Lawton Burns - Faculty Research in Knowledge@Wharton

Information Technology: Not a Cure for the High Cost of Health Care

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:08:51 EST

Advocates and policymakers often argue or assume that applying a new form of information technology (IT) will save money and improve the quality of health care. But there are some who are not so certain, especially about IT's cost-cutting promise. One Wharton professor argues that IT could actually raise costs because of culture clashes, training, the implementation of the systems and the labor required to maintain the new technology.

Podcast: Lawton Burns on the Critical, and Costly, Role of Companies that Make Healthcare-related Products

Wed, 17 May 2006 15:28:37 EST

Lawton Burns is a professor of health care systems and management, director of the Wharton Center for Health Management and Economics, and author of a new book entitled, The Business of Healthcare Innovation. While much has been written about doctors and hospitals, government regulations and medical insurance issues, Burns' book looks at an area of healthcare that has not gotten much attention -- the producers of healthcare products, ranging from pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to medical devices and information technology. Yet Burns would argue that a focus on the producer side of the healthcare equation is critical -- not just because we are increasingly more reliant on medical technology, but also because of the ever escalating costs of advances in these areas. Burns talked to Knowledge@Wharton's Mukul Pandya and Robbie Shell about the issues raised in his new book.

Why Bush and Kerry are Wrong on Health Care

Tue, 19 Oct 2004 05:21:18 EST

Though health care has taken a backseat to Iraq and the economy in this year's presidential campaign, the two candidates have put forth detailed - and vastly different - proposals to solve the three broad issues facing American health care consumers: mushrooming cost, inadequate availability and uneven quality. Yet Wharton health care experts doubt either candidate's plan could be enacted as proposed - or would lick all those problems if it were. Here is what they suggest instead.

Employers Step up Enlistment of Employees in Battle against Health Care Costs

Wed, 28 Jul 2004 12:53:59 EST

Though still rising at double-digit rates, health care premium increases are easing a bit, allowing employers some breathing room to explore long-term strategies to rein in medical spending. Much of the slowdown is due to a typical insurance underwriting cycle, but employers have also shifted costs to employees and are emphasizing wellness programs and consumer-driven plans as part of their cost-cutting drive, according to Wharton faculty and health benefits experts.

From Skin Creams to Life Insurance to Medical Care, Biosciences Are the New Frontier of Business Opportunity

Wed, 27 Feb 2002 00:00:00 EST

In the brave new world of biosciences, new developments in genomics, bioinformatics and proteomics have the potential to dramatically affect such industries as pharmaceuticals, medical care, agriculture, life insurance, consumer products and information technology. How can companies capitalize on these advances when many managers don�t even understand the terminology used to describe them?

Can Opposites Attract?

Wed, 04 Aug 1999 13:54:07 EST

Health maintenance organizations have been in the spotlight in the U.S. lately because of debates over patients' rights and rising health-care costs. A related issue is the role of integrated health systems, which promised to deliver more cost-effective health care solutions. A decade after such systems were created, however, few have delivered on that promise. What went wrong? Wharton's Lawton R. Burns offers some solutions.