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Is great information good enough? Evidence from physicians as patients

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  • Frakes, Michael
  • Gruber, Jonathan
  • Jena, Anupam

Abstract

We place an upper bound on the degree to which policies aimed at improving the information deficiencies of patients may lead to greater adherence to clinical guidelines and recommended practices. To do so, we compare the degree of adherence attained by a group of patients that should have the best possible information on health care practices—i.e., physicians as patients—with that attained by a comparable group of non-physician patients, taking various steps to account for unobservable differences between the two groups. Our results suggest that physicians, at best, do only slightly better in adhering to both low- and high-value care guidelines than non-physicians.

Suggested Citation

  • Frakes, Michael & Gruber, Jonathan & Jena, Anupam, 2021. "Is great information good enough? Evidence from physicians as patients," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:75:y:2021:i:c:s0167629620310523
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102406
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Amy Finkelstein & Petra Persson & Maria Polyakova & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2022. "A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Guideline Adherence and Access to Expertise," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 4(4), pages 507-526, December.
    2. Dahlstrand Rudin, Amanda, 2022. "Defying distance? The provision of services in the digital age," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 118042, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Jena, Anupam B. & Slusky, David & Springer, Lilly, 2023. "Occupational Hazard? An Analysis of Birth Outcomes among Physician Mothers," IZA Discussion Papers 16655, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Chen, Stacey H. & Chen, Jennjou & Chuang, Hongwei & Lin, Tzu-Hsin, 2023. "Physicians Treating Physicians: Relational and Informational Advantages in Treatment and Survival," IZA Discussion Papers 16048, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Amanda Dahlstrand, 2022. "Defying distance? The provision of services in the digital age," CEP Discussion Papers dp1889, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    6. Hiroaki Suenaga & Maria Rosalía Vicente, 2022. "Online and offline health information seeking and the demand for physician services," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 23(3), pages 337-356, April.

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