Kevin Volpp
- Professor, School of Medicine and Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania
Travels From
Pennsylvania
Kevin Volpp Speaker Biography
Dr. Kevin Volpp is the founding Director of the Leonard Davis Institute Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, one of two NIH-funded Centers on Behavioral Economics and Health in the United States. He is also a distinguished Professor of Medicine and Health Policy Division Chief for the Department of Medical Ethics and Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine, a Professor of Health Care Management at the Wharton School, Co-Director of the Penn Medicine Center for Innovation, and one of two Directors of the University of Pennsylvania CDC Prevention Research Center. He is a principal in the behavioral economics consulting firm, VAL Health, LLC.
Dr. Volpp has successfully competed for more than $60 million in peer-reviewed research funding over the past 15 years. His work has been published in journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and Health Affairs, and has been covered by media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Good Morning America, the BBC, National Public Radio, Time, US News and World Report, USA Today, Der Spiegel, and Australian National Radio. He has been an invited keynote speaker for major conferences throughout the United States and internationally and is the theme leader on patient engagement for NEJM Catalyst, a new web-based analog to the print version of The New England Journal of Medicine developed for medical and business audiences.
Dr. Volpp’s research on the impact of financial and organizational incentives on health behavior and health outcomes has been recognized by numerous awards including the Alice S. Hersh Award from AcademyHealth, the British Medical Journal Group Award for translating Research into Practice, the outstanding paper of the year from multiple research societies, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the Association for Clinical and Translational Science Distinguished Investigator Award for Career Achievement and Contributions to Clinical and Translational Science, and the Matilda White Riley Award for outstanding career contributions to social and behavioral science research from NIH.
Dr. Volpp holds a M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, a Ph.D. from the Wharton School in Applied Economics and Managerial Science, and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. He completed his Internal Medicine residency training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is a board-certified general internist and practicing physician.
Patient Engagement and Population Health Management
- Human behaviors account for as much as 40% of premature mortality in the US
- The presentation covers evidence-based examples of how behavioral economics can be used to achieve patient engagement, such as incorporating wireless devices with gamification strategies, creating high impact financial incentives programs, and applying non-financial principles, such as choice architecture and message framing
Behavioral Economics and Provider Payments
- As traditional fee-for-service reimbursement models transition to payments focused on value-based care, provider incentives need to be realigned
- The presentation addresses ways to modify provider payments with insights from behavioral economics to develop more effective incentive programs, as well as how to align provider payments with corporate goals, consumer health improvement initiatives, and benefit design approaches
Designing the Health System of the Future
- Most businesses align themselves around what consumers want, not just what they can produce, but health care as an industry is focused more on providing health services than improving health
- The presentation identifies elements that the health system of the future should address, such as provider payments focused on value, simpler benefit designs, meeting patients (consumers) where they are through a combination of technology and engagement strategies, and incentives for healthy behaviors
Behavioral Economics, Disruption, and Digital Health
- As digital tools become increasingly commonplace when managing population health, it’s essential to devise innovative strategies to increase their impact
- The presentation includes strategies on how to embed behavioral economics into core digital tools to drive initial and ongoing engagement, as well as the scientific evidence base to support consumer engagement through the application of behavioral economics
