title: Hospital sector choice and support for public hospital care in New Zealand: Results from a labeled discrete choice survey.
abstract: This study uses a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to measure patients' preferences for public and private hospital care in New Zealand. A labeled DCE was administered to 583 members of the general public, with the choice between a public and private hospital for a non-urgent surgery. The results suggest that cost of surgery, waiting times for surgery, option to select a surgeon, convenience, and conditions of the hospital ward are important considerations for patients. The most important determinant of hospital choice was whether it was a public or private hospital, with respondents far more likely to choose a public hospital than a private hospital. The results have implications for government policy toward using private hospitals to clear waiting lists in public hospitals, with these results suggesting the public might not be indifferent to policies that treat private hospitals as substitutes for public hospitals.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Merced, CA, United States. Electronic address: pbrown3@ucmerced.edu.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Panattoni
authors.affiliation: University of California, Merced, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.affiliation: University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ashton
authors.affiliation: University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tenbensel
authors.affiliation: University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Windsor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D042882:Gallstones / Q000191:economics / Q000601:surgery; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D016304:Hospitals, Private / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013997:Time Factors; D014850:Waiting Lists; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Criteria for decision-making under risk and uncertainty; Health behavior; Labeled discrete choice; Public and private hospitals; Waiting times