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Provider competition and healthcare quality: More bang for the buck?

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  • Katz, Michael L.

Abstract

Public and private entities around the world are trying to induce the provision of higher-quality health care by adopting institutional arrangements intended to promote competition among care providers. I selectively survey and supplement the literature to show that an increase in competition—modeled either as a larger number of care providers or greater precision of signals available to consumers regarding provider quality—may result in lower equilibrium quality, holding prices fixed. These findings are an indication that considerable opportunities exist for industrial organization theorists to contribute to our understanding of healthcare markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Katz, Michael L., 2013. "Provider competition and healthcare quality: More bang for the buck?," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 612-625.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:indorg:v:31:y:2013:i:5:p:612-625
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijindorg.2013.02.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ikegami, Kei & Onishi, Ken & Wakamori, Naoki, 2021. "Competition-driven physician-induced demand," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    2. Bingxiao Wu & Jeah Jung & Hyunjee Kim & Daniel Polsky, 2019. "Entry regulation and the effect of public reporting: Evidence from Home Health Compare," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 492-516, April.
    3. Giuseppe Moscelli & Hugh Gravelle & Luigi Siciliani, 2016. "Market structure, patient choice and hospital quality for elective patients," Working Papers 139cherp, Centre for Health Economics, University of York.
    4. Mak, Henry Y., 2018. "Managing imperfect competition by pay for performance and reference pricing," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 131-146.
    5. Carrie Colla & Julie Bynum & Andrea Austin & Jonathan Skinner, 2016. "Hospital Competition, Quality, and Expenditures in the U.S. Medicare Population," NBER Working Papers 22826, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Hugh Gravelle & Giuseppe Moscelli & Rita Santos & Luigi Siciliani, 2014. "Patient choice and the effects of hospital market structure on mortality for AMI, hip fracture and stroke patients," Working Papers 106cherp, Centre for Health Economics, University of York.
    7. Landgraf, Steven W., 2020. "Entry threats from municipal broadband Internet and impacts on private provider quality," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    8. Mariétou H. Ouayogodé & Kurt E. Schnier, 2021. "Patient selection in the presence of regulatory oversight based on healthcare report cards of providers: the case of organ transplantation," Health Care Management Science, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 160-184, March.
    9. Gerdes, Christer, 2015. "Does Performance Information Affect Job Seekers in Selecting Private Providers in Voucher-Based ALMP Programs?," IZA Discussion Papers 8992, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. repec:nip:nipewp:10/2014 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Giuseppe Moscelli & Hugh Gravelle & Luigi Siciliani, 2021. "Hospital competition and quality for non‐emergency patients in the English NHS," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 52(2), pages 382-414, June.
    12. Pedro Pita Barros, 2022. "Quality decreases from introducing patient choice in a National Health Service," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 21(3), pages 351-381, September.
    13. Kurt R. Brekke & Luigi Siciliani & Odd Rune Straume, 2017. "Hospital Mergers with Regulated Prices," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 119(3), pages 597-627, July.
    14. Gabor Molnar & Scott J. Savage, 2017. "Market Structure and Broadband Internet Quality," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(1), pages 73-104, March.
    15. Manhal Ali & Reza Salehnejad & Mohaimen Mansur, 2018. "Hospital heterogeneity: what drives the quality of health care," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 19(3), pages 385-408, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Healthcare; Quality; Competition; Insurance; Hospitals; Information;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality

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