How vertical integration affects the quantity and cost of care for Medicare beneficiaries

Thomas G. Koch, Brett W. Wendling and Nathan Wilson ()

Journal of Health Economics, 2017, vol. 52, issue C, 19-32

Abstract: Health systems are employing physicians in growing numbers. The implications of this trend are poorly understood and controversial. We use rich data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to examine the effects of a set of physician acquisitions by hospital systems on outpatient utilization and spending. We find that financial integration systematically produces economically large changes in the acquired physicians’ behavior, but has less consistent effects at the acquiring system level.

Keywords: Vertical integration; Mergers; Healthcare (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I11 L23 L40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:52:y:2017:i:c:p:19-32

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2016.12.007

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