Working Paper: NBER ID: w26735
Authors: Emilia Simeonova; Niels Skipper; Peter R. Thingholm
Abstract: A host of different factors affect health and longevity, ranging from genetic endowments to public policy. Physicians have a substantial influence on patients’ health and health-related costs, but we know little about the extent of this influence beyond clinical decisions such as adequate diagnosis and treatment. This paper demonstrates that the health management styles of primary care physicians significantly affect the health outcomes of their patients. Using data on the population of statin users in Denmark and matching patients to their primary care physicians, we show that the physician’s ability to facilitate adherence with prescription medications has significant positive effects on patient outcomes and health costs even after controlling for observable and unobservable patient characteristics. Policy interventions aimed at improving this aspect of physicians’ health management styles have important implications for patient outcomes and health care costs.
Keywords: physician health management; patient outcomes; adherence; healthcare costs
JEL Codes: I1; I12; J18; J24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Physician health management skills (I11) | Patient adherence to prescribed medications (I11) |
| Patient adherence to prescribed medications (I11) | Probability of cardiovascular disease-related hospitalizations (I11) |
| Physician health management skills (I11) | Probability of cardiovascular disease-related hospitalizations (I11) |
| Physician health management skills (I11) | Healthcare expenditures due to cardiovascular disease-related hospitalizations (I11) |