Placement: Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, and Department of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Co-Mentors: Haiden Huskamp, PhD, Henry J. Kaiser Professor of Health Care Policy, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School
Michael Sparer, JD, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Projects: Geographic Reach of Mental Health Specialists Adopting Telemedicine and Impact of Implementing Medicaid-Funded Mobile Crisis Services on Beneficiaries with Mental Health Conditions
Jacob Jorem, MD, JD, is a 2024–25 Norwegian Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice. Previously, he was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University while completing his interdisciplinary PhD in mental health policy, focusing on the introduction of a capacity-based mental health law in Norway. He previously held the position of Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo. As a psychiatrist and lawyer, his research centers on improving the access and quality of mental health care. He has authored several publications, including scientific articles, reports, and a book chapter, addressing topics in mental health policy, health law, and bioethics. Dr. Jorem served as Head of the Secretariat for the Expert Committee on Decision-Making Capacity, contributing to key policy recommendations for Norway’s mental health system. As a senior adviser at the Norwegian Directorate of Health, he authored authoritative interpretations of the Norwegian Mental Health Care Act and represented the Norwegian government in court cases. As a psychiatrist, he served as a chief physician at adult psychiatric divisions in Oslo, providing high-quality patient care.
Overview of Projects: The projects address key issues in access to mental health care by examining innovative approaches to reducing disparities. Telemedicine has the potential to address mental health care disparities by expanding specialist access in underserved communities. One project analyzes Medicare claims data from 2018 to 2023, comparing mental health specialists based on their telemedicine use. Using difference-in-differences analysis, the project examines changes in the fraction of patients living in underserved and rural areas, another state, and the patient–clinician distance between the different groups of specialists. This project will provide important policy insights on the role of telemedicine in reducing geographic disparities.
Crisis response systems are becoming increasingly important to ensure access to timely and equitable mental health care. Another project explores the impact of implementing Medicaid-funded Mobile Crisis Teams under the American Rescue Plan Act on beneficiaries with mental health conditions and the facilitators and barriers to their implementation. Through qualitative analysis of interviews with key stakeholders across several US states, this project will inform policies to improve crisis response systems and reduce disparities in access to mental health care.