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  3. American Economic Review
  4. May 2017
  5. Government-Academic Partnerships in Randomized Evaluations: The Case of Inappropriate Prescribing

Government-Academic Partnerships in Randomized Evaluations: The Case of Inappropriate Prescribing

  • Adam Sacarny
  • David Yokum
  • Shantanu Agrawal
American Economic Review
vol. 107, no. 5, May 2017
(pp. 466-70)
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Abstract

There is growing evidence that inappropriate prescribing is harming patients and raising costs in the US health care system. Through a partnership between the federal government and academics, we seek to develop evidence on reducing this prescribing. We conduct several randomized letter interventions targeting high-volume prescribers of drugs that can harm patients. We take a continuous improvement approach, rapidly evaluating each round and using the results to inform subsequent work. The first round of letters yielded no effects, and we responded with new interventions that are now under evaluation. We discuss lessons our work provides for future government-academic partnerships.

Citation

Sacarny, Adam, David Yokum, and Shantanu Agrawal. 2017. "Government-Academic Partnerships in Randomized Evaluations: The Case of Inappropriate Prescribing." American Economic Review, 107 (5): 466-70. DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20171061

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • H51 National Government Expenditures and Health
  • I11 Analysis of Health Care Markets
  • I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
  • I23 Higher Education; Research Institutions
  • L65 Chemicals; Plastics; Rubber; Drugs; Biotechnology