IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jindec/v73y2025i3p498-519.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Effect of Information and Streamline Appointments on Patient Sorting and Hospital Efficiency

Author

Listed:
  • Ye Yuan
  • Changcheng Song
  • Nan Yang
  • Junjian Yi

Abstract

How do information provision and consumer choices affect market efficiency in a market with misallocation and rationing? We investigate the introduction of a mobile‐phone‐based outpatient appointment app that provides real‐time hospital information and streamlines appointment booking in China's public hospital market. We find the app can significantly improve healthcare access and the matching between patients and providers, achieved through facilitating patient sorting over time and across hospitals based on medical needs. Patients with mild conditions are directed to primary‐care providers, while acute‐care hospitals are better able to serve patients with severe conditions. We also observe improved patient health outcomes and reduced medical spending. Our findings underscore the power of lightweight healthcare IT innovations in enhancing medical resource utilization and patient welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Ye Yuan & Changcheng Song & Nan Yang & Junjian Yi, 2025. "The Effect of Information and Streamline Appointments on Patient Sorting and Hospital Efficiency," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(3), pages 498-519, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jindec:v:73:y:2025:i:3:p:498-519
    DOI: 10.1111/joie.70000
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/joie.70000
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/joie.70000?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jindec:v:73:y:2025:i:3:p:498-519. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0022-1821 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.