Topic: Health Care
‘They Were Already Inside My Head To Begin With’
The ethics of asking brain surgery patients to allow unrelated research while on the operating table
$52.6 Billion: Extra Cost to Consumers of Add-On Drug Patents
The figure is a subset, not covering huge expense of extended patents on high-priced biologics like Humira
A Nudge to Reduce the Government Tab for Nursing Home Care
An upfront fee for taking Medicaid patients could shorten stays
A Proposal to Even Out Flu Vaccine Supplies
A system of manufacturer rewards and penalties, consumer taxes and subsidies could aid vaccination rates
A Scheduling Tool that Considers Employee Preferences
A model for staffing O.R.s incorporates the costs of worker dissatisfaction and idle time
A Supportive Letter to Doctors on Best Practices Reduces Opioid Prescriptions
In LA, doctors who lose a patient to opioid overdose get a letter from the coroner; tweaking that letter had a substantial impact
A Tool to Make FDA Drug Approval Practices Transparent
Researchers aim to help the agency, drug companies and patients better understand the complex authorization process
Academic Medical Centers Resilient After Cuts
Following Medicare reimbursement rate changes, research actually increased
Anticipating Overcrowding Risk in the ICU
A model vastly outperforms predictions based on prior hospital data
Behavioral Economics Could Increase Obamacare Enrollment and Stabilize Markets
Greater subsidies aren’t enough: Lowering the complexity of enrollment is needed to bring more and healthier people into the market
BRCA Mutation: New Model Quantifies How Surgeries Reduce Cancer Risk
Informed by personal experience, a researcher parses data to help those mulling mastectomy and gynecological surgeries
Can Algorithms Help Reduce Hospital Readmissions?
Measuring the utility of increased care and testing, inputs that aren’t always immediately available
Can Contracts Optimize Both Health Care and Clinician Pay?
Accountable care organizations can levy penalties against specialists for poor patient outcomes
Cancer-Screening Procrastination Can Be Deadly: a Nudge Lifts Compliance
At-home test for colorectal cancer delivered with a deadline
Carefully Crafted Messaging Boosts Uptake in Cancer Screening
Embedding psychological nudges in mail reminding people to get tested improves compliance
Comprehensive COVID-19 Screening Would Pay for Itself Many Times Over
Reliable, widespread testing regimen could help jump-start economy