CHIBE/LDI Health Policy Work-in-Progress Research Seminar Series

In early 2020, there were surges of prescriptions for drugs proposed to treat COVID-19, such as hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and azithromycin despite a very uncertain evidence base. Increased prescribing persisted throughout 2020 even after RCT evidence demonstrated that these treatments were ineffective. The factors influencing physicians to continue prescribing debunked therapies for COVID-19 are unknown. A possible influence is political partisanship of patients or physicians given that these drugs became politically polarized via promotion by right-wing leaders and news media. In this talk, Dr. Barnett examined whether there is evidence that physicians are vulnerable to partisanship in prescribing decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael Lawrence Barnett, MD is an Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He is a health services researcher and primary care physician whose research centers around understanding and addressing the inefficient delivery of health care in the U.S. His four main areas of work include: the role of physicians in the U.S. opioid crisis; understanding and improving specialty care delivery; understanding the scope and consequences of medical overuse; and understanding the factors that influence quality of care in hospitals and post-acute care settings.

Co-sponsored by the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE) and Penn LDI.

Join event via Zoom link below.
upenn.zoom.us/j/95353951407