HCCI’s research on hospital market concentration was featured on the Health Affairs blog.
From the article:
“Economists have long worried about the growth in hospital concentration. A 2019 study by the Health Care Cost Institute showed that the percentage of metro regions with hospital markets defined as highly concentrated based on Department of Justice criteria rose from 67 percent in 2012 to 72 percent in 2016. Using the same data source, Zack Cooper and colleagues found that inpatient prices charged by hospitals with no regional competitors were 12 percent higher than in areas with four or more competing hospitals.”
The Hospital Industry Is In A Financial Mess: We Have A Unique Opportunity To Fix It
Bruce Stewart reviews the state of reporting about the pandemic’s effects on hospital finances, highlight shortcomings of the federal response thus far, and present a path to greater preparedness, equity, and competition in hospital markets.
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200825.24660/full/