This paper analyses the regulation of ambulatory care and its impact on physicians careers, using a representative panel of 6016 French self-employed GPs over the years 1983 to 2004. The beginning of their activity is influenced by the regulated number of places in medical schools, named in...

Background: Previous studies in the literature have shown significant variations in colonoscopy performance, even when medical factors are taken into account. This study aimed to examine the role of non-medical factors (i.e. embodied in health care system design) as possible contributors to...

Our analysis assessed the impact of information on patients' preferences in prescription vs over-the-counter (OTC) delivery systems. A contingent valuation (CV) study was implemented, randomly assigning 1594 people into the receipt of limited or extended information concerning new influenza...

According to the catastrophic health expenditure methodology a house-hold is in catastrophe if its health out-of-pocket budget share exceeds a critical threshold. We develop a conceptual framework for addressing three questions in relation to this methodology, namely: 1. Can a budget share be...

In traditional literature, a number of authors posit that physicians, like a consumer or a firm, adopt maximization behavior, while others claim that they are motivated by the attainment of a target income. These three approaches may seem contradictory, yet the present study aims to show that...

In this paper, we develop a new numerical method to estimate a multivariate probit model. To this end, we derive a new decomposition of normal multivariate integrals that has two appealing properties. First, the decomposition may be written as the sum of normal multivariate integrals, in which...

The aim of this paper is to model a liberal profession, in this case physicians. We propose a model in which the physician acts in the same way as an agent who maximises his utility function subject to his budget constraint, while at the same time being able to affect his rate of remuneration....

Legitimation and competition are two major forces moulding organizational field and the diffusion of innovations. While discursive legitimation provides "rational justifications" for innovations, competition may incite organizations to acquire effective innovations preemptively. This paper draws...

This paper aims to estimate empirically the efficiency of a Swiss telemedicine service introduced in 2003. We used claims' data gathered by a major Swiss health insurer, over a period of six years and involving 160 000 insured adults. In Switzerland, health insurance is mandatory, but everyone...