Economies of scale and scope in the provision of diagnostic techniques and therapeutic services in Portuguese hospitals

Ricardo Gonçalves and Pedro Barros

No 4, Working Papers de Economia (Economics Working Papers) from Católica Porto Business School, Universidade Católica Portuguesa

Abstract: This paper analyses the provision of auxiliary clinical services that are typically carried out within the hospital. We estimate a flexible cost function for the three most important (cost- wise) diagnostic techniques and therapeutic services in Portuguese hospitals: Clinical Pathology, Medical Imaging and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Our objective in carrying out this estimation is the evaluation of economies of scale and scope in the provision of these services. For all services, we find evidence of ray economies of scale and some evidence of economies of scope. These results have important policy implications and can be related to the ongoing discussion of where and how should hospitals provide these services.

Keywords: translog cost function; economies of scale; economies of scope; clinical services; hospitals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D24 I12 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28 pages
Date: 2009-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Economies of scale and scope in the provision of diagnostic techniques and therapeutic services in Portuguese hospitals (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cap:wpaper:042009

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