UCL School of Management is delighted to welcome Tinglong Dai, JHU, to host a research seminar discussing ‘Pride and Prejudice: The Human Side of Interventional Cardiology’

Abstract

Few issues in the healthcare ecosystem are more salient than the utilization of medical tests. By some estimates, up to 30% of medical-testing decisions are deemed inappropriate, which may entail either over- or under-testing. All too frequently, the public attention has centered on over-testing. By comparison, under-testing has received little media coverage, but frequently appears in the medical literature. In addition, contrary to popular belief, the US trails most OECD countries in terms of the utilization of medical tests.

In this talk, I discuss a series of modeling efforts aimed at understanding diagnostic experts’ decision-making processes. These efforts, motivated by the interventional cardiology setting, seek to provide a theory of under-testing by accounting for both reputational and revenue-inducement incentives. I will also highlight implications for policymakers and healthcare executives with regard to incentive design for improving diagnostic accuracy.