Using Behavioral Nudges to Improve Disease Management: Cost-Effective Strategies for Improving Care of Low-Income Diabetics (2010)

Principal Investigator: Katherine Baicker, PhD, Harvard University

This project will analyze newly-available data on utilization of primary care and prescription drugs along with other outcomes among a population of diabetic Medicaid enrollees who received an intervention to test the effectiveness of behavioral nudges versus financial incentives in promoting statin use.  The results will give policy-makers information on mechanisms for improving disease management and the effectiveness of utilization in public insurance programs.  The lessons learned from this intervention may be able to provide insights into a broader class of program improvements that can be applied to other types of care in other populations and in other states.