By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    learn to recognize and treat yeast infections
    Most Commonly Asked Questions About Yeast Infections
    November 17, 2021
    Advanced lung cancer diagnosis systems used by doctors
    Advanced Lung Cancer Diagnosis Systems Used by Doctors
    March 6, 2022
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    June 13, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Much Ado about Nothing
    September 13, 2017
    Repeal Without Replace Starts Destroying GOP’s Chances
    May 17, 2011
    Misinformation About IPAB
    June 9, 2011
    Latest News
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Why Pilot Projects Don’t Work
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Why Pilot Projects Don’t Work
BusinessPolicy & Law

Why Pilot Projects Don’t Work

JohnCGoodman
Last updated: January 4, 2012 7:09 am
JohnCGoodman
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

Remember, the entire ObamaCare approach to controlling costs and improving quality is based on running pilot projects. As the president has said on more than one occasion, “Let’s find out what works and then go do it.” So I want to make sure you are aware of an impressive post by Megan McArdle before Christmas, explaining why this approach is doomed to fail.

Remember, the entire ObamaCare approach to controlling costs and improving quality is based on running pilot projects. As the president has said on more than one occasion, “Let’s find out what works and then go do it.” So I want to make sure you are aware of an impressive post by Megan McArdle before Christmas, explaining why this approach is doomed to fail. In a word, she says, “promising pilot projects often don’t scale.”

They don’t scale even when you put super smart people with expert credentials in charge of them. They don’t scale even when you make sure to provide ample budget resources. Rolling something out across an existing system is substantially different from even a well-run test, and often, it simply doesn’t translate.

Here are five reasons:

More Read

The emergency department entrance at Mayo Clin...
Fingertip Injury Points Out Emergency Care Billing Conundrum
Obesity: Global Problem, Local Differences
CMS Pushes EHR Meaningful Use Deadline Back One Year: What It Means For You
Only 18 percent of Hospital CEO’s are Women
Are Habilitative Services Part of “Essential Care”?
  • Sometimes the “success” of the earlier project was simply a result of random chance, or what researchers call the Hawthorne Effect, named after a study in which workers became more productive no matter what the stimulus — a change from the ordinary, or the mere act of being studied.
  • Sometimes the success was due to what you might call a “hidden parameter,” something that researchers don’t realize is affecting their test.
  • Sometimes the success was due to the high quality, fully committed staff, whose work won’t be duplicated by folks who are just looking for a job and don’t see the pilot project goal as their life’s mission.
  • Sometimes the program becomes unmanageable as it gets larger.
  • Sometimes the results are survivor bias – the subjects who stay in the project are very different from the random population.

On this last point she explains:

This is an especially big problem with studying health care, and the poor. Health care, because compliance rates are quite low (by one estimate I heard, something like 3/4 of the blood pressure medication prescribed is not being taken 9 months in) and the poor, because their lives are chaotic and they tend to move around a lot, so they may have to drop out, or may not be easy to find and re-enroll if they stop coming. In the end, you’ve got a study of unusually compliant and stable people (who may be different in all sorts of ways) and oops! that’s not what the general population looks like.

TAGGED:pilot projects
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
Mental Health
June 18, 2025
healthcare facilities
Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
Global Healthcare Infographics
June 15, 2025

You Might also Like

I Don’t Really Want My $127 Medical Loss Ratio Rebate

April 28, 2012

Pill-Mill Crackdown Hurting Patients With Legitimate Pain

September 23, 2015

Minnesota Makes Public Exchange Prototypes

December 6, 2011
Certified nurses
Global Healthcare

Why We Need More Nurse Practitioners

August 25, 2019
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?