Harkness Project Title: Computer Use in a Pediatric Primary Care Network: Is There Variation and What Does It Explain?

Placement: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and University of Pennsylvania

Biography at time of Harkness Fellowship: Andreas Gerber, M.D, Ph.D., a 2007–08 Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice, is a pediatrician and assistant professor in health economics at the Medical School of the University of Cologne, where his research focuses on ethical and epistemological questions of evidence-based medicine, and pediatric health care, policy and financing. Gerber's work includes an assessment of pediatric telephone triage; a comparison of access under public and private health care funds; and an assessment of the effects of relocations of department and subspecialties on in-hospital care by means of DRGs. He has published in journals such as Health Care Analysis, Medical Hypotheses, Journal of Medical Ethics and the European Journal of Health Economics. In addition to his pediatrics license, Gerber holds a doctorate from the University of Hamburg, a master's degree in health economics from the University of Cologne, and a master's degree in religion from Temple University.

Project: Andreas Gerber examined how pediatricians use an electronic health record (EHR) and clinical decision support tool introduced into their office. As part of a larger research team, he undertook observations of pediatricians’ interactions with patients and use of the EHR system at primary care centers affiliated with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  Variation among physicians in their patient interactions and computer use were calculated and analyzed.

Career Activity Since Fellowship

• Head, Department of Health Economics, IQWiG, Cologne, Germany, August 2009
• Privatdozent, University of Cologne, Germany, 2009

Current Position: Head, Department of Health Economics, Insitute for Quality and Efficience in Health Care (IQWiG). (Updated August 2010)

E-mail: andreas.gerber@iqwig.de

Harkness-Related Publications

Stock S, Drabik A, Buescher G, Graf C, Ullrich W, Gerber A, Lauterbach KW, Luengen M. German Diabetes Management Programs Improve Quality of Care and Curb Costs.“ Health Affairs 2010; 29(12):2197-2205.

StockS, SchmidtH, BuscherG, GerberA et al. "Financial incentives in the Germany Statutory Health Insurance: New findings, new questions.” Health Policy 2010, dpo:10.1016/j.healthpol.2009.12.015

Schmidt H., Gerber A., Stock S., “What can we learn from German health incentive schemes?” BMJ 2008; 338: 725-728.