municipalities, community programs, and legislative partners.

The next Notice of Funding Opportunity is anticipated for April 2024.

For more information, contact PUPP@la.gov.