In the News
RUSH NewsletterFollow RUSH’s progress as we develop new research, convene experts, and translate innovative ideas into actionable healthcare policy. Our newsletter will feature updates on our seven challenge areas, emerging research findings, publications, and opportunities to engage with our work.
Newsletter Publications / Press Releases
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Selected Research & Publications
Our work builds on research conducted by RUSH’s leadership and collaborators, including an initial application of Precedents Thinking to healthcare administrative costs. The publications below highlight foundational research, emerging policy proposals, and methodological innovations that inform RUSH’s approach to addressing healthcare affordability.
The Affordability Crisis in Healthcare
The American Journal of Medicine | 2026
Schulman and Cutler examine the structural pressures underlying America’s healthcare affordability crisis and the need for systemic reform.
Developing a Computable Payer-Provider Contract
Health Management, Policy and Innovation | 2026
Building on the team’s administrative cost research, this study explores the technical feasibility of standardized, machine-readable payer-provider contracts using existing healthcare data standards.
Precedents Thinking
Harvard Business Review | 2025
Zenios and Favaro introduce the Precedents Thinking methodology, describing how lessons from successful innovations in other fields can be combined to solve difficult problems.
Addressing Health Care’s Administrative Cost Crisis
JAMA | 2025
Istvan, Schulman, and Zenios discuss opportunities to reduce administrative spending through standardized contracts and shared transaction infrastructure.
Applying Precedents Thinking to the Intractable Problem of Transaction Costs in Healthcare
Health Management, Policy and Innovation | 2024
This research examined 82 precedents from healthcare and other industries, identifying 26 high-priority innovations that informed proposals for standardized, computable payer-provider contracts and shared digital transaction infrastructure.
AI Alone Will Not Reduce the Administrative Burden of Health Care
JAMA | 2023
Schulman, Nielsen, and Patel examine why applying artificial intelligence to existing administrative processes may automate complexity rather than eliminate it, highlighting the need to redesign underlying healthcare transactions.
The Healthcare Policies of the November 2026 Candidates
Health Management, Policy and Innovation | October 2026
Scheinker, Shah, Backer, and Schulman analyze healthcare issues and policy proposals across 972 campaign websites for the November 2026 U.S. House, Senate, and gubernatorial elections. They find that only 51% mention any of six key healthcare affordability issues, highlighting a gap between voters’ concerns and candidates’ policy agendas. The study also makes candidate positions and policy proposals publicly available to support further research and discussion.
Policy Engagement & In the News
Congressional Roundtable on Regulatory Innovation at the Hoover Institution
U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee | August 2026
RUSH co-lead Kevin Schulman participated in a congressional roundtable hosted by Joint Economic Committee Chairman David Schweikert at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. The discussion focused on regulatory sandboxes as a mechanism to reduce barriers to innovation, enable responsible experimentation, and accelerate the adoption of new technologies and business models. The event builds on broader engagement by RUSH’s leadership with the Senate Finance and HELP Committees on healthcare reform.
Mark Cuban Discusses Healthcare Reform
The Benefit Whisperer | April 2026
RUSH collaborators Kevin Schulman and David Scheinker joined entrepreneur Mark Cuban on The Benefit Whisperer podcast to discuss the structural drivers of healthcare costs, including hospital pricing, insurance complexity, and administrative waste. The conversation explored opportunities to improve transparency, simplify healthcare transactions, and reform the incentives underlying the U.S. healthcare system.
CMMI ACCESS Model
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services | 2026
Research from RUSH’s leadership on healthcare administrative costs was cited in the policy discussion surrounding CMMI’s Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) Model, which introduces outcome-aligned payments for technology-enabled chronic care.
Stanford Daily Highlights Research on Healthcare Priorities Ahead of 2026 Elections
The Stanford Daily | November 2026
The Stanford Daily featured research by RUSH co-lead Kevin Schulman and Stanford professor David Scheinker examining healthcare priorities across 972 candidate campaign websites. The study found that while 89% of candidates discussed healthcare, only 51% addressed affordability. The article highlights the disconnect between voters’ concerns and candidates’ policy agendas, underscoring the need for structural reforms to address the U.S. healthcare affordability crisis.
RUSH Featured in HMPI Letter from the Editor on Healthcare Reform
Health Management, Policy and Innovation | October 2026
RUSH co-lead and HMPI Editor-in-Chief Kevin Schulman examines the disconnect between Americans’ concerns about healthcare affordability and the limited structural reforms proposed by candidates in the 2026 elections. Citing a new study of 972 campaign websites, he calls for more actionable healthcare policy ideas and highlights RUSH’s application of Precedents Thinking to seven underlying challenges in the U.S. healthcare system.