Regional Quantity, Productivity and Efficiency Measures of the Swiss Health Care System

Reto Schleiniger

Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES), 2008, vol. 144, issue III, pages 459-476

Abstract: In Switzerland, there are substantial cantonal differences in per capita cost of the mandatory health care system. The present paper breaks these differences down into price and quantity effects revealing both, a large quantity and a somewhat smaller price variance across cantons. As a statistical fact, a positive correlation of price and quantity index results. Dividing the inferred quantity output index by a corresponding input index yields a measure of total factor productivity. While the canton of Zurich exhibits the highest productivity, the measures in Geneva, Neuchâtel, Berne and Vaud are far below average. Finally, a data envelopment analysis of hospital services shows little evidence for variable returns to scale implying that low productivities are, for the most part, due to pure technological slacks.

Keywords: price and quantity indices; productivity and efficiency measures; health care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D24 I12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ses:arsjes:2008-iii-8

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