How Digital Divide and Hospital Quality Misperception Affect Patients Mobility

This paper investigates the effect of broadband internet diffusion on patient mobility in Italy’s decentralized healthcare systems. Using comprehensive provincial-level data from2013 to 2019 on broadband coverage and hospital-based oncological procedures, we consider how improved internet access affects patients’ decisions to seek treatment outside their region or province of residence. We find that increased broadband availability significantly reduces patient mobility for cancer care, particularly for complex conditions with lower survival rates such pancreatic and lung cancer. The effect is more pronounced among younger patients and those residing in the South of Italy, where perceptions of local care quality are poorer. By contrast, the impact is weaker among older patients and individuals traveling from Central Italy. Our findings suggest that enhanced digital connectivity lowers information frictions, enabling patients to better evaluate local healthcare options and thereby avoiding some unnecessary cross-regional mobility. This paper contributes to two strands of the literature: on the role of information in healthcare markets and on the broader effects of internet infrastructure on health-related decision-making. Our results underscore the role of policies for digital inclusion in mitigating regional healthcare disparities and improving patient decision-making.