Sarah Friedman, Ph.D., MSPH

Summary

Sarah Friedman is a quantitative health services researcher who studies how health care policies and delivery system changes affect access to care, particularly for underserved populations such as Medicaid recipients, individuals with substance use disorders and veterans. She specializes in using large administrative datasets, including Medicaid and Optum claims, cancer registries and Veterans Health Administration electronic health records, to examine issues such as opioid prescribing, access to medications for opioid use disorder, mental health services, cancer care for people experiencing homelessness and health care use within the VA.

In addition to her research, Friedman serves as the officer for evaluation at Project ECHO Nevada, where she leads impact evaluations of telementoring programs aimed at expanding access to high-quality health care across the region. Her goal is to connect rigorous data analysis with real-world policy challenges to promote more equitable and effective health care systems.

Professional affiliations

• Member, College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD)
• Member, Academy Health

Course taught

• PBH 341: Health Policy
• CHS 719: Advanced Research Methods in Social and Behavioral Science
• CHS 741: Methods in Health Policy Analysis
• CHS 757: Health Economics

Selected publications

2025

• Friedman, S. A., Lewandowski, M., Patterson, D., Snyder, P., Sangoleye, D., Jorgensen, T. C., Militante, N. & Lavi, M. S. (2025). A short duration telementoring pain management program for Medicaid: Impact on clinician outcomes. Health Education Research.
• Friedman, S. A., Snyder, P., Patterson, D., Hartzell, S. T. Y., Albertson, A. & Keller, M. (2025). De-prescribing opioids among Medicaid patients with long-term opioid use. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment.

2024

• Ajumobi, O., Friedman, S. A., Westhoff, J., Granner, M., Lucero, J., Koch, B. & Wagner, K. D. (2024). Age and racial disparity in filled buprenorphine prescriptions following an emergency department visit in Nevada. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, 5(5).
• Ajumobi, O., Friedman, S. A., Granner, M., Lucero, J., Westhoff, J., Koch, B. & Wagner, K. D. (2024). Emergency department buprenorphine program: Staff concerns and recommended implementation strategies. Implementation Science Communications, 5, 104. 

2023

• Qiu, S., Liu, Y., Adetunji, D., Hartzell, S. Y., Larson, M. J. & Friedman, S. A. (2023). Dose changes for long-term opioid patients following a state opioid prescribing policy. Medical Care, 61(10), 657-664. 
• Park, S. Y., Hill, K., Yun, G. W., Friedman, S. A. & Coppes, M. J. (2023). Analysis of direct-to-consumer healthcare service advertisements on television: An application of the patient expectation framework. Health Communication, 38(10), 2067-2079.
• Hartzell, S., Friedman, S. A., Keller, M. & Albertson, E. (2023). Variation in Nevada primary care clinicians' use of urine drug testing to mitigate opioid harm. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 145, 208940. 

2022

• Friedman, S. A., Xu, H., Azocar, F. & Ettner, S. L. (2022). Quantifying balance-billing for out-of-network behavioral health in employer-sponsored insurance. Psychiatric Services, 73(9), 1019-1026.
• Friedman, S. A., Shaw, J., Hamilton, A. B., Vinekar, K., Washington, D. L., Mattocks, K., Yano, E. M., Phibbs, C. S., Johnson, A. M., Saechao, F., Berg, E. & Frayne, S. M. (2022).Gynecologist supply deserts across the VA and in the community. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 37 (Suppl 3), 690-697. 
• Friedman, S. A., Xu, H., Azocar, F. & Ettner, S. L. (2022). Comparing copayment and coinsurance created from claims data with gold-standard values. Medical Care, 60 (4), 279-286.
• Friedman, S. A., Azocar, F., Xu, H. & Ettner, S. L. (2022). Evidence of balance billing in out-of-network behavioral health claims. Psychiatric Services.

2021

• Schwartz, R., Frayne, S. M., Friedman, S. A., Romodan, Y., Berg, E., Haskell, S. G., Hayes, P. & Shaw, J. G. (2021). Retaining VA women’s health primary care providers: Work setting matters. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 36(3), 614-621. 

2020

• Park, S. Y., Yun, G. W., Friedman, S. A., Hill, K., Ryu, S. Y., Schwenk, T. & Coppes, M. J. (2020). US direct-to-consumer medical service advertisements fail to provide adequate information on quality and cost of care. Journal of Medical Ethics.
• Friedman, S. A., Patel, K., Liu, Y., Hartzell, S. & Michelle, K. (2020). Urine drug testing among opioid-naïve and long-term opioid Nevada Medicaid beneficiaries. Substance Use & Misuse, 55(14), 2314-2320.
• Friedman, S. A., Xu, H., Azocar, F. & Ettner, S. L. (2020). Carve-out plan financial requirements associated with national behavioral health parity. Health Services Research, 55(6), 924-931. 

2019

• Friedman, S. A., Ettner, S. L., Chuang, E., Azocar, F., Harwood, J. M. & Ong, M. (2019). The effects of three kinds of insurance benefit design features on specialty mental health use in managed care. Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics, 22(2), 43-59. 

2018

• Thalmayer, A. G., Harwood, J. M., Friedman, S. A., Azocar, F., Watson, L. A., Xu, H. & Ettner, S. L. (2018). The MHPAEA evaluation study: Impact on non-quantitative treatment limits for specialty behavioral health care. Health Services Research, 53(6), 4584-4608.
• Friedman, S. A., Azocar, F., Xu, H. & Ettner, S. L. (2018). Did parity differentially affect SUD and mental health benefits in carve-out vs. carve-in plans? Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 190, 151-158. 
• Friedman, S. A., Thalmayer, A. G., Azocar, F., Xu, H., Harwood, J. M., Ong, M. & Ettner, S. L. (2018). Impact on mental health financial requirements among commercial carve-in plans. Health Services Research, 53(1), 366-388. 

2017

• Friedman, S. A., Xu, H., Azocar, F., Harwood, J. M. & Ettner, S. L. (2017). Impact on specialty behavioral healthcare utilization and spending among SUD enrollees. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 80, 67-78. 
• Thalmayer, A. G., Friedman, S. A., Azocar, F., Harwood, J. M. & Ettner, S. L. (2017).Impact on quantitative treatment limits (QTLs). Psychiatric Services, 68(5), 435-442.

2016

• Harwood, J. M., Azocar, J., Thalmayer, A. G., Xu, H., Ong, M., Tseng, C. H., Wells, K. B., Friedman, S. A. & Ettner, S. L. (2016). Impact on specialty behavioral healthcare utilization among carve-in enrollees. Medical Care, 55(2), 164-172.

2015

• Schmitt, S. K., Turakhia, M. P., Phibbs, C. S., Moos, R. H., Berlowitz, D., Heidenreich, P., Chiu, V. Y., Go, A. S., Friedman, S. A., Than, C. T. & Frayne, S. M. (2015). Anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation: Impact of mental illness. American Journal of Managed Care, 21(11), e609-e617.
• Friedman, S. A., Frayne, S. M., Berg, E., Hamilton, A. B., Washington, D. L., Saechao, F., Maisel, N. C., Lin, J. Y., Hoggatt, K. J. & Phibbs, C. S. (2015). Travel time and attrition from VHA care among women veterans: How far is too far? Medical Care, 53(4 Suppl 1), S15-S22. 

2013

• Holmes, G. M., Pink, G. H. & Friedman, S. A. (2013). The financial performance of rural hospitals and implications for elimination of the critical access hospital program. Journal of Rural Health, 29(2), 140-149. 

2011

• Friedman, S. A., Phibbs, C. S., Schmitt, S. K., Hayes, P. M., Herrera, L. & Frayne, S. M. (2011). New women veterans in the VHA: A longitudinal profile. Women's Health Issues, 21(4 Suppl), S103-S111.

Education

• Ph.D. in Health Policy and Management, University of California, Los Angeles, 2017
• MSPH in Health Policy and Management, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2009
• B.A. in Economics and Mathematics, Bryn Mawr College, 2005