Working Paper: NBER ID: w13493
Authors: Jonathan C. Javitt; James B. Rebitzer; Lonny Reisman
Abstract: We analyze the effect of a decision support tool designed to help physicians detect and correct medical "missteps". The data comes from a randomized trial of the technology on a population of commercial HMO patients. The key findings are that the new information technology lowers average charges by 6% relative to the control group. This reduction in resource utilization was the result of reduced in-patient charges (and associated professional charges) for the most costly patients. The rate at which identified issues were resolved was generally higher in the study group than in the control group, suggesting the possibility of improvements in care quality along measured dimensions and enhanced diffusion of new protocols based on new clinical evidence.
Keywords: decision support tool; medical errors; randomized trial; health care costs; quality of care
JEL Codes: I12; M15
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Decision Support Tool (Y10) | Reduction in Average Charges (D49) |
| Decision Support Tool (Y10) | Improvement in Care Quality (I11) |
| Random Assignment (C90) | Control for Confounding Variables (C29) |