Prolonged hospital stays, or hospital stays that are longer than medically necessary, are a major concern for patients, payers, and providers. We conceptualize and empirically estimate the prevalence and cost of prolonged stays among elderly hospital patients (65 years and older) in Brazil and...

Primary care physicians have a central, coordination role in medicine, yet little is known about their impacts on healthcare utilization. I study the short-run and long-run effects of switching to different primary care physicians on utilization in terms of spending among Medicare patients over...

The health sector remains a vital tool for sustainable development of any nation and therefore investment in this sector cannot be overemphasized. The present state of Primary Health Care (PHC) system in Nigeria is alarming, with only about 20% out of the 30,000 PHC facilities relatively...

We investigate the effects on health care costs and utilization of team-based primary care delivery: Quebec's Family Medicine Groups (FMGs). FMGs include extended hours, patient enrollment and multidisciplinary teams, but they maintain the same remuneration scheme (fee-for-service) as outside...

The cost of healthcare in U.S. is a poor value proposition. One of the primary goals of the healthcare reform act is to reduce cost while improving healthcare quality. We believe that adding a health coach will help in achieving this goal. The health coach is a medical professional who supports...

In 2007, China launched a subsidized voluntary public health insurance program, the Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance, for urban residents without formal employment, including children, the elderly, and other unemployed urban residents. We estimate the impact of this program on health care...