The Gate is Open: Primary Care Physicians as Social Security Gatekeepers

Benedicte Carlsen and Karine Nyborg
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Benedicte Carlsen: The Rokkan Centre, University of Bergen, Postal: Nygårdsgt 5 , 5015 Bergen, Norway

No 07/2009, Memorandum from Oslo University, Department of Economics

Abstract: Primary care physicians have two roles: the healer and the gatekeeper. We show that, due to information asymmetries, they cannot be expected to fulfill the latter role. Better gatekeepers will be poorer healers; hence all patients, both truly sick and shirkers, will strictly prefer physicians who give priority to healing. The choice between work and sick leave thus lies, essentially, with the patient. Interviews with Norwegian primary care physicians confirm this: Our interviewees report that shorter sick leaves are granted at request, while longer sick leaves are normally granted if the patient still prefer so after discussions with the physician.

Keywords: Sicklisting; subjective diagnoses; asymmetric information; focus group interviews. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D11 D21 H42 I11 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26 pages
Date: 2009-03-25
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cta and nep-hea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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