Publications

March 2016 (Revised February 2020)
Teaching Note

Compass Group: The Ascension Health Decision

By: Ryan W. Buell

In 2012, Compass Group (Compass) was on the verge of closing a $2 billion deal with Ascension Health (Ascension), one of the largest healthcare systems in the United States. Under the deal, Compass would provide foodservice management and cleaning services for 86 of... View Details

Keywords: Operations Strategy; Sectorization; Operational Focus; Customer Compatibility; Service Operations; Service Delivery; Operations; Customer Focus and Relationships; Service Industry; Service Industry; United States

15 Nov 2004
Research & Ideas

Solving the Health Care Conundrum

services as well as information that assesses the relative value delivered by providers. Because the United States has competition in health care, we would expect to see improving value, but we see just the... View Details

Keywords: by Michael E. Porter; Health

Program

Managing Health Care Delivery

organization Enhance coordination of services Stimulate and improve innovation over time Become a more capable health care leader Build skills to design and lead a competitive View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Health Care

March 2015 (Revised June 2015)
Case

Medalogix

By: Richard G. Hamermesh and Matthew G. Preble

This case examines an exciting new approach to health care that will help care providers identify when hospice services are the appropriate type of care for patients. The company, Medalogix, already has a product on the market that uses a proprietary algorithm to... View Details

Keywords: Health Care; Health Care Entrepreneurship; Health Care Services; Implementing Strategy; Dissemination; Innovation; Market Selection; Health; Health Care and Treatment; Analytics and Data Science; Marketing Strategy; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Health Industry; United States

Educators

15 Jul 2013
Research & Ideas

Five Imperatives for Improving Health Care

Innovation in health care treatment seems to far outpace innovation in health care business management. Just ask President Obama—two weeks ago he delayed enactment of a key provision of the new View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Health

March 9, 2021
Article

Addressing Consolidation in Health Care Markets

By: Leemore S. Dafny

This Viewpoint proposes three steps the Biden administration can take to slow consolidation within health care, which has been shown to raise costs without improving service or quality: better fund federal antitrust enforcement agencies; appoint agency heads committed... View Details

Keywords: Antitrust Issues And Policies; Health Care and Treatment; Markets; Consolidation; Competition; Government Administration

Read Now

June 1995
Case

Quorum Health Group, Inc.

By: William A. Sahlman and Jason Green

Facing increasing competition from much larger industry players, Jim Dalton, CEO of Quorum, and Russ Carson, Managing Partner of Welch, Carson, Anderson & Stowe attempt to set the future direction for Quorum. The company was successfully spun-off from HCA in a... View Details

Keywords: Growth and Development Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Consolidation; Leveraged Buyouts; Venture Capital; Acquisition; Health Industry

13 Jul 2011
Research & Ideas

Experimental Researcher Helps Improve Health Care in Zambia

interest in global health to the realization that an estimated 13 million people die each year for lack of low-cost products that could save their lives. Over the past seven years, she has conducted research projects in Zambia aimed at... View Details

Keywords: by Roger Thompson; Health

Addressing Consolidation in Health Care Markets

This JAMA Viewpoint proposes three steps the Biden administration can take to slow consolidation within health care, which has been shown to raise costs without improving service or quality: better fund federal antitrust enforcement agencies; appoint agency heads... View Details

December 1986 (Revised November 1988)
Background Note

Note on Psychiatric Services

By: Regina E. Herzlinger

Keywords: Medical Specialties

04 Jul 2011
Research & Ideas

Making the Case for Consumer-Driven Health Care

of health care is a major research topic at Harvard Business School and its Healthcare Initiative, where some 40 faculty conduct research on questions as diverse as how "work-around" cultures develop in hospitals to the best... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Health

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 expensive. The View Details

Keywords: by Wendy Guild Swearingen; Health

May 2016
Article

Transformation of Health Care—Perspectives of Opinion Leaders

By: Joanne Disch, Thomas W. Feeley, Diana J. Mason, Richard L. Schilsky, Ellen L. Stovall and Shelley Fuld Nasso

"What Health System Transformations Do You Believe Are Necessary for the Future of Health Care?" We need to transform to a true value-based health care delivery system. That means organizing care around medical conditions, not simply around hospitals and doctors. We... View Details

Keywords: Perspective; Health Disorders; Performance Improvement; Health Care and Treatment; Transformation; Health Industry

May 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Technical Note

Health Care Payment in the United States

By: Robert S. Huckman, Jeff Charca and Craig Garthwaite

This document provides an overview of how various actors (e.g., physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers) are paid in the United States health care system. It is particularly focused on features of the payment system that contribute to strategic decisions... View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Health Industry

Educators

April 1975 (Revised May 1993)
Case

New Hampshire-Vermont Hospitalization Service

By: Regina E. Herzlinger

Keywords: Health Industry; New Hampshire; Vermont

25 Mar 2021
Blog Post

Meet the Student Academic Services Support Team at HBS!

the myriad social and co-curricular opportunities available during their time here. So how can they help? The MBA Student & Academic Services Support Services team provides direct support, counseling,... View Details

December 12, 2023
Article

Prices for Common Services at Quaternary vs Nonquaternary Hospitals

By: Brandon W. Yan, Maximilian J. Pany and Leemore S. Dafny

Using commercial health insurance claims data from 2017-2019, we assessed whether quaternary hospitals charged higher prices for common, unspecialized services also offered by nonquaternary hospitals. We found quaternary-hospital price premiums of 8.2 percent, on... View Details

Keywords: Price; Health Care and Treatment; Insurance; Markets; Health Industry