Dr. Look's research focuses on the impact of prescription drug insurance coverage and cost-containment policies on the cost, access, and quality of medication use. His research integrates the pharmacist perspective into policy analysis and utilizes a patient-centered approach to better understand the implications of health care policies for patients, pharmacies, and payers. Dr. Look has conducted evaluations of medication-related programs offered by both public and private payers, and assessed the impact of health care reforms such as the Affordable Care Act. He has also conducted research to better understand challenges related to the accessibility, affordability, and quality of medication use by underserved populations, with an emphasis on the unique health care needs of rural residents. His current work has focused on the impact of the prescription opioid epidemic in the state of Wisconsin, and identifying ways to incorporate pharmacists into prevention and treatment efforts. 

Affiliations:

• Institute for Research on Poverty
• Population Health Sciences, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health

Dr. Look received his PharmD (2009) in pharmacy, and his MS (2011) and PhD (2013) degrees in the Social and Administrative Sciences Division, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His minor fields of study were economics and public policy analysis. For his master's degree, he researched the prevalence of multiple pharmacy use and the types of pharmacies used by patients. His doctoral dissertation was an evaluation of a value-based insurance design prescription drug benefit adopted by a managed care organization, which assessed the impact of the benefit change on member medication adherence and overall medication costs. He teaches professional students about the U.S. health care system, principles of drug insurance, and how pharmacy fits within the broader health care system. His graduate teaching focuses on statistical methods used in secondary data analysis. He also practices as a part-time community pharmacist.

Professional Interests: The evaluation of changes to health care policies, how changes to insurance coverage and benefit design impact medication use and costs, medication management by caregivers in rural areas, and rural-urban disparities in access to insurance and health care.

Education:

• PharmD 2009 - University of Wisconsin-Madison
• MS 2011 - University of Wisconsin-Madison
• PhD 2013 - University of Wisconsin-Madison

S&A PHM 411 - The Role of the Pharmacist in the Public Health System

S&A PHM 711 - Research Methods for Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy Research

PHM PRAC 628 & 629 - Practice Innovations I & II

PHM PRAC 630 - Rural Pharmacy Practice

Peer Reviewed Publications:

1. Burns ME, Dague L, Saloner B, Voskuil K, Kim NH, Look KA. Implementing parity for mental health and substance use treatment in Medicaid. Health Serv Res. 2020;55(4):604-614. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13309.
2. Park J, Look KA. Part D coverage gap reform: Trends in drug use and expenditures. Am J Manag Care. 2020;26(8):349-356. doi: 10.37765/ajmc.2020.44071.
3. Rawy M, Look KA, Amin M, Chewning B. Development and validation of a theory-based instrument to predict community pharmacists’ intention to provide pharmaceutical care services. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.06.026. (Online ahead of print.)
4. Portillo E, Look KA, Mott D, Breslow R, Kieser M, Gallimore C. Intentional application of the Taba Curriculum Model to develop a rural pharmacy practice course. Inov Pharm. 2020;11(1):Article 21. doi: https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v11i1.2089.
5. Arora P, Kreling DH, Look KA. Does evidence matter? Comparative effectiveness research and prescribing of Type 2 diabetes mellitus drugs. J Comp Eff Res. 2019;8(16):1393-1403. https://doi.org/10.2217/cer-2019-0127.
6. Kim NH, Look KA. The effect of reduced drug copayments on adherence to oral diabetes medications among childless adults in Wisconsin Medicaid. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2019;25(12):1432-1441.
7. Karpinski S, Look KA, Vanness DJ. Factors associated with county-level variation in the prescription of statins. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2019;25(12):1358-1365.
8. Park J, Look KA. Health care expenditure burden of cancer care in the United States. 2019; 56:46958019880696. doi: 10.1177/0046958019880696.
9. Kim NH, Look KA, Burns ME. Low-income childless adults’ access to antidiabetic drugs in Wisconsin Medicaid after coverage expansion. Health Aff (Millwood). 2019;38(7):1145-1152. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05198.
10. Look KA, Stone JA. Contextual factors influencing medication management by rural informal caregivers of older adults. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2019;15(10):1223-1229. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2018.10.007.
11. Look KA, Kile M, Morgan K, Roberts A. Community pharmacies as access points for addiction treatment. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2019;15(4):404-409. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2018.06.006.
12. Roberts AW, Carpenter DM, Smith A, Look KA. Reviewing state-mandated training requirements for naloxone-dispensing pharmacists. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2019;15(2):222-225. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2018.04.002.
13. Bowen D, Look KA. Controversy over the cost and use of PCSK9 inhibitors. J Pharm Soc Wis. 2018;21(3):40-43.
14. Kim NH, Look KA. Effects of the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage requirement on the utilization and out-of-pocket costs of prescribed oral contraceptives. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2018;14(5):479-487. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2017.06.005.
15. Look KA, Stone JA. Medication management activities performed by informal caregivers of older adults. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2018;14(5):418-426. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2017.05.005.
16. Hofmeyer BA, Look KA, Hager DR. Refill-based medication use quality measures in kidney transplant recipients: examination of proportion of days covered and medication possession ratio. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2018;24(4):367-372. doi: 10.18553/jmcp.2018.24.4.367.
17. Park J, Look KA. Relationship between objective financial burden and the health-related quality of life and mental health of patients with cancer. J Oncol Pract. 2018;14(2):e113-e121. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2017.027136.
18. Deshpande M, Look KA. Exploring factors associated with asthma-related emergency department visits among adults: a path analysis approach. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2018;14(1):46-52. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2016.12.011.
19. Carpenter DM, Roberts CA, Westrick SC, Ferreri SP, Kennelty KA, Look KA, Abraham O, Wilson C. A content review of online naloxone continuing education courses for pharmacists in states with standing orders. Res Soc Adm Pharm. 2018;14(10):968-978. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2017.11.011.
20. Deshpande M, Look KA. Relationship between health information sharing behavior using social media and breast cancer screening. Inov Pharm. 2017;8(2):Article 1. doi: https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v8i2.506.
21. Look KA, Kim NH, Arora P. Effects of the Affordable Care Act’s dependent coverage mandate on private health insurance coverage in urban and rural areas. J Rural Health. 2017;33(1):5-11. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12183.
22. Lester CA, Look KA, Chui MA. Is the currently used prescription adjudication date a good proxy for calculating medication refill adherence? J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2016;22(11):1311-1317.
23. Look KA, Arora P. Effects of the Affordable Care Act’s young adult insurance expansion on prescription drug insurance coverage, utilization, and expenditures. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2016;12(5):682-698. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2015.10.005.
24. Aboneh E, Look KA, Chui MA. Psychometric properties of the AHRQ Community Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture: a factor analysis. BMJ Qual Saf. 2016;25(5):355-363. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2015-004001.
25. Look KA. Patient characteristics associated with multiple pharmacy use in the U.S. population: findings from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2015;11(4):507-516. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2014.10.004.
26. Look KA. Value-based insurance design and medication adherence: opportunities and challenges. Am J Manag Care. 2015;21(1):e78-e90.
27. Chui MA, Look KA, Mott DA. The association of subjective workload dimensions on quality of care and pharmacist quality of work life. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2014;10(2):328-340. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2013.05.007.
28. Look KA, Mott DA. Multiple pharmacy use and types of pharmacies used to obtain prescriptions. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2013;53(6):601-610. doi: 10.1331/JAPhA.2013.13040.
29. Look KA, Mott DA, Leedham RK, Kreling DH, Hermansen-Kobulnicky CJ. Pharmacy participation and claim characteristics in the Wisconsin Medicaid Pharmaceutical Care Program from 1996 to 2007. J Manag Care Pharm. 2012;18(2):116-128.
30. Look KA, Mott DA, Kreling DH, Peterson EJ, Staresinic AG. Economic impact of pharmacist-reimbursed drug therapy modification. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2011;51(1):58-64. doi: 10.1331/JAPhA.2011.09115.