Jun 4, 2012
Our Special Issue on Healthcare
From the editor
Healthcare and medicine are two fields that loom large throughout the world. They touch each of our lives in very personal ways. Healthcare and medicine also represent enormous segments of our global economy. The global pharmaceutical industry was worth nearly $900 billion in 2011, for example. Total health expenditures in the United States alone now top $2.5 trillion, or about 18 percent of GDP. As more people live longer and at higher standards, worldwide healthcare expenditures are expected to grow significantly in the coming decades.
We here at Kellogg Insight thought it would be appropriate to gather a portion of the Kellogg School’s recent research on healthcare and medicine. First, Blake McShane, an assistant professor of marketing, puts his vast statistical expertise to use helping doctors and scientists better understand sleep. On the other end of the research-to-bedside spectrum, Adam Waytz, an assistant professor of management and organizations, details how modern medicine has a way of dehumanizing patients and offers solutions to counter those problems. Craig Garthwaite, an assistant professor of management and strategy, investigates both how economics can affect health and how changes in the law can affect doctors’ work hours.
Itai Gurvich looks at another part of the healthcare system, one we often ignore until we need it most—emergency care. He delves into the issue of ambulance diversions, asking whether they really do prevent overcrowding in emergency rooms. Finally, with the U.S. Supreme Court expected to rule on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act this month, we turn to Leemore Dafny, an associate professor of management and strategy. Her research explores what a health insurance exchange might look like for employees of large firms, not just individuals or employees of small firms as provided for in the PPACA.
If you are interested in reading more on these topics, check the Kellogg Insight archives. We also have faculty who blog frequently on the topic at The Operations Room and Code Red.
Enjoy!
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One Key to a Happy Marriage? A Joint Bank Account.Merging finances helps newlyweds align their financial goals and avoid scorekeeping.
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How to Manage a Disengaged Employee—and Get Them Excited about Work AgainDon’t give up on checked-out team members. Try these strategies instead.
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How Are Black–White Biracial People Perceived in Terms of Race?Understanding the answer—and why black and white Americans may percieve biracial people differently—is increasingly important in a multiracial society.
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Take 5: Yikes! When Unintended Consequences StrikeGood intentions don’t always mean good results. Here’s why humility, and a lot of monitoring, are so important when making big changes.
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Will AI Eventually Replace Doctors?Maybe not entirely. But the doctor–patient relationship is likely to change dramatically.
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Take 5: Research-Backed Tips for Scheduling Your DayKellogg faculty offer ideas for working smarter and not harder.
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2 Factors Will Determine How Much AI Transforms Our EconomyThey’ll also dictate how workers stand to fare.
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Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Is Still EntrepreneurshipETA is one of the fastest-growing paths to entrepreneurship. Here's how to think about it.
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Which Form of Government Is Best?Democracies may not outlast dictatorships, but they adapt better.
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How the Wormhole Decade (2000–2010) Changed the WorldFive implications no one can afford to ignore.
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When Do Open Borders Make Economic Sense?A new study provides a window into the logic behind various immigration policies.
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What Went Wrong at AIG?Unpacking the insurance giant's collapse during the 2008 financial crisis.
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Why Do Some People Succeed after Failing, While Others Continue to Flounder?A new study dispels some of the mystery behind success after failure.
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The Appeal of Handmade in an Era of AutomationThis excerpt from the book “The Power of Human" explains why we continue to equate human effort with value.
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What Happens to Worker Productivity after a Minimum Wage Increase?A pay raise boosts productivity for some—but the impact on the bottom line is more complicated.
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3 Traits of Successful Market-Creating EntrepreneursCreating a market isn’t for the faint of heart. But a dose of humility can go a long way.
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Take 5: How to Kickstart a Successful CareerYoung professionals, smart decisions now will open doors for you in the future.
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Immigrants to the U.S. Create More Jobs than They TakeA new study finds that immigrants are far more likely to found companies—both large and small—than native-born Americans.
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How Peer Pressure Can Lead Teens to Underachieve—Even in Schools Where It’s “Cool to Be Smart”New research offers lessons for administrators hoping to improve student performance.