Overview

This is the guide for Module 2, which covers issues related to physician agency and treatment decisions.

Learning objectives

  1. Synthesize the literature on physician agency
  2. Describe the physician fee schedule and how Medicare pays for Part B services
  3. Implement IV estimators and explain potential barriers to IV in practice
  4. Analyze real data on physician behaviors and practice characteristics using publicly available data sources

Causal inference topics

  1. Instrumental variables and required assumptions
  2. IV and local average treatment effects
  3. Bartik and shift-share instruments

Main datasets

  1. Physician Compare
  2. Area Health Resources Files
  3. Medicare Advantage
  4. Provider Utilization and Payment Data
  5. NPPES
  6. National Hospital Discharge Survey