Meredith Rosenthal, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Health Economics and Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is currently working on a series of related projects that examine evolving trends in the health insurance market, including consumer-directed health plans and financial incentives for improving health care quality and patient safety.

Recently, Dr. Rosenthal and her colleagues received a HCFO grant to conduct an evaluation of PacifiCare’s Quality Index medical group report card. The Quality Index, which reports a wide variety of clinical quality, patient satisfaction, and other measures, has been disseminated twice annually to PacifiCare of California enrollees since 1998. While existing research has found disappointingly little impact of consumer report cards on choices of health plans or specialists, there are no studies of using this approach to help consumers choose their primary source of care. The current study will be complemented by an evaluation of the subsequent introduction of PacifiCare’s pay-for-performance in the same market.

In a second project funded by HCFO, Dr. Rosenthal is working with principal investigator Arnold Milstein, M.D., M.P.H. to examine the design and early effects of consumer-directed health plans. They are using a two-pronged approach to gauging the breadth and nature of the consumer-directed benefit movement and exploring the early evidence on its impact. First, they surveyed health plans to ask about enrollment in and selected features of the consumer-directed health benefit plans they offer. Currently, they are in the field conducting case studies to explore a variety of plans in depth, profile the motivations for and design of prototypical plans, obtain both qualitative and quantitative estimates of uptake, risk selection, and other effects.

Dr. Rosenthal has also recently been involved in studying the rise of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) by the pharmaceutical industry and its impact on prescription drug utilization and appropriateness of care. She and her colleagues have found that while DTCA increases the likelihood that consumers receive pharmaceutical treatments, brand choice is largely determined by other factors, including marketing to physicians. Finally, Dr. Rosenthal is currently engaged in a study examining the relationship between provider competition and managed care entry in rural markets.

When asked about the role of HCFO as a funder and convener in the area of health services research, Dr. Rosenthal had the following to say: “HCFO plays a critical role as the primary funder of timely health services research on the dynamic U.S. health care market. As issues emerge, HCFO is always the first to sponsor both qualitative and quantitative analysis that is of interest not only to other researchers but also to policy makers and private decision makers. Early and broad dissemination of results through a variety of channels has also been a hallmark of HCFO’s leadership in health services research and is a major source of its impact.”

Dr. Rosenthal received her Ph.D. in health economics at Harvard University in 1998.

Selected References:

Mello M.M., et al. “Direct-to-consumer Advertising and Shared Liability for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers,” JAMA, Vol. 289, No. 4, January 22-29, 2003, pp. 477-481.

Rosenthal, M.B., and J.P. Newhouse. “Managed Care and Efficient Rationing,” Journal of Health Care Finance, Vol. 28, No. 4, Summer 2002, pp. 1-10.

Rosenthal, M.B. et al. “Transmission of Financial Incentives to Physicians by Intermediary Organizations in California,” Health Affairs, Vol. 21., No. 4, July-Aug 2002, pp. 197-205.

Rosenthal M.B. et al. “Promotion of Prescription Drugs to Consumers,” New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 346, No. 7, February 14, 2002, pp. 498-505.

Frank R.G. and M.B. Rosenthal. “Health Plans and Selection: Formal Risk Adjustment vs. Market Design and Contracts,” Inquiry, Vol. 38, No. 3, Fall 2001, pp. 290-298.