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Regional Quantity, Productivity and Efficiency Measures of the Swiss Health Care System

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  • Reto Schleiniger

Abstract

In Switzerland, there are substantial cantonal differences in per capita cost of the mandatory health care system. The present paper breaks these differences down into price and quantity effects revealing both, a large quantity and a somewhat smaller price variance across cantons. As a statistical fact, a positive correlation of price and quantity index results. Dividing the inferred quantity output index by a corresponding input index yields a measure of total factor productivity. While the canton of Zurich exhibits the highest productivity, the measures in Geneva, Neuchâtel, Berne and Vaud are far below average. Finally, a data envelopment analysis of hospital services shows little evidence for variable returns to scale implying that low productivities are, for the most part, due to pure technological slacks.

Suggested Citation

  • Reto Schleiniger, 2008. "Regional Quantity, Productivity and Efficiency Measures of the Swiss Health Care System," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES), Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (SSES), vol. 144(III), pages 459-476, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:ses:arsjes:2008-iii-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Afonso, Antonio & St. Aubyn, Miguel, 2005. "Non-Parametric Approaches to Education and Health Efficiency in OECD Countries," Journal of Applied Economics, Universidad del CEMA, vol. 8(2), pages 1-20, November.
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    4. Robert J. Hill, 1997. "A Taxonomy Of Multilateral Methods For Making International Comparisons Of Prices And Quantities," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 43(1), pages 49-69, March.
    5. Timothy J. Coelli & D.S. Prasada Rao & Christopher J. O’Donnell & George E. Battese, 2005. "An Introduction to Efficiency and Productivity Analysis," Springer Books, Springer, edition 0, number 978-0-387-25895-9, December.
    6. António Afonso & Ludger Schuknecht & Vito Tanzi, 2005. "Public sector efficiency: An international comparison," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 321-347, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexander Karmann & Felix Roesel, 2017. "Hospital Policy and Productivity – Evidence from German States," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(12), pages 1548-1565, December.
    2. Yashka Huggenberger & Joël Wagner & Gabrielle Wanzenried, 2024. "On the Strategies and Efficiency of Care and Support Systems for Elderly Across Cantons in Switzerland," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-21, October.
    3. Chris Bojke & Adriana Castelli & Andrew Street & Padraic Ward & Mauro Laudicella, 2013. "Regional Variation In The Productivity Of The English National Health Service," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 194-211, February.
    4. Schleiniger, Reto, 2014. "Health care cost in Switzerland: Quantity- or price-driven?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(1), pages 83-89.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    price and quantity indices; productivity and efficiency measures; health care;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior

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