Energy Economics and Finance Seminar
Event Summary
The seminar series in Energy Economics & Finance (EEF) is jointly organized by Wharton’s Business Economics and Public Policy Department, the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, and Wharton’s Business, Climate and Environment Lab. The scope of the seminar includes regulation and policy papers. The scope of the seminar also includes environmental and transportation issues, as long as there is a connection with energy. Sessions are biweekly on Mondays from 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Snacks, beer, and wine will be served after the seminar!
For Spring 2024, the seminar will be held in-person in the Kleinman Center Classroom (Fisher Fine Arts Building Room 306).
Find and add a Google Calendar version of the schedule on the BEPP seminar page.
To sign up for the seminar, please send your name, email, and affiliation to Dhivya Kaushik: dhivya@wharton.upenn.edu
TALK TITLE: Hot and Crowded: Temperature, Healthcare Utilization and Patient Outcomes
Abstract: This study explores how temperature-induced hospital crowding influences care trajectories and patient outcomes. Utilizing comprehensive data from Mexico’s largest healthcare subsystem from 2012 to 2019, including emergency, inpatient, and outpatient visits, we delve into the impact of daily temperature shocks on healthcare service dynamics. Our findings reveal a linear increase in healthcare demand reaching a 10%uptick in emergency department visits in the hottest bin compared to average days. While more patients are admitted from ERs into hospitals, the likelihood of an individual patient’s admission decreases as temperatures climb, suggesting a capacity crunch in healthcare facilities. This trend of increasing patient triage leads to more severe patients being sent home on hotter days. Furthermore, we observe a deterioration in care quality, reflected in heightened excess mortality rates inside hospitals. Data from death certificates confirm an overall increase in mortality in extreme days. Deaths outside hospitals, in particular, escalate more sharply. Our results shed light on the broader implications of climate-driven hospital crowding.
Matthew Neidell
Professor, Health Policy and Management, Columbia UniversityMatthew Neidell is a professor in the department of Health Policy and Management in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
Spring Seminar Dates:
- 2/26: Matthew Neidell, Columbia University
- 4/15: Olivier Deschenes, University of California, Santa Barbara
- 4/22: Severin Borenstein, Haas School of Business
- 5/6: Catie Hausman, University of Michigan