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Competition in general practice: Prescriptions to the elderly in a list patient system

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  • Kann, Inger Cathrine
  • Biørn, Erik
  • Lurås, Hilde

Abstract

Income motivation among general practitioners (GPs) is frequently discussed in the health economics literature. The question addressed in the present study on reimbursement drugs and addictive drugs is whether increased competition among GPs, which is part of a declared health policy to improve efficiency, contributes to more prescriptions for the elderly. The dataset comprises registered data of all prescribed drugs dispensed at pharmacies from the Norwegian Prescription Database merged with data on GPs. In choosing a method, particular attention is given to the fact that patients tend to be attracted to GPs who fit their preferences. Hence, we treat the composition of the patient list as endogenous. The results indicate that the stronger competition a GP faces, the more drugs are prescribed, which implies that GPs' prescription style may conflict with their role as gatekeepers, and even worse, it may be a hazard to patients' health.

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  • Kann, Inger Cathrine & Biørn, Erik & Lurås, Hilde, 2010. "Competition in general practice: Prescriptions to the elderly in a list patient system," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 751-764, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:29:y:2010:i:5:p:751-764
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    Cited by:

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    2. Jens Dietrichson & Lina Maria Ellegård & Gustav Kjellsson, 2020. "Patient choice, entry, and the quality of primary care: Evidence from Swedish reforms," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(6), pages 716-730, June.
    3. Yiwei Chen & Hui Ding & Min Yu & Jieming Zhong & Ruying Hu & Xiangyu Chen & Chunmei Wang & Kaixu Xie & Karen Eggleston, 2019. "The Effects of Primary Care Chronic-Disease Management in Rural China," NBER Working Papers 26100, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Fiorentini, Gianluca & Lippi Bruni, Matteo & Ugolini, Cristina, 2013. "GPs and hospital expenditures. Should we keep expenditure containment programs alive?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 10-20.
    5. Godager , Geir & Scott, Anthony, 2023. "Physician Behavior and Health Outcomes," HERO Online Working Paper Series 2023:3, University of Oslo, Health Economics Research Programme.
    6. Julien Silhol & Bruno Ventelou & Anna Zaytseva, 2020. "How French general practitioners respond to declining medical density: a study on prescription practices, with an insight into opioids use," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 21(9), pages 1391-1398, December.
    7. Ya‐Chen Tina Shih & Ming Tai‐Seale, 2012. "Physicians' perception of demand‐induced supply in the information age: a latent class model analysis," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(3), pages 252-269, March.
    8. Tor Iversen & Hilde Lurås, 2012. "Capitation and Incentives in Primary Care," Chapters, in: Andrew M. Jones (ed.), The Elgar Companion to Health Economics, Second Edition, chapter 26, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    9. Ida Iren Eriksen & Hans Olav Melberg & Berit Bringedal, 2013. "Norwegian Physicians’ Knowledge of the Prices of Pharmaceuticals: A Survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(9), pages 1-1, September.
    10. Iezzi, Elisa & Lippi Bruni, Matteo & Ugolini, Cristina, 2014. "The role of GP's compensation schemes in diabetes care: Evidence from panel data," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 104-120.
    11. Bourke, Jane & Roper, Stephen, 2014. "The influence of experiential learning on medical equipment adoption in general practices," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(1), pages 37-47.
    12. Choné, P. & Coudin, É. & Pla, A., 2014. "Are physician fees responsive to competition?," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 14/20, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    13. Iversen, Tor & Lurås, Hilde, 2011. "Patient switching in general practice," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 894-903.
    14. J. Silhol & B. Ventelou, 2020. "Les zones d’intervention prioritaire reflètent-elles des écarts de pratiques des médecins généralistes ?," Documents de Travail de l'Insee - INSEE Working Papers g2020-01, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques.
    15. Jane Bourke & Stephen Roper, 2012. "In with the new: the determinants of prescribing innovation by general practitioners in Ireland," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 13(4), pages 393-407, August.
    16. Zhang, Yi & Zhou, Zhongliang & Si, Yafei, 2019. "When more is less: What explains the overuse of health care services in China?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 17-24.

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