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Competition and Quality: Evidence from the NHS Internal Market 1991-9

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Listed:
  • Carol Propper
  • Simon Burgess
  • Denise Gossage

Abstract

This article exploits policy change by the UK government to identify the impact of competition on quality. It uses differences in competition over time and space to examine the impact of competition in an environment with limited quality signals in which hospitals competed mainly on price. Using AMI mortality as a measure of hospital quality we find that the relationship between competition and this measure of quality is negative. We also find that competition reduced waiting times. Our results indicate that hospitals in competitive markets reduced unmeasured and unobserved quality in order to improve measured and observed waiting times. Copyright 2008 The Author(s). Journal compilation Royal Economic Society 2008.

Suggested Citation

  • Carol Propper & Simon Burgess & Denise Gossage, 2008. "Competition and Quality: Evidence from the NHS Internal Market 1991-9," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 118(525), pages 138-170, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecj:econjl:v:118:y:2008:i:525:p:138-170
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Carol Propper & Deborah Wilson, 2003. "The Use and Usefulness of Performance Measures in the Public Sector," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 19(2), pages 250-267, Summer.
    2. Propper, Carol & Croxson, Bronwyn & Shearer, Arran, 2002. "Waiting times for hospital admissions: the impact of GP fundholding," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 227-252, March.
    3. Patrick S. Romano & Ryan Mutter, 2004. "The Evolving Science of Quality Measurement for Hospitals: Implications for Studies of Competition and Consolidation," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 131-157, June.
    4. Tay, Abigail, 2003. "Assessing Competition in Hospital Care Markets: The Importance of Accounting for Quality Differentiation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 34(4), pages 786-814, Winter.
    5. Daniel P. Kessler & Mark B. McClellan, 2000. "Is Hospital Competition Socially Wasteful?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 115(2), pages 577-615.
    6. Dranove, David & White, William D, 1994. "Recent Theory and Evidence on Competition in Hospital Markets," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 3(1), pages 169-209, Spring.
    7. Propper, Carol & Burgess, Simon & Green, Katherine, 2004. "Does competition between hospitals improve the quality of care?: Hospital death rates and the NHS internal market," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(7-8), pages 1247-1272, July.
    8. Propper, Carol, 1990. "Contingent Valuation of Time Spent on NHS Waiting Lists," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 100(400), pages 193-199, Supplemen.
    9. Nazmi Sari, 2002. "Do competition and managed care improve quality?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(7), pages 571-584, October.
    10. Ho, Vivian & Hamilton, Barton H., 2000. "Hospital mergers and acquisitions: does market consolidation harm patients?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 767-791, September.
    11. Propper, Carol & Wilson, Deborah & Soderlund, Neil, 1998. "The effects of regulation and competition in the NHS internal market: the case of general practice fundholder prices," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 645-673, December.
    12. Propper, Carol, 1996. "Market structure and prices: The responses of hospitals in the UK National Health Service to competition," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(3), pages 307-335, September.
    13. Carol Propper, 1995. "Regulatory reform of the NHS internal market," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 4(2), pages 77-83, March.
    14. Stuart Peacock & Peter Smith, 1995. "The resource allocation consequences of the new NHS needs formula," Working Papers 134chedp, Centre for Health Economics, University of York.
    15. Mark Dusheiko & Hugh Gravelle & Rowena Jacobs, 2004. "The effect of practice budgets on patient waiting times: allowing for selection bias," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(10), pages 941-958, October.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H40 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - General
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • L80 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - General

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