Physician induced demand for C-sections: does the convenience incentive matter?

Mélanie Lefèvre ()

Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers from HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York

Abstract: This paper investigates whther physicians induce demand for C-sections in the days preceding leisure periods. I reject that doctors are meaningfully increasing the number of primary cesareans to accommodate their own preferences for control of deliveries around holiday Mondays. Using a sample of more than 1,300,000 deliveries, I can estimate that the induced demand due to convenience is close to zero. A small significant effect is found for women having had a previous C-section. While I replicate previous results of lower C-section rates on leisure periods, I show that they are due to the way doctors schedule planned cesareans rather than to an induced demand for reason of physicians' convenience. If induced demand occurs, the decision takes place in the labour room and is not planned in advance.

Keywords: C-section, convenience incentive; physician induced demand (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:yor:hectdg:14/08

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