David Howard is a faculty member in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory University. A health economist by training, Dr. Howard studies how evidence, payment, and organizational characteristics affect the use of low-value or ineffective treatments. He is also studying the impact of False Claims Act investigations on treatment patterns and costs. Dr. Howard received his doctorate in health policy from Harvard University in 2000.
Contact information: Department of Health Policy and Management, Emory University, Grace Crum Rollins Building, Room 664, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322. The Grace Crum Rollins Building is the one with the twisty columns on the outside. (404) 727-3907, david dot howard at emory dot edu.
Twitter: @CostAnEffect
Representative publications
Howard DH, Horný M, Dillender M. Fee cuts for radiology and low-value imaging. International Journal of Health Economics and Management Forthcoming.
Howard DH. New challenges to combating fraud and abuse in health care. Journal of the American Medical Association 2025;334(14):1227-1228. [Viewpoint]
Gruber J, Howard DH, Leder-Luis J, Caputi T. Dying or lying? For-profit hospices and end of life care. American Economic Review 2025;115(1):263-294.
Howard DH, David G. For-profit hospitals and excess inpatient admissions from the emergency department. Health Services Research 2024;59(2):e14254.U Penn Leonard Davis Institute summary
Howard DH, McCarthy I. Deterrence effects of antifraud and abuse enforcement in health care. Journal of Health Economics 2021;75;102405.
Howard DH, Torres M. Alternative payment for radiation oncology. Journal of the American Medical Association 2019;322(19):1859-1860.
Howard DH, Hockenberry J. Physician age and the abandonment of episiotomy. Health Services Research 2019;54(3):650-657.
Howard DH, David G, Hockenberry J. Selective hearing: physician-ownership and physicians’ response to new evidence. Journal of Economics and Management Strategy 2017; 26(1):152-168.
Howard DH, Soulos PR, Chagpar AB, Mougalian S, Killelea B, Gross CP. Contrary to conventional wisdom, physicians abandoned a breast cancer treatment after a trial concluded it was ineffective. Health Affairs 2016;35(7):1309-1315.
Howard DH, Bach P, Berndt ER, Conti R. Pricing in the market for anticancer drugs. Journal of Economic Perspectives 2015;29(1):139-162.
Working papers/Current projects
Howard DH, Leder-Luis JL. Antifraud investigations and hospitals’ admission practices.
Howard DH, George P, David G. Diffusion of a cost-saving innovation in health care: The case of outpatient treatment for appendicitis.
Howard DH, Lu J. Physician age and the impact of new C-section guidelines.