Blake McGee

PhD, Nursing, Emory University (2018)
MPH, Population & Family Health, Columbia University (2007)
BSN, Nursing, Emory University (2013)
BSFS, Middle East Regional Studies, Georgetown University (2003)

Clinical Expertise
Emergency nursing/EMS, ambulatory care, clinical trials, and adult health

Research Interests
I am a former emergency room nurse with a PhD in nursing science and a focus on health policy. My research looks at health policy trade-offs and their effects on patient outcomes and health care costs. I recently completed two studies of how the outcomes of ischemic stroke differ between states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and states that did not. Previously, I examined the effects of prescription drug co-pays on treatment adherence, hospital use, and medical costs among Medicare Part D subscribers with heart failure.

I teach health policy, research methods, and statistics to nursing and other health professions students. I also serve on committees of the Georgia Nurses Association, the Southern Nursing Research Society, and AcademyHealth’s Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues (IRGNI).

Selected Publications

1. McGee, B., Seagraves, K., Smith, E., Xian, Y., Zhang, S., Alhanti, B., Matsouaka, R., Reeves, M., Schwamm, L., & Fonarow, G. (in press). Associations of Medicaid expansion with access to care, severity, and outcomes for acute ischemic stroke. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
2. McGee, B., Parikh, R., & Phillips, V. (2021). Cost implications of patient spending on heart failure medications in the U.S. Medicare program. Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, 12(2), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.1093/jphsr/rmaa018
3. McGee, B., & Breslin, S. (2021). The Affordable Care Act 10 years in: What nursing leaders should know. Nurse Leader, 19(1), 57–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2020.03.022
4. McGee, B., Higgins, M., Phillips, V., & Butler, J. (2020). Prescription drug spending and hospital use among Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 16(10), 1452–1458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.12.019
5. Derington, C., King, J., Bryant, K., McGee, B., Moran, A., Weintraub, W., Bellows, B., & Bress, A. (2019). Cost-effectiveness and challenges of implementing intensive blood pressure goals and team-based care. Current Hypertension Reports, 21(12), Article 91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-019-0996-x
6. McGee, B., Phillips, V., Higgins, M., & Butler, J. (2019). Prescription drug spending and medication adherence among Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 25(6), 705–713. https://doi.org/10.18553/jmcp.2019.25.6.705
7. Baker, H., & McGee, B. (2017). Pre-college programs: An innovative way to introduce nursing to college-bound students. Journal of Nursing Education, 56(5), 316. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20170421-13

Selected Presentations

1. McGee, B., Seagraves, K., Smith, E., Xian, Y., Zhang, S., Alhanti, B., Matsouaka, R., Reeves, M., Schwamm, L., & Fonarow, G. (2021). Associations of Medicaid expansion with access to care, severity, and outcomes for acute ischemic stroke. AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, online due to COVID-19.
2. McGee, B., & Kim, S. (2021). Medicaid expansion did not reduce stroke readmissions after one year. International Stroke Conference, online due to COVID-19.
3. McGee, B., Parikh, R., & Phillips, V. (2019). Heart failure prescription drug spending and medical costs in Medicare Part D. American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, Philadelphia, PA.
4. McGee, B. (2019). Prescription drug spending and hospital use among Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure. AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Washington, DC.
5. McGee, B. (2017). Prescription drug spending and medication adherence in a national heart failure sample. Sigma Theta Tau International Research Congress, Dublin, Ireland.
6. McGee, B. (2015). Does medication cost-sharing predict emergency room use for asthma? Sigma Theta Tau International 43rd Biennial Convention, Las Vegas, NV. *Rising Star of Research and Scholarship Invited Student Poster*

Funding
The Impact of State Decisions about the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid Expansion on Acute Ischemic Stroke Severity, Outcomes, and Rehabilitation Use. Principal Investigator. American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Young Investigator Database Research Seed Grant. Awarded $1,500 plus analysis support from the Duke Clinical Research Institute (10/2019–09/2020).

Medicaid Coverage Expansion and 30-day Readmission after Acute Ischemic Stroke. Principal Investigator. American Nurses Foundation Anne Zimmerman Research Endowment Fund. Awarded $4,950 (09/2019–08/2020).

Memberships
American Heart Association
AcademyHealth
American Nurses Association
Georgia Nurses Association
Southern Nursing Research Society

Service
Legislative Committee, Georgia Nurses Association
Communications Committee, Southern Nursing Research Society
Advisory Board, Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues, AcademyHealth

Awards and Honors
Sigma Theta Tau (nursing honor society) induction, 2017
AcademyHealth Alice S. Hersh Scholarship alternate, 2017
Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition Health Policy Scholarship, 2015
Sigma Theta Tau International Rising Star of Scholarship and Research, 2015
Fuld Fellowship for Leadership and Social Responsibility in Nursing, 2012