Does Hospital Crowding Matter? Evidence from Trauma and Orthopedics in England

Thomas P. Hoe

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2022, vol. 14, issue 2, 231-62

Abstract: This paper estimates the impact of hospital crowding on medical treatment decisions and patient health outcomes. Exploiting pseudorandom variation in emergency admissions, I find that a one-standard-deviation admission shock increases the unplanned readmission rate by 4.1 percent. Nonparametric and heterogeneity analyses suggest that "quicker and sicker" discharges contribute to the additional readmissions. The crowding impacts are larger in hospital departments with fewer beds, sicker patients, and stronger incentives to admit nonemergency patients.

JEL-codes: H51 I11 I12 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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DOI: 10.1257/pol.20180672

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