Objective. To test the hypotheses that: (1) average adjusted costs per discharge are higher in high-competition relative to low competition markets, and (2) increased competition is associated with cost convergence between public and for-profit (FP) hospitals for case payment diagnoses, but not for cost plus reimbursed diagnoses.
Data Sources. Taiwan's National Health Insurance database; 325,851 inpatient claims for cesarean section, vaginal delivery, prostatectomy, and thyroidectomy (all ...