Penn Medicine Pilots Automated Smoking Cessation Program
A six-month pilot began in September to automate prescriptions for free smoking-cessation therapies for Penn primary care patients who smoke.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Asthma
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Penn Medicine began a six-month pilot in September that automates prescriptions for smoking-cessation therapies, which are free to eligible Penn primary care patients. The program builds on a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia intervention first implemented in 2021.
Why it matters
Smoking is a major cause of preventable death, and Philadelphia records about 3,500 smoking-attributable deaths a year. The pilot tests whether automating the prescribing step can increase the share of smokers who accept treatment in the city.
A January pilot of the intervention found about 70% of patients who said they smoke chose nicotine replacement therapy, compared with 36% to 40% treatment acceptance in the CHOP program. Whether patients actually reduced smoking after 30 days has not yet been reported.
The players
Penn Medicine
Penn Medicine is the health system of the University of Pennsylvania that runs the Penn Family Care primary care practices where the pilot is taking place.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is a major pediatric hospital whose smoking-cessation questionnaire intervention served as the model for the Penn program.
The details
The pilot adds one question to the pre-visit questionnaire asking whether the patient smokes. Patients who answer yes receive motivational messages about quitting and, if interested, a prescription for nicotine replacement therapy and a referral to counseling resources. The intervention is a collaboration with the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit.
Timeline
September 2026: Six-month Penn Medicine pilot began.
2021: The CHOP program was first implemented.
2020: Philadelphia smoking-attributable deaths peaked near 5,000.
January: A pilot found about 70% of patients who smoke chose NRT.
2026: A study showed a 3.9% absolute increase in cessation among mothers.
Health Landscape
The Penn pilot extends the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia pre-visit questionnaire program, first implemented in 2021 and used more than 900,000 times, by automating the prescribing step. It tests whether removing that clinical hurdle can raise the share of smokers who accept treatment, a question the national burden of roughly 500,000 smoking deaths a year makes pressing.
Patients at Penn primary care practices who smoke may be offered nicotine replacement therapy at their visit, which is free with a prescription. Smoking-cessation medications approved by the FDA are free for people covered by Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
The takeaway
Asking about smoking at every visit and making treatment easy to obtain can help more smokers accept help. Anyone who smokes can ask a primary care provider about free nicotine replacement therapy with a prescription.
What happens next
The team will examine whether the prescription order was signed off and whether patients reduced smoking through a 30-day follow-up survey.
Further reading
For more on related lung-health topics, see Asthma coverage in Philadelphia.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Former Penn President Liz Magill earned $4.46 million the year following her resignation - The Daily Pennsylvanian.
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