Differences in Length of Stay Between Public Hospitals, Treatment Centres and Private Providers: Selection or Efficiency?

16 Pages Posted: 27 Mar 2011

See all articles by Luigi Siciliani

Luigi Siciliani

University of York

Peter Mathew Sivey

La Trobe University - Faculty of Business, Economics and Law; Royal Melbourne Institute of Technolog (RMIT University) - School of Economics, Finance and Marketing; University of Melbourne - Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research

Andrew Street

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - London School of Economics

Date Written: March 2011

Abstract

We investigate differences in patients’ length of stay between National Health Service (NHS) public hospitals, public treatment centres and private treatment centres that provide elective (non-emergency) hip replacement to publicly-funded patients. We find that private treatment centres and public treatment centres have on average respectively 40% and 18% shorter length of stay compared to NHS public hospitals, even after controlling for differences in age, gender, number and type of diagnosis, deprivation and geographical variation. We therefore interpret such differences as due to efficiency as opposed to selection (treatment of less complex cases). Quantile regression suggests that the proportionate differences between different provider types are larger at the higher conditional quantiles of length of stay compared to the lower ones.

Keywords: Length of stay, public hospitals, treatment centres, private providers

JEL Classification: I11, I18

Suggested Citation

Siciliani, Luigi and Sivey, Peter Mathew and Sivey, Peter Mathew and Street, Andrew, Differences in Length of Stay Between Public Hospitals, Treatment Centres and Private Providers: Selection or Efficiency? (March 2011). Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 6/11, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1793003 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1793003

Luigi Siciliani

University of York ( email )

Heslington
University of York
York, YO10 5DD
United Kingdom

Peter Mathew Sivey (Contact Author)

La Trobe University - Faculty of Business, Economics and Law ( email )

Victoria 3552, 3086
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://www.petersivey.com

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technolog (RMIT University) - School of Economics, Finance and Marketing ( email )

Level 10, Building 80
445 Swanston Street
Melbourne, Victoria 3000
Australia

University of Melbourne - Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research ( email )

Level 5, FBE Building, 111 Barry Street
Parkville, Victoria 3010
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://www.melbourneinstitute.com/people/psivey/home.html

Andrew Street

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - London School of Economics ( email )

United Kingdom

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