Report

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) led the Multistate EMS and Medicaid Dataset (MEMD): A Linked Dataset for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research project which received funding in 2021 by the Office of the Secretary of HHS’s Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund.

Improving maternal health in the U.S. requires strengthening care and support during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Doula services have shown promise in improving maternal and infant outcomes, yet more research is needed to understand these impacts.

Recent disruptions in medical product supply chains have highlighted the need for stronger, more coordinated approaches to ensuring reliable access to medical products.

This study examines the use of medical services and long-term services and supports by the population over age 65 over time.

Patient advocacy organizations (PAOs) play a key role in medical product development. Many PAOs raise money to fund medical product development activities – such as basic science research, preclinical research, and clinical trials - for their condition of focus, whereas others fund or develop resources such as biobanks or patient registries to support the research community.

There is ongoing interest in understanding ways to reduce drug prices and improve patient access to prescription drugs in the U.S. The estimated savings to the U.S. healthcare system from the use of biosimilars are significant.

The Fiscal Year (FY) HHS 2026 Evaluation plan includes four (4) evaluations reflecting evidence-building activities in different Operating and Staff Divisions across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The selected evaluations highlight activities that will generate actionable evidence in FY 2026 on priority topics.

To help patients make informed choices about their care, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is improving the quality and accessibility of data needed to determine which treatments and care options work best.

Shifting spending and delivery of long-term services and supports (LTSS) from institutions to the home and community is often referred to as rebalancing. This report and brief describe variation in LTSS rebalancing between 2016 and 2019 by enrollee age, health condition, and demographic factors.

Older adults with behavioral health disorders often experience worse health and functional outcomes, have higher rates of emergency department visits, use more medications, and have higher health care costs than those without a behavioral health disorder. There is need for a greater understanding of the extent to which older adults experience behavioral health disorders.