Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(488)
- Faculty Publications (106)
- Article
Economic Principles for Medicare Reform
By: Amitabh Chandra and Craig Garthwaite
In this article, we develop an economic framework for Medicare reform that highlights trade-offs that reform proposals should grapple with but often ignore. Central to our argument is a tension in administratively set prices, which may improve short-term efficiency but... View Details
- 2024
- Working Paper
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting—Impossible to Routine: Case Histories of Transformational Advances
By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Fabio Villa
We describe how Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG, or more popularly, “bypass”) operations
revolutionized the treatment of coronary disease (that can produce fatal heart attacks and debilitating
angina). Specifically, we chronicle the: 1) development of the... View Details
- 2024
- Working Paper
Antibiotic Treatments for Ulcers--Eradicating H-Pylori Infections: Case Histories of Transformational Advances
By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Katherine Stebbins
This case history describes how a chance discovery of bacteria that infect stomach linings completely changed how physicians treat ulcers. Specifically, we chronicle how: 1) two Australian physicians brought the bacterial infection to the world’s attention and... View Details
- 2024
- Working Paper
Computed Tomography (CT)--Beyond Traditional X-Rays: Case Histories of Transformational Advances
By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Katherine Stebbins
This case history describes how Computed Tomography (CT) scanners - that combine Xrays
and computers to image soft tissues of the brain and other organs -- have become a widely used
diagnostic tool. Specifically, we chronicle the 1) initial development of CT... View Details
- 2024
- Working Paper
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy--Without Cutting In: Case Histories of Transformational Advances
By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Katherine Stebbins
This case history describes how endoscopy transformed the diagnosis of ulcers, cancerous polyps, and other alimentary canal diseases and enabled “minimally invasive” surgeries to treat such diseases. Specifically, we chronicle how: 1) flexible glass fiber endoscopes... View Details
- 2024
- Working Paper
HIV Tests and AIDS Treatments—Containing a Fearsome Pandemic: Case Histories of Transformational Advances
By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Katherine Stebbins
This case history describes how a diverse cast of characters, including public health organizations, research laboratories, for-profit healthcare companies, activists, and regulators, rolled back the outbreak of HIV/AIDS in just fifteen years. Moreover, as the case... View Details
- 2024
- Working Paper
Laparoscopy—Minimally Invasive Surgery: Case Histories of Transformational Advances
By: Amar Bhidé, Caitlin N. Bowler and Srikant M. Datar
We describe how operations through laparoscopes – tubular instruments inserted into abdominal cavities – revolutionized gynecological and other surgeries inside the abdomen, such as gall bladder removal. Specifically, we chronicle the 1) foundational contributions of... View Details
- 2024
- Working Paper
Magnetic Resonance Imaging—High Quality and Radiation Free: Case Histories of Transformational Advances
By: Srikant M. Datar, Amar Bhidé and Katherine Stebbins
This case history describes how Magnetic Resource Imaging (MRI) came to complement – and partially replace -- computed tomography (CT) imaging of soft tissue. Specifically, we chronicle 1) the development of foundational techniques and prototypes (through the 1970s);... View Details
- 2024
- Working Paper
Mammography - Early Detection, Precise Diagnoses: Case Histories of Transformational Advances
By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Katherine Stebbins
This case history describes how the development of x-ray-based techniques and equipment (“mammography”) led to widespread screening for breast cancer and enabled “minimally invasive” biopsies of breast tumors. Specifically, we chronicle how: 1) new protocols and... View Details
- 2024
- Working Paper
Ultrasound Imaging--Cheap, Versatile, and Safe: Case Histories of Transformational Advances
By: Amar Bhidé, Srikant M. Datar and Katherine Stebbins
This case history describes how efforts on multiple fronts, including advocacy, training, and technological development, made ultrasound the second most commonly used diagnostic imaging technology (after X-rays). Specifically, we chronicle 1) ultrasound’s development... View Details
- May 16, 2019
- Article
To Improve Food Inspections, Change the Way They're Scheduled
By: Maria Ibanez and Michael W. Toffel
Health inspections are an important tool to increase food safety, but there are still 48 million cases of food-borne illnesses and 128,000 hospitalizations every year in the United States. Our research finds that inspectors reported fewer health code violations as they... View Details
- January 2019 (Revised June 2019)
- Technical Note
U.S. Commercial Health Insurance Industry
By: Susanna Gallani, Mary Witkowski and Harry B. Wolberg
This note describes the role of commercial payers in the U.S. healthcare industry. We begin with a review of the historical evolution of commercial payers and their role in the market, from the beginning to the Affordable Care Act and beyond. Every wave of reforms in... View Details
- October 2018 (Revised January 2019)
- Case
The Financial Crisis: Timothy Geithner and the Stress Tests
In February and March 2009, the U.S. economy was in the midst of a terrifying financial and economic crisis. Between the beginning of 2008 and early 2009, four of the 25 largest U.S. financial institutions had failed, and nine of these 25 institutions had taken... View Details
- 2020
- Working Paper
The Impact of CEOs in the Public Sector: Evidence from the English NHS
By: Katharina Janke, Carol Propper and Raffaella Sadun
Abstract
Governments worldwide have sought to reform the delivery of public services by mimicking private sector governance models that grant CEOs greater autonomy and give them responsibility for meeting key government targets. We examine the effectiveness of this... View Details
- 2017
- Working Paper
Creating the Market for Organic Wine: Sulfites, Certification, and Green Values
By: Geoffrey Jones and Emily Grandjean
This working paper examines the history of organic wine, which provides a case study of failed category creation. The modern organic wine industry emerged during the 1970s in the United States and Western Europe, but it struggled to gain traction compared to other... View Details
- November 2017
- Case
The 'Wonder Drug' That Killed Babies
By: Joshua Lev Krieger, Tom Nicholas and Matthew Preble
In the early 1960s, a popular drug taken by patients worldwide for a range of maladies was found to cause severe birth defects and other health problems in babies born to mothers who had taken it during a certain stage of fetal development. As many as 10,000 children... View Details
Keywords: Regulation; Business and Government Relations; Business and Community Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Product Marketing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business History; Health; Government Legislation; Corporate Accountability; Ethics; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Pharmaceutical Industry; Public Administration Industry; United States; United Kingdom; Australia; Germany; Europe
- May 2017
- Article
Psychologically Informed Implementations of Sugary-Drink Portion Limits
By: Leslie John, Grant Donnelly and Christina Roberto
In 2012, the New York City Board of Health prohibited restaurants from selling sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces. Although a state court ruled that the Board of Health did not have the authority to implement such a policy, it remains a legally viable... View Details
- September 2016
- Case
Health Leads: Reaching for Impact (A)
By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sarah Appleby
Explores strategies to achieve system-level impact for a nonprofit focused on addressing patients' basic social needs through healthcare institutions. Founded in 1996 with a volunteer-staffed help desk at Boston Medical Center connecting low-income patients with basic... View Details
- September 2016
- Case
Health Leads: Reaching for Impact (Abridged)
By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sarah Appleby
A nonprofit in the healthcare arena explores strategies to achieve system-level impact. Founded in 1996 with a volunteer-staffed help desk at Boston Medical Center connecting low-income patients with basic resources like heating assistance, job training, and childcare... View Details
- 2016
- Case
Advanced Leadership Pathways: Harvey Freishtat and Conversations about End-of-Life Care
By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Ai-Ling Jamila Malone and Oludamilola Aladesanmi
Former law firm chairman/CEO Harvey Freishtat was actively involved in the formation of The Conversation Project, a national public engagement campaign to promote earlier end-of-life care discussions among loved ones and then with providers to ensure that end-of-life... View Details