The effect of a private sector on the waiting time in national health service.
This article examines the effect of a private sector on the waiting time associated with treatment in a public hospital. Without rationing of waiting-list admissions, a private sector is shown to result in a longer waiting time if the demand for a public treatment is sufficiently elastic with respect to the waiting time. When waiting-list admissions are rationed, the waiting time is shown to increase if the public sector consultants are permitted to work in the private sector in their spare time.
Iversen
T
T
University of Oslo, Centre for Health Administration, National Hospital, Norway. tor.iversen@samfunnsmed.uio.no
D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009664:Norway; D010343:Patient Admission; D017149:Private Sector; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014850:Waiting Lists