Lunchseminar in Economics: Innovation Diffusion and Physician Networks: Keyhole Surgery for Cancer in the English NHS

Abstract

We examine the effect of a physician network on medical innovation using novel matched patient-physician-hospital panel data. The data include every relevant physician and all patients in the English NHS for 15 years and physicians’ workplace histories for more than 20. The dynamic network arising from physician mobility between hospitals over time allows us to separate unobserved physician and hospital heterogeneity from the effect of the network. We build on standard peer-effects models by adding cumulative peer behaviour and allow for particularly influential physicians (‘key players’), whose identities we estimate. We find positive effects of peer innovation take-up, number of peers, and proximity in the network to both pioneers of the innovation and key players. Counterfactual estimates suggest that early intervention targeting young, connected physicians with early take-up can significantly increase aggregate take-up.

Professor Marisa Miraldo is Professor of Health Economics at Imperial College Business School. Marisa holds a PhD in economics from York University, a MSc in Economics and Finance from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, a Master of Arts in Economics from Université Catholique de Louvain and a first degree in economics from Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
Marisa has a track record in leading multidisciplinary research in health economics and policy. Her expertise is on the economics and policy of innovation, the impact of policies on organisational performance and the behavioural determinants of decision making including health risky behaviour.
She currently leads the Health Research stream at the KPMG Data Analytics Centre, as well as a Health Foundation funded research program on the determinants of the adoption of innovation for chronic conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Marisa is currently involved in several research projects such as the “Network and competition effects in the diffusion of innovation in the NHS”, funded by the Health Foundation and “HEARTS” funded by AHRC.
For the GHRU, Marisa will be leading the design, implementation and evaluation of behavioural interventions to mitigate health risky behaviour and she is member of the Steering Committee for Health Economics and Policy.

Registration

- Free seminar
- Registration to dem@uni.lu (please specify full name and institution)