This study uses longitudinal data on patients receiving percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) to examine changes in patient outcomes and costs attributable to learning. Hospital-specific learning by doing reduces inpatient mortality and emergency bypass surgery for PTCA patients....

The empirical association between high hospital procedure volume and lower mortality rates has led to recommendations for the centralization of complex surgical procedures. Yet redirecting patients to a select number of high-volume hospitals creates potential negative consequences for market...

The empirical association between high hospital procedure volume and lower mortality rates has led to recommendations for the centralization of complex surgical procedures. Yet redirecting patients to a select number of high-volume hospitals creates potential negative consequences for market...

ERES:conference

Debate continues on whether consolidation in health care markets enhances efficiency and quality or instead facilitates collusion and market power. We address this issue by comparing the quality of patient care in hospitals before and after mergers and acquisitions which occurred in California...