HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM
CENTER FOR HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH

Jennifer Elston Lafata, Ph.D.
Investigator

Contact Information:
Email: jlafata1@hfhs.org
Phone: (313) 874-5454
Fax: (313) 874-7137

Interests:
Colorectal cancer screening and management

Diabetes management

Use of claims data to study medical care quality and costs

Shared decision-making

Recent Publications:
Elston Lafata J, Cerghet M, Dobie E, Schultz L, Tunceli K, Reuther J, Elias S. Measuring Adherence and Persistence to Disease Modifying Agents among Patients with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.  Journal of the American Pharmacist Association 2008 Nov/Dec;48(6):752-7 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19019804) 

Biography:

Jennifer Elston Lafata, Ph.D. is a Research Scientist with the Center for Health Services Research at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan.  Dr. Lafata is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  She received her doctorate in Health Services Management and Policy with a concentration in economics from the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.   She joined the Henry Ford Health System in 1993 where she served as acting director of the Center for Clinical Effectiveness (1997-1999) and Director of the Center for Health Services Research (1999-2005).  Her primary research interests include cancer and diabetes management, and the use of claims data to evaluate medical care quality and costs.  Recently, Dr. Lafata has been using survey research methods to study colorectal cancer screening decision making in primary care.  She has participated in NIH sponsored studies evaluating the appropriateness of using claims data to study the care delivered to cancer survivors; an AHRQ funded study to evaluate the use of claims data to detect medication errors in the outpatient setting; and a CDC funded initiative to improve colorectal cancer screening rates in primary care.  The latter two included cluster randomized trials to improve adherence to evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.  Through these and other efforts, she has experience working with delivery and financing organizations to develop, implement and evaluate interventions designed to improve routine chronic care management, and has published on the medical care costs associated with migraine headaches, false positive cancer screening test results, and surveillance care among cancer survivors as well as the effectiveness of mailed patient reminders and web-based care management support tools for improving routine diabetes management.