More from the Author

• Article | Bloomberg Opinion

  Empty U.S. Roads Should Be Safer. They're Not.

  Scott Duke Kominers

  Citation:

  Kominers, Scott Duke. "Empty U.S. Roads Should Be Safer. They're Not." Bloomberg Opinion (June 3, 2020).  View Details

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• Article | Bloomberg Opinion

  How to End the Plasma Shortage for Coronavirus Patients

  Scott Duke Kominers

  Those who have recovered from the virus will donate more blood if given the right incentives.

  Keywords: COVID-19; convalescent plasma; Health Pandemics; Health Care and Treatment; Market Design; Strategy;

  Citation:

  Kominers, Scott Duke. "How to End the Plasma Shortage for Coronavirus Patients." Bloomberg Opinion (May 11, 2020).  View Details

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• Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2020

  Paying It Backward and Forward: Expanding Access to Convalescent Plasma Therapy Through Market Design

  Scott Duke Kominers, Parag A. Pathak, Tayfun Sönmez and M. Utku Ünver

  COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) therapy is currently a leading treatment for COVID-19. At present, there is a shortage of CCP relative to demand. We develop and analyze a model of centralized CCP allocation that incorporates both donation and distribution. In order to increase CCP supply, we introduce a mechanism that utilizes two incentive schemes, respectively based on principles of “paying it backward" and “paying it forward." Under the first scheme, CCP donors obtain treatment vouchers that can be transferred to patients of their choosing. Under the latter scheme, patients obtain priority for CCP therapy in exchange for a future pledge to donate CCP if possible. We show that in steady-state, both principles generally increase overall treatment rates for all patients—not just those who are voucher-prioritized or pledged to donate. Our results also hold under certain conditions if a fraction of CCP is reserved for patients who participate in clinical trials. Finally, we examine the implications of pooling blood types on the efficiency and equity of CCP distribution.

  Keywords: COVID-19; convalescent plasma; vouchers; Health Pandemics; Health Care and Treatment; Resource Allocation; Market Design;

  Citation:

  Kominers, Scott Duke, Parag A. Pathak, Tayfun Sönmez, and M. Utku Ünver. "Paying It Backward and Forward: Expanding Access to Convalescent Plasma Therapy Through Market Design." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-116, May 2020. (NBER Working Paper Series, No. 27143, May 2020.)  View Details

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