Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

DaCHE discussion papers,
University of Southern Denmark, Dache - Danish Centre for Health Economics

No 2013:4: Is the quality of hospital care price sensitive? Regression kink estimates from a volume dependent price setting scheme

Søren Rud Kristensen (), Eduardo Fe (), Mickael Bech () and Jan Mainz ()
Additional contact information
Søren Rud Kristensen: Centre of Health Economics, University of Manchester, Postal: UK
Eduardo Fe: Health Economics Research Unit, University of Oxford, Postal: UK
Mickael Bech: COHERE, Department of Business and Economics, University of Southern Denmark, Postal: Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
Jan Mainz: COHERE, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Postal: Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark

Abstract: This paper estimates the price sensitivity of the quality of acute stroke care using a regression kink design. When Danish hospitals reach a production target, marginal tari s for treating acute stroke patients falls by 50%{100%. This reimbursement scheme allow us to identify local average treatment ef- fects of reimbursement tari s on the quality of hospital care. A rich data set of the process quality of stroke care allows us to detect minor changes in the quality of care that are important for the long term outcomes but do not lead to dead or readmission captured by commonly employed outcome indicators. Hospitals that were exposed to reductions in the marginal tari of less than 100% did not appear to respond in quality to reductions in tari s. Hospital for which the marginal tari for acute stroke patients dropped to 0 responded to tari reductions by slightly decreasing the level of quality for acute stroke care patients. The estimated size of the e ect is minor but robust to various tests of sensitivity, indicating that the estimated e ect is not spurious.

Keywords: Quality of health care; Price regulation; Activity based reimbursement; Supply side incentives

JEL-codes: H42; I18; L51

36 pages, June 24, 2013

Price: 2013-01-06

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