Olga Yakusheva, Ph.D.
University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482
Interests
- Nursing's economic value
- Health economics
- Health policy
- Research methods
Dr. Olga Yakusheva is an economist and a Professor of Nursing and Public Health at the University of Michigan. Her educational background is in applied mathematics (BS) and economics (MS, PhD), with a specific area of expertise in economic theory and methods and big data analytics. Dr. Yakusheva is an internationally recognized expert on the economic value of nursing and the contribution of nurses to patient, societal, and organizational outcomes. She has written more than 70 data-driven publications (not including white papers) in high-impact economics, policy, and health services research journals; she is the lead author on 34 publications and the primary data and methods architect on 28 other publications led by her nursing colleagues. She is currently serving as an Economics Editor for the International Journal of Nursing Studies, the leading international nursing research journal. Together with a long-term nursing colleague, Dr. Yakusheva is leading the American Nurses Association’s new effort “Framing and Articulating the Economic Value of the Nursing Profession” and the upcoming national summit “Re-imagining the Economic Value of Nursing.”
Current Research Grants and Programs
- R01 HS028806-01 DHS/AHRQ. Yakusheva (PD/MPI), Costa (MPI). 2023-2028. "The impact of specialty nursing certification on patient outcomes and costs in acute care: An individual value-added performance analysis."
- ANAE/ANCC Contract# 5FAEABCBE1C14457B564A3FB04278D5C. Yakusheva (PD/MPI), Weiss (MPI). 2023-2025. "Development and validation of a conceptual framework for quantifying the economic value of nursing."
- R01 HS028438-01A1 DHS/AHRQ. Yakusheva (PD/PI). 2022-2027. "A quality and cost analysis of interprofessional team continuity in ICUs."
- American Nurses Foundation, large investigator-initiated ANCC-aligned research grant. Yakusheva (PD/MPI). 2021-2024. "The effect of nurse specialty certification on performance outcomes."
- I01 HX003546-01A VA/HSR&D. Phibbs (PD/PI), Yakusheva (Co-I, UM PD/PI). 2023-2026. "Understanding the relationship between nurse staffing and outcomes: Impact of individual nurse education, expertise, and effort level on individual patient outcomes."
- R01 HL163177-01 NIH/NHLBI. Costa (PD/PI), Buchbinder (MPI), Yakusheva (Co-I, UM PD/PI). 2023-2028. "Organizational resilience: A novel strategy to improve ICU outcomes."
- R01 NIH/NHLBI. Kerlin (PI), Yakusheva (Co-I, UM PD/PI). 2020-2025. "Economic modeling to understand the relationship between physicians and outcomes among mechanically ventilated patients."
Teaching
Dr. Yakusheva taught courses in health economics, applied microeconomics, microeconomic theory, decision science, and scientific writing, at both the undergraduate level and the graduate level. She has mentored graduate students in economics, business, public health, and nursing; she has been a member of several graduate thesis committees. Dr. Yakusheva has received several teaching awards and recognitions.
Affiliations / Service
- Economics Editor, International Journal of Nursing Studies, UK, (2023 IF=8.1)
- Member, NIH/AHRQ Healthcare Safety and Quality Improvement Research Study Section
- Member, The Joint Commission Nurse Stakeholder Committee
- Economic Advisor, American Nurses Association Enterprise
- Economics Advisor, National Nurse Staffing Think Tank and Task Force of the American Nurses' Association
- Member, Steering Committee of the Intercollegiate Initiative on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Nursing
- Member, Senior Leadership Team, Institute for Health Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan
Notable Awards / Honors
- Friend of Nursing Award, Rho Theta Sigma Chapter of the National Nursing Honor Society, 2022
- Distinguished Research Fellow, Center for Health Outcomes and Informatics Research, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, 2018 – 2019
- Best of AcademyHealth Nomination, 2018
- Best of Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues, AcademyHealth, 2018
- Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing Research Team of the Year, 2015
- Best of AcademyHealth Award, 2014
Education
- Post-doctoral training, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 2013
- Ph.D., University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL, 2005
- MS, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL, 1997
- BS, Kazakh State University, Almaty, KZ, 1995
Publication Highlights
Yakusheva, O., Ratliff, H., Costa, D. K. (in-press). Value-informed nursing practice and leadership in modern health care. In T. Porter-O'Grady, R. Start, & B. Hancock (Eds.), Professional Governance (3rd ed).
Yakusheva, O. & Rambur, B. Why the current reimbursement model is harmful to nursing quality and what to do about it, Health Affairs Forefront, May 30, 2023. doi: 10.1377/forefront.20230526.873299
Yakusheva, O., Rambur, B., Buerhaus, P. I. (2022). Part 6. Education for value-informed nursing practice. Nursing Outlook, 70(6), 789-793. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2022.08.002
Yakusheva, O., Rambur, B., & Buerhaus, P. 2022. Education for Value-informed Nursing Practice. Nursing Outlook. Forthcoming.
Yakusheva, O., & Buerhaus, P. 2022. Part 5. Value-informed nursing practice: why must we think about the practice of nursing differently? 2022 Aug 3;S0029-6554(22)00111-7. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2022.06.008.
Yakusheva, O., Munro Kramer, M., Love, R., & Buerhaus, P. 2022. Part 4. Value-Informed Nursing Practice Depends on Nursing Innovation. Nursing outlook, S0029-6554(22), 00066-00065. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2022.05.002
Yakusheva, O., Czerwinski, M., & Buerhaus, P. 2022. Part 3. Value-informed nursing practice is needed to make our healthcare systems more environmentally sustainable. Nursing Outlook 70(3), 377-380. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2022.02.003
Yakusheva, O., Rambur, B., O'Reily, M., & Buerhaus, P. 2022. Part 2. Value-based payment promotes better patient care, incentives health care delivery organizations to improve outcomes and lower costs, and can empower nurses. Nursing outlook, 70(2), 215-218. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2021.12.012
Yakusheva, O., Rambur, B., & Buerhaus, P. 2022. Part 1. Value-informed nursing practice: what is it and how to make it a reality. Nursing outlook, 70(2), 207-360. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2022.01.001.
Yakusheva O, Rambur B, Buerhaus, P. “The Ethical Foundations of Value-Informed Nursing Practice” Nurs Outlook. Jul-Aug 2021;69(4):539-541
Yakusheva O, Bang J, Costa L, Hughes R, Weiss MA. “Non-linear association of nurse staffing with readmissions uncovered in machine learning analysis.” Health Services Research. 2022 Health Serv Res. 2022 Apr;57(2):311-321
Yakusheva O, Rambur B, Buerhaus, P. “Value-Informed Nursing Practice Can Help Reset the Hospital-Nurse Relationship.” JAMA Health Forum. August 10 2020. https://jamanetwork.com/channels/health-forum/fullarticle/2769431
Yakusheva O, Needleman J, Bettencourt AP, Buerhaus PI. “Is it time to peek under the hood of system-level approaches to quality and safety?,” Nursing Outlook. 2020 Mar - Apr;68(2):141-144.
Yakusheva O, Costa DK, Bobay KL, Parada JP, and M Weiss. "Variability in catheter-associated asymptomatic bacteriuria rates among individual nurses in intensive care units: an observational cross-sectional study" 2019. PLOS One, in press.
Yakusheva O, Weiss ME, Bobay KL, Costa L, Hughes RG, Hamilton M, Bang J, and P Buerhaus. "Individual Nurse Performance in Preparing Patients for Discharge is Associated with the Patient Likelihood of 30-day Readmission" 2019. Medical Care, in press.
Weiss ME, Yakusheva O, Bobay KL, Costa L, Hughes RG, Nuccio S, Hamilton M, Bahr S, Siclovan D, Bang J; READI Site Investigators. "Effect of Implementing Discharge Readiness Assessment in Adult Medical-Surgical Units on 30-Day Return to Hospital: The READI Randomized Clinical Trial." 2019. JAMA Open. 2019 Jan 4;2(1):e187387. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.7387.
Yakusheva O and G Hoffman. "Does a Reduction in Readmissions Result in Net Savings for Most Hospitals? An Examination of Medicare's Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program." Medical Care Research and Review, in press (https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558718795745).
Yakusheva O, Weiss M. "Nurse Graduates from Higher-Ranking Institutions Have Higher Productivity." BMC Health Serv Res. 2017; 17: 134.
Yakusheva O., Costa D.K., and M. Weiss. "Patients negatively impacted by discontinuous nursing care during acute hospitalization" Med Care. 2016 May 31;21(2):2.
Yakusheva O., Lindrooth R., Weiner J., Spetz J., and M. Pauly. "How Nursing Affects Medicare's Outcome-Based Hospital Payment" Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation INQRI Evidence Brief, November 2015.
Yakusheva O., R. Lindrooth and M.E. Weis. "Nurse Value Added and Patient Outcomes in Acute Care." Health Services Research Nov 2014, 49(6):1767-1786.
Yakusheva O., Lindrooth R. and M. Weiss. "Economic Evaluation of the 80 Percent Baccalaureate Nurse Workforce Recommendation: A Patient-level Analysis." Medical Care, Oct 2014, 52(10):864-869.