title: Does Hospital Competition Save Lives? Evidence from the English NHS Patient Choice Reforms.
abstract: Recent substantive reforms to the English National Health Service expanded patient choice and encouraged hospitals to compete within a market with fixed prices. This study investigates whether these reforms led to improvements in hospital quality. We use a difference-in-difference-style estimator to test whether hospital quality (measured using mortality from acute myocardial infarction) improved more quickly in more competitive markets after these reforms came into force in 2006. We find that after the reforms were implemented, mortality fell (i.e. quality improved) for patients living in more competitive markets. Our results suggest that hospital competition can lead to improvements in hospital quality.
authors.affiliation: London School of Economics.
authors.forename: Zack
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: London School of Economics.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.affiliation: London School of Economics.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: London School of Economics.
authors.forename: Alistair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McGuire
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