How Systems Thinking Can Help Stop Neglected Tropical Diseases

Teresa Chahine

January 11, 2021

Despite being easy and inexpensive to treat, a group of common bacterial and parasitic infections kill hundreds of thousands of people in tropical countries each year. In a new paper, Yale SOM’s Teresa Chahine and her co-authors map the complex system of stakeholders surrounding the diseases and identify key leverage points for making progress.

Students receiving a deworming treatment at a school in Rwanda.

Study: Pharmaceutical Ads Drive Prescriptions—And Save Us All Money

Michael Sinkinson
February 17, 2020
Yale SOM’s Michael Sinkinson found that fewer people get life-savings statins during primary season, when pharmaceutical ads are displaced by political ads.
Are Electronic Health Records Useful Yet?
February 05, 2020

The story of EHRs serves as a prelude to what we’re experiencing today in almost every facet of our lives: a utopian promise of ubiquitous data tempered by technical challenges and concerns over privacy.
Surprise Billing for Out-of-Network Physicians Costs Billions

Zack Cooper Fiona M. Scott Morton
January 31, 2020
After patients are treated at in-network hospitals, they often receive large, unexpected bills from out-of-network doctors. A new study finds that out-of-network charges from anesthesiologists, pathologists, radiologists, and assistant surgeons increase spending by $40 billion annually.
Under Competitive Pressure, Nursing Homes Appear to Game Rating System

Amandine Ody-Brasier
November 12, 2019
Research co-authored by Yale SOM’s Amandine Ody-Brasier suggests that ratings based on self-reporting may be unreliable, and offers a solution: hide the thresholds for jumping to higher ratings.
A Decision Analysis Approach Points to Better Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer

Arthur J. Swersey
September 16, 2019
A new study led by Yale SOM’s Arthur J. Swersey, using decision analysis techniques, finds that increasing the number of biopsy needles and using probability modeling to analyze the results can help prevent unnecessary treatment while identifying dangerous cancers.
Three Questions: Prof. Vahideh Manshadi on Improving Kidney Donation

Vahideh Manshadi
July 18, 2019
This month, the Trump administration announced a series of steps to overhaul the kidney transplant system. We asked operations expert Vahideh Manshadi if the changes could make a difference for patients.
Kidney Exchange Registries Should Collaborate to Save More Lives

Vahideh Manshadi
May 14, 2019
Yale SOM’s Vahideh Manshadi and her co-authors examined the methodology of kidney exchange registries, and found that registries can find more matches if they collaborate to build a unified database.
Three Questions: Prof. Florian Ederer on ‘Killer Acquisitions’

Florian Ederer
April 08, 2019
A recent lawsuit alleged that a billionaire investor bought the rights to a new drug just to eliminate a potential competitor. We asked Yale SOM's Florian Ederer to explain why a "catch-and-kill" merger can be damaging and what to do about the phenomenon.
Has Employment Become the Goal of the U.S. Healthcare System?

Greg Licholai
March 26, 2019
Dr. Greg Licholai writes that the complexity of the healthcare system has generated unexpected incentives—one of which is that we have come to rely on the industry for jobs.
Prof. Fiona Scott Morton Outlines Fixes for Healthcare Markets in Congressional Testimony

Fiona M. Scott Morton
March 14, 2019
Prof. Scott Morton called a private healthcare system without competitive pressure “the worst of both worlds” in terms of costs.