Publications

February 2010
Article

Input Constraints and the Efficiency of Entry: Lessons from Cardiac Surgery

By: David M. Cutler, Robert S. Huckman and Jonathan T. Kolstad

Prior studies suggest that, with elastically supplied inputs, free entry may lead to an inefficiently high number of firms in equilibrium. Under input scarcity, however, the welfare loss from free entry is reduced. Further, free entry may increase use of high-quality... View Details

Keywords: Government Legislation; Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Market Entry and Exit; Welfare; Health Industry; Pennsylvania

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September 2022
Technical Note

Addressing Social Determinants of Health in the American Landscape

By: Susanna Gallani and Jacob Riegler

Social determinants of health (SDOH) have gained significant attention in recent years. A growing body of research shows that a person’s health is influenced by a large number of non-genetic factors, most of which operate outside the realm of health care and are... View Details

Keywords: Socioeconomic Determinants Of Health; Social Determinants Of Health; Population Health; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Social Issues; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; United States

06 Sep 2022
Research & Ideas

Curbing an Unlikely Culprit of Rising Drug Prices: Pharmaceutical Donations

the “breakeven inducement percentage,” noting that “inducement” refers to use that would not occur in the absence of assistance, even if it is medically appropriate. Among the 10 conditions with the highest drug spending per patient, the... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand; Insurance; Health; Pharmaceutical

03 Dec 2001
Research & Ideas

Healthcare Conference Looks At Ailing Industry

he said, patients had to be "almost dead" before they could be treated for coronary artery disease with open-heart bypass surgery. The surgery was only available at select academic medical centers at great cost and... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Health

06 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Consumers Blame Business for Global Health Problems. Can Business Become the Solution?

the Harvard Kennedy School—explored this shift in a recent essay in the Journal of the American Medical Association. We asked them to discuss their reasons in an Q&A exchange via email. Danielle Kost: You argue that sustainability and... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Health

11 Jun 2020
In Practice

Are Digital Organizations Better at Overcoming COVID?

solved by technology, no matter how good. Anybody in retail or entertainment or education has a difficult situation to handle. Anybody delivering medical services faces an entirely different and unprecedented set of problems. For business... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

October 2024
Supplement

NOW PT (A)

By: George A Riedel, Allison J. Wigen and Dave Habeeb

Pre-Abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.

Abstract: In fall 2021, a team of students from the HBS Impact Investing Fund considered Neurologic Optimal Wellness Physical... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Investment; Business Model; Health Industry; United States

Keywords: by Blasco, Andrea, Michael G. Endres, Rinat A. Sergeev, Anup Jonchhe, Max Macaluso, Rajiv Narayan, Ted Natoli, Jin H. Paik, Bryan Briney, Chunlei Wu, Andrew I. Su, Aravind Subramanian, and Karim R. Lakhani; Health

12 Jan 2015
Research & Ideas

Regulators Ease Up on Companies Generating Political Benefits

doing something—usually donating money—to set it in motion. “My results suggest the more you treat the uninsured and the more you provide medical education the less likely you will be subject to these enforcement actions” But what if... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

02 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Health Care Research and Prospects

As is clear to anyone who pays medical insurance premiums or has undergone any kind of medical procedure, the business of health care is an expensive one. The technology is expensive. The research is... View Details

Keywords: by Wendy Guild Swearingen; Health

21 Mar 2019
Working Paper Summaries

Advancing Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Research Through Open Innovation Competitions

September 2011
Teaching Note

Tengion: Bringing Regenerative Medicine to Life (TN)

By: Elie Ofek and Natalie Kindred

Teaching Note for 510031. View Details

Keywords: Partners and Partnerships; Production; Marketing; Cash; Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Research and Development; Biotechnology Industry

June 2012 (Revised January 2013)
Case

Great Western Hospital: High-risk Pregnancy Care

By: Michael E. Porter, Emma Stanton and Samuel Takvorian

Great Western Hospital (GWH) is a community hospital in Wiltshire, South West England and one of England's largest maternity providers; responsible for delivering over 9,000 babies per year. The case discusses the efforts of Dr. Harini Narayan, consultant obstetrician... View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Service Delivery; Risk Management

May 2014 (Revised January 2015)
Case

Vaxess Technologies, Inc.

By: John A. Quelch and Margaret L. Rodriguez

In February 2014, Michael Schrader, chief executive of Vaxess Technologies, Inc., was assessing the startup health care company's 2014 marketing plan. On December 31st, 2013, Vaxess had obtained an exclusive license to a series of patents for a silk protein technology... View Details

Keywords: Vaccine; Cold Chain; Antigen; Temperature Controlled; Developing Markets; Immunization; Health Care and Treatment; Health Pandemics; Global Strategy; Supply Chain; Health; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry

June 1999 (Revised May 2001)
Case

CardioThoracic Systems

CardioThoracic Systems, a company that has developed a new system for performing heart surgery on a beating heart, is facing marketing challenges. Discusses the numerous reasons for the system's low penetration (including existing techniques, surgeon resistance, and a... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Technological Innovation; Situation or Environment; Marketing Strategy; Sales; Health Care and Treatment; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; United States

14 Dec 2020
Research & Ideas

What Does December's Drug-Approval Dash Mean for COVID-19 Vaccines?

Pharmaceutical regulators around the world tend to speed through drug applications in December and before major national holidays, according to new research that might raise questions about COVID-19 vaccines and other treatments under... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Pharmaceutical; Health

September 2009
Article

A Detailed Analysis of the Reduction Mammaplasty Learning Curve: A Statistical Process Model for Approaching Surgical Performance Improvement

By: Matthew Carty MD, Rodney Chan, Robert S. Huckman, Daniel C. Snow and Dennis Orgill

Background: The increased focus on quality and efficiency improvement within academic surgery has met with variable success among plastic surgeons. Traditional surgical performance metrics, such as morbidity and mortality, are insufficient to improve the... View Details

Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Outcome or Result; Performance Efficiency; Performance Improvement

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October 2024
Supplement

NOW PT (B)

By: George A Riedel, Allison J. Wigen and Dave Habeeb

Pre-Abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details.

Abstract: In fall 2021, a team of students from the HBS Impact Investing Fund considered Neurologic Optimal Wellness Physical... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Business Model; Investment; Health Industry; United States

02 Jan 2020
Op-Ed

Medicare for All or Public Option: Can Either Heal Health Care?

preventable deaths, despite its world-class resources and medical technology. The Democratic presidential candidates have been debating the benefits of the “Medicare for All” approach versus a public insurance option. The former would... View Details

Keywords: by Regina E. Herzlinger and James Wallace; Health; Public Administration

May 2007 (Revised September 2007)
Case

Cleveland Clinic

By: Frances X. Frei, Amy C. Edmondson, Christine van Keuren and Eliot Sherman

Cleveland Clinic is consistently ranked among the nation's most eminent hospitals, and for decades has been a leader in pioneering cardiac care. This case evaluates the methods, processes, and personnel that the hospital has cultivated over the years in order to... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Medical Specialties; Innovation and Invention; Service Delivery; Expansion; Health Industry; Cleveland