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Can Healthcare IT Save Babies?

Amalia R. Miller
University of Virginia - Department of Economics

Catherine Tucker
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Management Science (MS)

July 2009

Abstract:
The US has a higher infant mortality rate than most other developed nations. Electronic medical records (EMR) and other healthcare information technology (IT) improvements could reduce that rate, by standardizing treatment options and improving monitoring. We empirically quantify how healthcare IT improves neonatal outcomes. We identify this effect through variations in state medical privacy laws that distort the usefulness of healthcare IT. We find that adoption of healthcare IT by one additional hospital in a county reduces infant mortality in that county by 13 deaths per 100,000 live births. Rough cost-effectiveness calculations suggest that healthcare IT is associated with a cost of $450,140 per infant saved.

Keywords: Healthcare IT, Infant Mortality, Hospital Quality, Technology Diffusion, Privacy Protection

JEL Classifications: I1, K2, L5, O3

Working Paper Series

Date posted: January 03, 2008 ; Last revised: November 10, 2009

Suggested Citation

Miller, Amalia R. and Tucker, Catherine, Can Healthcare IT Save Babies? (July 2009). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1080262

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Contact Information

Amalia R. Miller (Contact Author) University of Virginia - Department of Economics ( email ) P.O. Box 400182 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4182 United States HOME PAGE: http://people.virginia.edu/~am5by/
Catherine Tucker Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Management Science (MS) ( email ) Cambridge, MA 02142 United States HOME PAGE: http://cetucker.scripts.mit.edu

Abstract

Citations (2)

Date posted: January 03, 2008 ; Last revised: November 10, 2009

Suggested Citation

Contact Information

Amalia R. Miller (Contact Author)

Catherine Tucker