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About

About HealthCARE Lab

Founded by Dr. Kelli Frias of American University and Dr. Deidre Popovich of Texas Tech University, HealthCARE Lab is a research collective focused on consumer understanding of, access to, and participation in the healthcare services market. Our work is heavily centered on consumer perceptions of affordability and the impact this has on the quality and actual cost of care that patients ultimately choose. HealthCARE Lab is especially concerned with the implications of this as it pertains to immigrant and minority populations in the United States.

A pediatrician handing her patient a document.

Mission & Vision

HealthCARE Lab seeks to disentangle the relationships among price and quality, rhetoric associated with affordability, and the shared meanings related to these concepts and their impact on consumption patterns. In doing so, we provide guidance to healthcare professionals and policymakers for balancing these perceptions, and build a future in which patients are equipped with the knowledge and confidence to actively engage in their health-related decisions.

Values

HealthCARE Lab operates under the guidance of three key values: Scientific Integrity, Community, and Equity. These values dictate all decisions made as HealthCARE Lab and are the driving force behind our work.

Scientific
Integrity

We value rigorous research that is unbiased and rooted in truth, that provides accurate insight into the nature of the healthcare-consumer landscape, and that serves as the basis for policy change to benefit the healthcare consumer.

Community

We value an active research community that creates opportunities for mentorship and professional development for students, researchers, and practitioners; as well as its positive impacts in our communities at large.

Equity

We value service to underrepresented communities and laying the groundwork for equitable familiarity with, and access to, the services that benefit their overall well-being.

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