We develop a conceptual framework and empirically investigate how a permanent emergency department (ED) closure affects patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We first document that large increases in driving time to closest ED are more likely to happen in low-income communities and...

Quality improvement must balance two conflicting objectives: process conformance and process re-engineering. Healthcare facility organization structure may favor one approach over the other. We examined whether cardiac cath labs that are open [permitting operators to work at other sites] or...

When a patient arrives at the Emergency Room with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the provider on duty must quickly decide how aggressively the patient should be treated. Using Florida data on all such patients from 1992-2014, we decompose practice style into two components: The provider's...

Productivity spillovers are often cited as a reason for geographic specialization in production. A large literature in medicine documents specialization across areas in the use of surgical treatments, which is unrelated to patient outcomes. We show that a simple Roy model of patient treatment...

Managed care may affect medical treatments for non-managed-care patients if it alters local market structure or physician behavior. We investigate whether higher levels of overall managed care market share are associated with greater use of recommended therapies for fee-for-service patients with...

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death and disability both in the United States and worldwide. Despite high morbidity, mortality, and cost in the US and global healthcare systems, cardiovascular care has been under-studied in the healthcare operations management...