Does Health Care Consolidation Harm Patients? Evidence from Maternity Ward Closures
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 16,
no. 1, February 2024
(pp. 160-89)
Abstract
We study how closures of maternity wards affect maternal and neonatal health. Using data on all hospital births in Sweden between 1990 and 2004, we compare changes in birth-related outcomes across hospital catchment areas that were differently exposed to ward closures. Our findings show that the closures increased maternal obstetric trauma but also decreased fetal stress and infant trauma among newborns. Adverse maternal outcomes are mainly driven by ward overcrowding, whereas increases in travel distance have no distinguishable effects. Positive effects on infant health reflect a shift of births from smaller to larger wards of higher quality.Citation
Avdic, Daniel, Petter Lundborg, and Johan Vikström. 2024. "Does Health Care Consolidation Harm Patients? Evidence from Maternity Ward Closures." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 16 (1): 160-89. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20200734Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D24 Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
- G34 Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Voting; Proxy Contests; Corporate Governance
- I11 Analysis of Health Care Markets
- I12 Health Behavior
- I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
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