Managed Care Magazine: No Winks. But Penn ‘Nudges, Nudges’ Clinicians, Patients to Better Decisions

“Nudge units help redesign ‘choice architecture’—the way choices are presented—to make the sensible choice also the easy, likely one. Mitesh S. Patel, MD, an assistant professor of medicine and health care management at the University of Pennsylvania, heads the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, the first such entity embedded in a U.S. health system. Pretty soon, he believes, no self-respecting health system will be without one. When Patel and his colleagues pitched the idea for a health system nudge unit to top management at Penn Medicine, the response was enthusiastic. And no wonder. Penn is a leader in applying behavioral economics to improve health outcomes. Directed by Patel’s colleague, Kevin Volpp, MD, the university’s Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics studies ‘reducing the disease burden from major U.S. public health problems’ by helping people make sound choices.” Read more on Managed Care’s website.