PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Huang, Shan
AU  - Ullrich, Hannes
TI  - Provider Effects in Antibiotic Prescribing
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.0523-12900R1
DP  - 2026 Jul 01
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 1159--1191
VI  - 61
IP  - 4
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/61/4/1159.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/61/4/1159.full
AB  - In the fight against antibiotic resistance, reducing antibiotic consumption while preserving healthcare quality presents a critical health policy challenge. We investigate the role of practice styles in patients’ antibiotic intake using exogenous variation in patient–physician assignment. Practice style heterogeneity explains 49 percent of the differences in overall antibiotic use and 83 percent of the differences in second-line antibiotic use between primary care providers. We find no evidence that high prescribing is linked to better treatment quality or fewer adverse health outcomes. Policies improving physician decision-making, particularly among high-prescribers, may be effective in reducing antibiotic consumption while sustaining healthcare quality.