In the United States, inpatient medical care increasingly encompasses the use of expensive medical technology and, at the same time, is coordinated and supervised more and more by a rapidly growing number of inpatient-dedicated physicians (hospitalists). In the production of inpatient care...

Managed care has shifted purchasing decisions from patients towards payers. While this shift has been associated with increased price competition in provider markets, we believe that it may enhance the potential for consumer injury from mergers in geographic markets previously considered immune...