Physician use of hospitals: effects of physician, patient, and hospital characteristics.
This paper examines the determinants of hospital utilisation in one county. In contrast to previous studies, the paper examines the physician rather than the patient as the key decision-maker. Specifically, the paper assesses the impact of several physician, patient, and hospital characteristics on the probability of admitting to a hospital, the volume of the physician's admissions at the hospital, and the concentration of the physician's admissions at the hospital. Distance from the physician's office to the hospital exerts the strongest and most consistent effects. The results are interpreted in light of several theoretical and research perspectives on physician behaviour.
D000367:Age Factors; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010067:Ownership; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011336:Probability; D011364:Professional Practice; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D013038:Specialization; D014195:Travel; D014481:United States