Thomas Brewer, PhD, MJur, CHC, joined the Center as its fourth Research Fellow today.

Brewer is an associate professor of health policy and management in the Kent State University College of Public Health. He also teaches in the public health curriculum at the College of Podiatric Medicine and coordinates the joint DPM-MPH program.

As a CPHLR Fellow, Brewer will complete a policy surveillance project that tracks state Medicaid laws and regulations related to reimbursement for services performed by podiatric physicians.

Federal Medicaid guidelines list coverage for podiatry services as an optional benefit that states may provide. Currently, all but six states offer some coverage for podiatric care, and that number fluctuates year to year.

States will sometimes drop coverage as a short-term budget fix only to realize far greater costs down the road. One study estimated that the cost of hospitalization for diabetic foot ulcers (a condition routinely referred to podiatrists) increased by $16.7 million per year following the elimination of Medicaid coverage for podiatry services.

Brewer will serve as a CPHLR Follow between February 2019 and February 2021.