Advancing Health Outcomes with Economic Insight

From Opioid Use Disorder to Kidney Disease, PHOP Candidate Prachet Bhatt Uses Economic Analysis to Drive Meaningful Health Care Change

When Ph.D. Candidate Prachet Bhatt began his academic journey, he never anticipated shifting from economics to pharmaceutical health outcomes and policy (PHOP). Originally from Oregon, Bhatt started his studies at the University of Houston (UH), where he earned a master’s degree in applied economics. Bhatt’s interest in health economics grew after taking an elective from the UH College of Pharmacy’s PHOP department, where he saw how economic principles could apply to health care.

“I’m using the same toolkit in economics, but now applied to health care,” Bhatt said. “Instead of measuring the effect of wages on unemployment, I was learning how treatment interventions, like blood pressure medication, impact outcomes like stroke prevention, overall blood pressure management and all-cause mortality.”

After earning his master’s in 2018, Bhatt had the opportunity to work with UH College of Pharmacy (UHCOP) Associate Professor Doug Thornton, Pharm.D., Ph.D., as a health outcomes analyst. This role enhanced his knowledge of the opioid crisis, particularly the impact of interventions aimed at reducing opioid overdose deaths. In 2020, Bhatt enrolled in the Ph.D. program, where he quickly realized the field’s vast potential.

“There’s a high level of support within the department for gaining a deep understanding   of health economics, health outcomes, and health services research,” Bhatt said. “In addition, our department is well-funded, which gives us the opportunity to work with real-world data. The ability to answer complex questions is determined by both technical expertise and access to data.”

Bhatt emphasizes the unwavering support he received from his colleagues and his advisor, Thornton.

“It’s really great to have an understanding advisor who supports you, helps keep you on track and provides opportunities even when unforeseen circumstances arise,” Bhatt said.

Bhatt’s research now focuses on cardiorenal metabolic conditions such as kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Bhatt explained that these conditions disproportionately affect older adults and are often clinically silent early on, but can result in severe complications if left untreated.

“It’s very detrimental to the patient and their loved ones, and it’s costly,” Bhatt said. “If early screening, proactive management, and aggressive pharmacotherapy is provided earlier, costly treatments can often be avoided.”

Bhatt has also had the opportunity to continue working with Thornton and the PREMIER Center, which focuses on prescription drug misuse and abuse to develop solutions to address the ongoing opioid crisis. Bhatt emphasized the need for better medication access to improve overall health outcome, especially for those from underserved communities, citing that only 50% of patients with opioid use disorder receive the treatment they need.

“If we can improve access to medications such as buprenorphine, methadone, and naloxone, as well as educate providers on how to effectively prescribe and dispense these medications, we can make a significant impact in mitigating the ongoing opioid crisis,” Bhatt said.

Bhatt said his summer fellowship at the Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health (CEVR) was one of the most impactful experiences of his career, where the research is primarily focused on cost-effectiveness analysis, insurance coverage of health technology, and assessing how drug prices are decided by manufacturers and the federal government.

At CEVR, Bhatt contributed to a cost-effectiveness model on adding glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) to sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for patients with chronic kidney disease. The decision to work on GLP-1 RAs, a novel and costly medication in high demand, was a strategic choice to address concerns around accessibility and affordability for patients and payors, such as insurance companies.

“The biggest thing I learned at CEVR was how drug prices can impact the cost effectiveness of a treatment,” Bhatt said. “We modeled how, over time, medications such as GLP-1 RAs transition from branded to generic, which significantly lowers their cost.”

Bhatt further explains that GLP-1 RAs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide are currently in high demand on the market but are expensive due to their branded status. Once these medications become generic, they are likely to become more affordable, potentially expanding access to treatment.

Bhatt said he hopes his research will influence clinical practices and health care policies that can better address the needs of underserved communities.

“Research doesn’t always have an immediate impact,” Bhatt said. “But if we can push the science forward and improve clinical guidelines, we can make a difference over time.”

- Lauren Nguyen