Returns to Physician Human Capital: Analyzing Patients Randomized to Physician Teams

Joseph J. Doyle, Jr., Steven M. Ewer and Todd H. Wagner

No 14174, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Patient sorting can confound estimates of the returns to physician human capital. This paper compares nearly 30,000 patients who were randomly assigned to clinical teams from one of two academic institutions. One institution is among the top medical schools in the country, while the other institution is ranked lower in the quality distribution. Patients treated by the two teams have identical observable characteristics and have access to a single set of facilities and ancillary staff. Those treated by physicians from the higher-ranked institution have 10-25% shorter and less expensive stays than patients assigned to the lower-ranked institution. Health outcomes are not related to the physician team assignment, and the estimates are precise. Procedure differences across the teams are consistent with the ability of physicians in the lower-ranked institution to substitute time and diagnostic tests for the faster judgments of physicians from the top-ranked institution.

JEL-codes: I12 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea, nep-hrm and nep-lab
Note: AG EH LS
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published as Returns to Physician Human Capital: Evidence from Patients Randomized to Physician Teams (with Todd Wagner & Steven Ewer) Journal of Health Economics 29(6). December 2010: 866-882.

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