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Do hospitals respond to increasing prices by supplying fewer services?

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  • Salm, Martin
  • Wübker, Ansgar

Abstract

Medical providers often have a significant influence on treatment decisions which they can use in their own financial interest. Classical models of supplier-induced demand predict that medical providers will supply fewer services if they face increasing prices. We test this prediction based on a reform of hospital financing in Germany. Uniquely, this reform changed the overall level of reimbursement - with increasing prices for some hospitals and decreasing prices for others - without affecting the relative prices for different types of patients. Based on administrative data, we find that hospitals do indeed react to increasing prices by reducing service supply.

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  • Salm, Martin & Wübker, Ansgar, 2015. "Do hospitals respond to increasing prices by supplying fewer services?," Ruhr Economic Papers 567, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:rwirep:567
    DOI: 10.4419/86788653
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Victor R. Fuchs, 2018. "Economics, Values, and Health Care Reform," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Health Economics and Policy Selected Writings by Victor Fuchs, chapter 39, pages 497-531, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
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    Cited by:

    1. Reif, Simon & Wichert, Sebastian & Wuppermann, Amelie, 2018. "Is it good to be too light? Birth weight thresholds in hospital reimbursement systems," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1-25.
    2. Wozny, Florian, 2020. "Hospital Resources: Persistent Reallocation under Price Changes," IZA Discussion Papers 13256, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Salm, Martin & Wübker, Ansgar, 2018. "Do higher hospital reimbursement prices improve quality of care?," Ruhr Economic Papers 779, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    physician-induced demand; hospital care; prospective payment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • L10 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - General
    • L21 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Business Objectives of the Firm

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