Technical Efficiency, Specialization and Ownership Form: Evidences from a Pooling of Italian Hospitals

Silvio Daidone and Francesco D'Amico

No 143, CEIS Research Paper from Tor Vergata University, CEIS

Abstract: We evaluate how the productive structure and level of specialization of a hospital affect technical efficiency by analyzing a six-year panel database (2000/2005) drawn from hospital discharge records and Ministry of Health data. We adopt a distance function approach, while measuring the technical efficiency level with stochastic frontier techniques. After controlling for environmental variables and hospital case-mix, inefficiency is negatively associated with specialization and positively associated with capitalization. Capitalization is typical of private structures which, on average, use resources less efficiently with respect to public and not-for-profit hospitals. Finally, by looking at scale elasticities, we find some evidence of unexploited economies of scale, leaving room for centralization.

Keywords: Stochastic frontiers; Hospital Discharge Records; Hospital Specialization; Distance Functions; Technical Efficiency. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C16 I12 I18 L25 L33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2009-09-30, Revised 2009-09-30
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eff and nep-hea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (56)

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Journal Article: Technical efficiency, specialization and ownership form: evidences from a pooling of Italian hospitals (2009)
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