Sue Palsbo
Research Professor
Unit: Dept. of Global and Community Health
Mail Stop: 5B7
Office Location: Robinson B424
Phone: 541-505-7591
Fax: 541-505-7591*51
Email: spalsbo@gmu.edu
Dr. Palsbo is a Principal Research Associate at George Mason University’s Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability. She has worked in the fields of managed care and vulnerable populations (disabled and elderly) for 20 years as an employee of several health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and as an external researcher. As an HMO employee, she manipulated large data sets of proprietary claims and membership information to inform strategic business and clinical decision-making on a wide variety of topics including benefit packages and premiums, as well as preparing HEDIS® quality measure submissions to maintain state licensure. She gained a national public health policy perspective through frequent interactions with federal health agencies on Medicare capitation, quality measurement, and HMO regulations. Seeking to further her credentials as an independent investigator, she moved in1999 to the Center for Health and Disability Research, located at National Rehabilitation Hospital, and served as its Director for two years. In 2005, she joined the research faculty at George Mason University.
Since 1999, she has initiated over $2 million of extramurally-funded seminal research to improve access to care for people with disabilities, using two strategies: health system redesign/evaluation, and tele-rehabilitation. Currently funded research for which she is the Principal Investigator includes:
Evaluation of Survey-Derived Medicaid Quality Indicators for People with Activity Limitations. California HealthCare Foundation. This study is determining the psychometric properties of a survey of consumer assessments of quality, for adults of working age across the spectrum of disability. Four Medicaid HMOs in California and the State’s Home and Community-Based Services program are the study sites.
The Business Case for Disability Care Coordination. (R03 HS16537-01), Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. This 1-year study is analyzing cost, utilization and consumer reported quality data to measure the short- and mid-term outcomes of coordinated, patient-centered care for working-age Medicaid beneficiaries with physical disabilities. The overall goal is to measure the business case for disability care coordination from the perspective of the payer (e.g, a state Medicaid program), by showing that the additional expenses of paying for care coordination are offset in the form of reduced total program expenditures.
Medicaid Quality Indicators for People with Disabilities. National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research. This 5-year project is a collaboration with the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care (a Quality Improvement Organization) to develop quality measures and comparative report cards for adults with disabilities. Study components include: refining a computer algorithm to identify people with disabilities using claims and encounter data; exploring preferred reporting formats; testing a satisfaction survey and HEDIS-measures for Medicaid plans serving adults with disabilities; addressing small sample size and small number statistical issues; addressing item response scaling. A comparative report card will culminate the study.
My Scrivener™: Innovative Technology to Enhance Fine Motor
Function. Phase I SBIR, National Institute for
Disability and Rehabilitation Research . This project
is creating a prototype educational intervention using force-feedback haptics
(sense of touch) for tele-rehabilitation. The project is a collaborative
research program with GMU’s Volgenau School of Technology and GMU’s
Kellar Center for Human disability.
Recent publications:
Palsbo SE and Ho, PS. 2007. Consumer Evaluation of a Disability-Care Coordination Organization. Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved 18(4):887-901. (November).
Palsbo SE, Dawson SJ, Savard L, Goldstein M, Heuser A. 2007. Tele-assessment
using functional
reach and the European Stroke Scale J. Rehabilitation Research and Development
44(5):659-664.
Palsbo SE and Kroll T. 2007 Meeting information needs to facilitate decision making: report cards for people with disabilities. Health Expectations 10(3), 278–285. (September) .
Nelson E and Palsbo SE. 2006. Methodological Challenges in Equivalence Studies at Specialty Telemedicine Clinics. Evaluation and Program Planning 29(4):419-424. (November)
Palsbo SE, Mastal MF, O’Donnell L. 2006. Disability Care Coordination Organizations. Lippincott’s Case Management 11(5):255-264. (September/October).
Palsbo, SE. Tele-Assessment of Functional Communication. 2007. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare 13:40–43.
Palsbo SE and Kailes JI. 2006. Disability-Competent Health Systems (pdf). Disability Studies Quarterly Spring. 26(2): www.dsq-sds.org (internet publication)
McCue M and Palsbo, SE. 2006. Making the business case for telemedicine: an interactive spreadsheet. Telemedicine and e-Health 12(2):19-26.
Palsbo SE, Hornbrook M, Brody K, Perrin N. 2005. Creating a Disability Registry Using Claims Data. Managed Care Quarterly 13(1):6-12.
Educational Background and Awards:
- Ph.D., Health Services Research, George Washington University, 1992
- Public Health Service Traineeship, 1984
- M.S., Marine Resource Management, Texas A&M University, 1977
- Texas A&M University Marine Fellow, 1976-1977
- B.A. with Honors, Marine Biology, Occidental College, 1975