IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/irlaec/v68y2021ics0144818821000491.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Hospital multi-dimensional quality competition with medical malpractice

Author

Listed:
  • Bell-Aldeghi, Rosalind
  • Chopard, Bertrand

Abstract

In this paper, we study the effect of competition on the plural dimensions of hospital quality in a market with regulated prices. Our results are obtained with the standard model of hospital competition where a distinction can now be made between two different dimensions of quality while using fair general demand and cost structure. In our setting, hospitals can choose to invest either in the quality of health care services which reduces exposition to the risk of medical error, or in another dimension of quality which is independent to the risk of medical malpractice (appropriateness, patient-centeredness, amenities, etc.). We derive the conditions under which an intensified competition can not only raise or decrease hospital quality, but can also lead to a substitution between the two dimensions of quality. We also investigate how hospital competition and tort law may interact to help improve quality of care by deterring negligent behaviors of providers of care. Lastly, we use a model of strategic pretrial negotiation under asymmetric information to examine the effect of hospital competition on the resolution of medical disputes through its effect on quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Bell-Aldeghi, Rosalind & Chopard, Bertrand, 2021. "Hospital multi-dimensional quality competition with medical malpractice," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:irlaec:v:68:y:2021:i:c:s0144818821000491
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irle.2021.106025
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144818821000491
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.irle.2021.106025?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gaynor, Martin & Town, Robert J., 2011. "Competition in Health Care Markets," Handbook of Health Economics, in: Mark V. Pauly & Thomas G. Mcguire & Pedro P. Barros (ed.), Handbook of Health Economics, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 499-637, Elsevier.
    2. 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.
    3. Daniel P. Kessler & Mark McClellan, 1996. "Do Doctors Practice Defensive Medicine?," NBER Working Papers 5466, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Lucian Arye Bebchuk, 1984. "Litigation and Settlement under Imperfect Information," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 15(3), pages 404-415, Autumn.
    5. Nicholas Bloom & Carol Propper & Stephan Seiler & John Van Reenen, 2015. "The Impact of Competition on Management Quality: Evidence from Public Hospitals," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 82(2), pages 457-489.
    6. Daniel P. Kessler & Jeffrey J. Geppert, 2005. "The Effects of Competition on Variation in the Quality and Cost of Medical Care," NBER Working Papers 11226, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Oddvar Kaarboe & Luigi Siciliani, 2011. "Multi‐tasking, quality and pay for performance," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(2), pages 225-238, February.
    8. Brigitte Dormont & Carine Milcent, 2018. "Competition between hospitals. Does it affect quality of care?," Post-Print hal-02313937, HAL.
    9. Ronen Avraham, 2007. "An Empirical Study of the Impact of Tort Reforms on Medical Malpractice Settlement Payments," The Journal of Legal Studies, University of Chicago Press, vol. 36(S2), pages 183-229, June.
    10. Kurt R. Brekke & Luigi Siciliani & Odd Rune Straume, 2011. "Hospital Competition and Quality with Regulated Prices," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 113, pages 444-469, June.
    11. Brekke, Kurt R. & Siciliani, Luigi & Straume, Odd Rune, 2012. "Quality competition with profit constraints," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 642-659.
    12. Daniel P. Kessler & Jeffrey J. Geppert, 2005. "The Effects of Competition on Variation in the Quality and Cost of Medical Care," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(3), pages 575-589, September.
    13. Martin Gaynor & Kate Ho & Robert J. Town, 2015. "The Industrial Organization of Health-Care Markets," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 53(2), pages 235-284, June.
    14. Martin Gaynor & Carol Propper & Stephan Seiler, 2016. "Free to Choose? Reform, Choice, and Consideration Sets in the English National Health Service," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(11), pages 3521-3557, November.
    15. Zack Cooper & Stephen Gibbons & Simon Jones & Alistair McGuire, 2011. "Does Hospital Competition Save Lives? Evidence From The English NHS Patient Choice Reforms," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(554), pages 228-260, August.
    16. Paolo Berta & Gianmaria Martini & Francesco Moscone & Giorgio Vittadini, 2016. "The association between asymmetric information, hospital competition and quality of healthcare: evidence from Italy," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 179(4), pages 907-926, October.
    17. Eggleston, Karen, 2005. "Multitasking and mixed systems for provider payment," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 211-223, January.
    18. 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.
    19. Daniel Kessler & Mark McClellan, 1996. "Do Doctors Practice Defensive Medicine?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 111(2), pages 353-390.
    20. Michiel Bijlsma & Pierre Koning & Victoria Shestalova, 2013. "The Effect of Competition on Process and Outcome Quality of Hospital Care in the Netherlands," De Economist, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 121-155, June.
    21. Mark V. Pauly & Thomas G. Mcguire & Pedro P. Barros (ed.), 2011. "Handbook of Health Economics," Handbook of Health Economics, Elsevier, volume 2, number 2.
    22. Domenico Lisi & Luigi Siciliani & Odd Rune Straume, 2020. "Hospital competition under pay‐for‐performance: Quality, mortality, and readmissions," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 289-314, April.
    23. 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.
    24. 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.
    25. Danzon, Patricia M., 1985. "Liability and liability insurance for medical malpractice," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(4), pages 309-331, December.
    26. Gutacker, Nils & Siciliani, Luigi & Moscelli, Giuseppe & Gravelle, Hugh, 2016. "Choice of hospital: Which type of quality matters?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 230-246.
    27. Tisamarie B. Sherry, 2016. "A Note on the Comparative Statics of Pay‐for‐Performance in Health Care," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(5), pages 637-644, May.
    28. Kurt R. Brekke & Roberto Cellini & Luigi Siciliani & Odd Rune Straume, 2012. "Competition in Regulated Markets with Sluggish Beliefs about Quality," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(1), pages 131-178, March.
    29. Henry S. Farber & Michelle J. White, 1991. "Medical Malpractice: An Empirical Examination of the Litigation Process," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 22(2), pages 199-217, Summer.
    30. 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.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Brekke, Kurt R. & Canta, Chiara & Siciliani, Luigi & Straume, Odd Rune, 2021. "Hospital competition in a national health service: Evidence from a patient choice reform," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    2. Domenico Lisi & Luigi Siciliani & Odd Rune Straume, 2020. "Hospital competition under pay‐for‐performance: Quality, mortality, and readmissions," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 289-314, April.
    3. Roos, Anne-Fleur & O’Donnell, Owen & Schut, Frederik T. & Van Doorslaer, Eddy & Van Gestel, Raf & Varkevisser, Marco, 2020. "Does price deregulation in a competitive hospital market damage quality?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    4. 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.
    5. Anne-Fleur Roos & Eddy van Doorslaer & Owen O'Donnell & Erik Schut & Marco Varkevisser, 2018. "Does price competition damage healthcare quality?," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 18-040/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    6. Moscelli, Giuseppe & Gravelle, Hugh & Siciliani, Luigi & Santos, Rita, 2018. "Heterogeneous effects of patient choice and hospital competition on mortality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 50-58.
    7. 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.
    8. Piia Pekola & Ismo Linnosmaa & Hennamari Mikkola, 2017. "Competition and quality in a physiotherapy market with fixed prices," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 18(1), pages 97-117, January.
    9. 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.
    10. Francesco Longo & Luigi Siciliani & Giuseppe Moscelli & Hugh Gravelle, 2019. "Does hospital competition improve efficiency? The effect of the patient choice reform in England," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 618-640, May.
    11. Moscelli, Giuseppe & Gravelle, Hugh & Siciliani, Luigi, 2023. "The effect of hospital choice and competition on inequalities in waiting times," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 169-201.
    12. 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.
    13. Lisi, Domenico & Moscone, Francesco & Tosetti, Elisa & Vinciotti, Veronica, 2021. "Hospital quality interdependence in a competitive institutional environment: Evidence from Italy," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    14. Giuseppe Moscelli & Hugh Gravelle & Luigi Siciliani, 2018. "Effects of Market Structure and Patient Choice on Hospital Quality for Planned Patients," School of Economics Discussion Papers 1118, School of Economics, University of Surrey.
    15. 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.
    16. Martin Gaynor & Kate Ho & Robert J. Town, 2015. "The Industrial Organization of Health-Care Markets," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 53(2), pages 235-284, June.
    17. Alfons Palangkaraya & Jongsay Yong, 2013. "Effects of competition on hospital quality: an examination using hospital administrative data," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 14(3), pages 415-429, June.
    18. Francesco Longo & Luigi Siciliani & Hugh Gravelle & Rita Santos, 2017. "Do hospitals respond to rivals' quality and efficiency? A spatial panel econometric analysis," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(S2), pages 38-62, September.
    19. repec:nip:nipewp:10/2014 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Gravelle, Hugh & Santos, Rita & Siciliani, Luigi, 2014. "Does a hospital's quality depend on the quality of other hospitals? A spatial econometrics approach," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 203-216.
    21. Wuckel, Christiane, 2022. "The impact of structural and strategic competition on hospital quality," Ruhr Economic Papers 959, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Hospital competition; Quality; Medical malpractice; Litigation;
    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
    • K13 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Tort Law and Product Liability; Forensic Economics
    • K41 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Litigation Process

    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:eee:irlaec:v:68:y:2021:i:c:s0144818821000491. 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.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/irle .

    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.