2025/06/08 by Sukrit Pal, Anand Nair
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Medicine · #Global Maternal and Child Health #Healthcare Policy and Management #Healthcare Systems and Reforms
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/deci.70007
crossref issued 2025/06/08 · crossref published 2025/06/08 · crossref published-online 2025/06/08 · openalex publication_date 2025/06/08 · crossref created 2025/06/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref published-print 2025/12/01 · crossref deposited 2025/12/23 · crossref indexed 2026/07/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract Challenged by constrained healthcare resources, hospitals encounter barriers to accommodating patient demand during public health emergencies. Building on a comprehensive literature review of information and knowledge exchange in healthcare, disaster management, and humanitarian operations management, this study explores the influence of treatment‐based medical countermeasures (T‐MCM) on ICU bed utilization during the Covid‐19 pandemic, investigating whether participation in a regional health registry (HReg) facilitates better management of care capacities. We use a difference‐in‐differences approach with propensity score weighting to analyze a panel dataset of 735 observations from Michigan hospitals, finding that health systems that used T‐MCMs experienced modest reductions of 1.8% of ICU bed utilization. However, the reduction increased by an additional 27.1% among hospitals that participated in the HReg. Hospitals that used T‐MCMs without HReg participation experienced a 10.8% increase in ICU bed utilization, suggesting resource overload. These results underscore the importance of adaptive learning and strategic investment in information‐sharing infrastructures to optimize healthcare delivery during crises. We discuss theoretical, managerial, and policy implications when managing healthcare capacity during pandemics.