Contagion-aware Patient Choice: Managing Multichannel Healthcare Delivery During Epidemics
with Zeynep Akşin and Erhun Özkan
Revised and Resubmitted, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
We study how patients' concerns about infection affect their choice between telemedicine and in-person care and the resulting operational decisions of healthcare providers. We develop a contagion-aware patient choice model and examine how providers should manage channel availability, capacity allocation, and pricing during epidemics. Our results highlight the role of telemedicine in maintaining healthcare access while reducing infection risks for both patients and healthcare workers.
Convenience Matters: Nudging Patients Toward Telemedicine
with Zeynep Akşin and Erhun Özkan
Under Review, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
We examine whether low-cost informational interventions can encourage patients to choose telemedicine over in-person care. Across four online experiments, we test messages targeting infection concerns and the convenience of telemedicine, and complement the experimental evidence with a structural analysis of patient channel choice. We find that these interventions can increase telemedicine uptake when channels are otherwise operationally similar, while their incremental effect is more limited when differences in price or appointment wait times already provide strong incentives for channel choice.
Impact of Cancellations on Infant Vaccination Continuity: Evidence from a Home Healthcare Platform
with Sidika Candogan and Joel Goh
Working Paper
We study how appointment cancellations affect patient retention and platform revenue in a home healthcare setting and whether scheduling decisions can help prevent cancellations. Using data from a Singapore-based platform offering home-based infant vaccinations, we find that cancellations substantially reduce both subsequent retention and revenue. We further identify appointment lead time as an actionable operational lever: providing families with greater advance notice of confirmed appointments can reduce cancellations and improve continuity of care.