6th Biennial Conference of the American Society of Health Economists

June 12 - 15, 2016

Physician-Hospital Integration

The share of physician practices owned by hospitals or with tight contractual relationships with hospitals has grown substantially in recent years. The three papers in this session examine different parts of that phenomenon. The papers quantify the extent to which hospitals are acquiring physician practices, as well as how the acquisition of physician practices by hospitals affects prices, utilization, and the quality of care. The session's papers span differing time periods, geographies, and patient populations.