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New research on health from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including corporate wellness, investing in community health, and health insurance.
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Kidney Exchange: An Operations Perspective

by Itai Ashlagi and Alvin E. Roth

Kidney exchange has become a standard form of transplantation in the United States and a few other countries in part because of exchange process improvements. However, much more needs to be done: There are still many more patients in need of transplants than can be saved.

How to Learn from the Big Mistake You Almost Make

by Kristen Senz

A brush with disaster can lead to important innovations, but only if employees have the psychological safety to reflect on these close calls, says research by Amy C. Edmondson, Olivia Jung, and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Health Costs of Cost-Sharing

by Amitabh Chandra, Evan Flack, and Ziad Obermeyer

Small increases in cost cause patients to reduce their use of drugs with major benefits, ultimately causing their death. Since patient cost-sharing introduces large and deadly distortions into the cost-benefit calculus, payers should evaluate the merits of policies in light of their impact on health, not just on health care costs.

Private and Social Returns to R&D: Drug Development and Demographics

by Efraim Benmelech, Janice Eberly, Dimitris Papanikolaou, and Joshua Krieger

Research and development (R&D) by pharmaceutical firms focuses disproportionately on medical conditions afflicting the elderly. The proportion of R&D spending targeting older age groups is increasing over time. Even though these investments in R&D prolong life expectancy and improve quality of life, they have little effect on measured productivity and output growth.

How Influencers, Celebrities, and FOMO Can Win Over Vaccine Skeptics

by Rohit Deshpandé, Ofer Mintz, and Imran S. Currim

Drawing from product innovation theory, Rohit Deshpandé and colleagues offer three recommendations to speed adoption of COVID-19 vaccines. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Unexpected Exercise Advice for the Super Busy: Ditch the Rigid Routine

by Danielle Kost

Itching to get off the COVID couch? New research by John Beshears bucks conventional wisdom about what it takes to make exercise a habit. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Hospital Allocation and Racial Disparities in Health Care

by Amitabh Chandra, Pragya Kakani, and Adam Sacarny

Black Americans experience disparities in health outcomes in the United States relative to other demographic groups. This study of heart attack sufferers over two decades develops a framework to examine the allocation of health care and the effectiveness of medical treatments, including beta-blockers and other technologies.

What Does December's Drug-Approval Dash Mean for COVID-19 Vaccines?

by Danielle Kost

Even in the best of times, pharmaceutical regulators tend to rush through drug applications in December. Now add in a ruthless pandemic. Research and insights from Lauren Cohen. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Evaluating Innovative Health Care Solutions for Obesity

From Weight Watchers to bariatric surgery, innovations for combatting obesity abound. But which will do the most good for society and yield the best business results? Professor Regina Herzlinger discusses a new case study. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The COVID Gender Gap: Why Fewer Women Are Dying

by Dina Gerdeman

To promote the greatest safety, public health officials should target their pandemic messaging to men differently than to women. Research by Vincent Pons and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Older People Are Less Pessimistic about the Health Risks of COVID-19

by Pedro Bordalo, Katherine B. Coffman, Nicola Gennaioli, and Andrei Shleifer

The pandemic presents a unique opportunity to investigate formation of beliefs about an unprecedented, widespread, and life-threatening event. One finding: COVID-19 makes the prospect of disease and death particularly salient for the young.

Many Small-Business Employees May Be Close to Losing Health Insurance

by Rachel Layne

Small-business owners have delayed rent payments and other bills to protect health benefits for employees. Now, financial pressure is mounting, according to research by Leemore Dafny, Yin Wei Soon, Zoë Cullen, and Christopher Stanton. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Why American Health Care Needs Its Own SEC

by Regina E. Herzlinger

The United States needs a health care equivalent of the Securities and Exchange Commission to increase transparency and competition, argues Regina Herzlinger. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Can Shared Service Delivery Increase Customer Engagement? A Study of Shared Medical Appointments

by Ryan W. Buell, Kamalini Ramdas, and Nazlı Sönmez

Shared service delivery means that customers are served in groups rather than individually. Results from a large-scale study of glaucoma follow-up appointments at a major eye hospital indicate that shared service delivery can significantly improve patients’ verbal and non-verbal engagement.

Is a Pandemic the Best Time To Try Out a New Idea?

Singapore's new nationwide, Bluetooth-based contact tracing program TraceTogether must overcome privacy issues to be effective. Would Singaporeans adopt TraceTogether? Professor Mitch Weiss discusses his new case study. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

It's Time for a Bipartisan Health Plan for Employers and Employees

by Regina E. Herzlinger and Richard J. Boxer

Regina E. Herzlinger and Richard J. Boxer prescribe a seemingly impossible cure for battling health care options: a plan that embraces both Republican and Democratic ideas. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Solving COVID'S Mental Health Crisis

by Howard Stevenson and Shirley Spence

COVID-19 affects more than physical health. Howard Stevenson and Shirley Spence describe how the pandemic is causing psychological trauma across a broad swath of society—and innovative methods to treat it. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

COVID-19 and the Workplace: Implications, Issues, and Insights for Future Research and Action

by Ashley Whillans and 28 coauthors

Assembling a large, diverse team of researchers to make sense of COVID-19’s impact on issues of work and organizational psychology, this project explores changes that are unfolding for practitioners and human resources professionals.

SmileDirect Looks Beyond Direct-to-Consumer Marketing

PODCAST: Teledentistry company SmileDirectClub is butting up against the limits of direct-to-consumer marketing. Len Schlesinger discusses his recent case study with Matt Higgins. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Social Interactions in Pandemics: Fear, Altruism, and Reciprocity

by Laura Alfaro, Ester Faia, Nora Lamersdorf, and Farzad Saidi

An analysis of 89 cities worldwide shows that mobility responds to infection risk, altruism, and reciprocity. Correcting the SIR model to account for this behavior shows that a balanced approach involving stringency measures, in respect of human dignity, and responsible social preferences mitigates the pandemic health and economic costs.