Jun Li

Assistant Professor, Public Administration & International Affairs, Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs Link

Faculty Associate, Aging Studies Institute
Faculty Affiliate, Center for Aging and Policy Studies

CAPS Biography:

I study incentive structures in the US health care system and their effects on patient and provider behavior, care delivery, quality, and spending. In alignment with the CAPS themes of Health and Well-Being and Policy, one line of my research examines the effects of several recent Medicare health care reform efforts intended to improve provider quality for the elderly population. These reforms alter the incentives faced by health care providers such as hospitals and home health care agencies by rewarding value rather than volume. However, providers may behave in ways counter to the goals of the government and adversely affect the quality of care for the most vulnerable. My research studies both the intended and unintended effects. Another line of my research examines federal quality disclosure policies targeted toward consumers. The main goal of these policies is to facilitate consumer decision-making, on the assumption that when patients have insufficient information on quality when choosing providers, providers face little incentive to improve and compete on quality. Finding the right approach to empower consumers can be challenging, however. Thus, my research assesses the degree of success of these initiatives and their implications for patients. Overall, my research leverages large-scale secondary data sources with empirical methods grounded in the theories of health economics.