Medicaid’s New Policy Boosts Street Medicine in the U.S.
But More Funding and Better Rules Are Needed to Help People Who Are Addicted or Homeless, LDI Experts Say
NIH Newsletter Cites Bekelman and Patel “Nudge” Radiation Oncology Study
Penn Named for “Making Strides in Reducing Unnecessary Medical Procedures”
Print:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research monthly newsletter, the OBSSR Connector, spotlights a new Penn study that used “nudge” methods to change radiation oncology palliative care.
The NIH newsletter said that the study, funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), shows how NCI and Penn are “making strides in reducing unnecessary medical procedures.”
Changing Defaults
Published in June in JAMA Oncology online, the study led by Penn Medicine’s Justin Bekelman and Mitesh Patel, is entitled “Effect of Introducing a Default Order in the Electronic Medical Record on Unnecessary Daily Imaging During Palliative Radiotherapy for Adults with Cancer.”
Bekelman, MD, is the Director of the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center and an LDI Senior Fellow.
Patel, MD, MBA is the Director of the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, the world’s first behavioral sciences team embedded within a health system, and an LDI Senior Fellow. LDI Senior Fellow Dylan Small, PhD, of the Wharton School, was statistician on the project.
Altering Physician Behavior
The NIH article notes that behavioral economics’ default strategies have previously demonstrated the ability to alter physician behavior but largely focused more on doing so in a way designed to increase the use of high value care — rather than the de-adoption of unnecessary care.
The default medical records “nudge” options tested by the work reduced daily imaging from 68% of the treatment regimens to 32% among advanced cancer patients and had “a significant effect on medical practice and physician behavior, decreasing the use of unnecessary medical procedures and potentially saving healthcare costs.”
More LDI News
7 Ways to Improve an Already Effective Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorder
New Commentary Suggests Ways to Make Contingency Management More Effective For Drugs Like Cocaine and Methamphetamine
Why Health Privacy Online Is a Myth
Google Knows More About Your Health Than Your Mom, LDI Experts Explain. And Here’s What Can Be Done About It
How Can We Improve Telemedicine for Patients with Gynecologic Cancer?
Fewer Than 30% of Patients Used Telehealth Even During the Pandemic
Eileen Lake and Salimah Meghani Named to International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame
Cited for Their Work’s Significant Impact on Nursing and Patient Care
Transportation Remains a Big Barrier to Health Care
Caregivers Should Screen for It and Have Options Available, LDI Experts Say
Despite Broad Efforts, U.S. Health Equity Gap Continues to Grow
José Escarce’s Presentation at LDI Lecture Series and Penn Medicine Health Equity Week Conference
Doctors, Nurses, and Managers Received Wage Hikes After Medicaid Expansion While Lower-Paid Workers Did Not
Data From 46 States Suggests No Wage Gains Among Lower-Wage Health Care Workers