Quality competition among hospitals, induced by patients freely choosing their hospital in a price regulated market, can only be realized if quality differences between hospitals are transparent, understandable, and thus influence patients' hospital choice. We use data from ~145,000 German patients and ~ 900 hospitals for colorectal resections and knee replacements to investigate whether patients value quality and specialization when choosing their hospital. Using a random utility choice model, we estimate patients' marginal utilities, willingness to travel and change in hospital demand for quality improvements. Patients respond to service quality and specialization and thus, quality competition seems to be present. Colorectal resection patients are willing to travel longer for more specialized hospitals (+9% for procedure volume, +9% for certification). Knee replacement patients travel longer for hospitals with better service quality (+6%) and higher procedure volume (+12%). However, clinical quality indicators, often difficult to access and interpret, barely play a role in patients' hospital choice. Furthermore, we find that competition on quality for colorectal resection is rather local, whereas for knee replacement we observe regional competition patterns.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10729-020-09540-2 | DOI Listing |
World J Gastrointest Oncol
January 2025
Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China.
The article concluded that network pharmacology provides new ideas and insights into the molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment of cancer. TCM is a new choice and hot spot in the field of cancer treatment. We have also previously published studies on TCM and network pharmacology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPain Rep
February 2025
Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has increasingly been used to modify cortical maladaptive plastic changes shown to occur in fibromyalgia (FM) and to correlate with symptoms. Evidence for its efficacy is currently inconclusive, mainly due to heterogeneity of stimulation parameters used in trials available to date. Here, we reviewed the current evidence on the use of rTMS for FM control in the format of a narrative review, in which a systematic dissection of the different stimulation parameters would be possible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Spine Surg
December 2024
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Background: Vertebral body tethering (VBT) has shown improvements in coronal and sagittal plane correction in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients, but axial correction over time remains unexplored. Three-dimensional (3D) spine reconstruction was used to analyse correctional changes in all spinal planes post VBT surgery.
Case Description: AIS subjects who underwent thoracic VBT surgery with a minimum 2-year follow-up were assessed.
J Clin Orthop Trauma
February 2025
Orthopedic Surgery, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
•The success of cementless fixation in TJA depends on a multitude of factors including biological, mechanical, implant, surgical, and material properties.•Biologic fixation has become the primary mode of fixation for the majority of primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) surgeries done today in the United States (US) due to its low complication rate and superior longevity compared to cemented fixation.•Cementless fixation has yet to gain wider acceptance in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and hip hemiarthroplasty due to several factors including host bone quality, implant design, and surgical technique.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransl Cancer Res
December 2024
Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Chifeng University, Chifeng, China.
Background: Bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) is globally recognized as a prevalent malignancy. Its treatment remains challenging due to the extensive morbidity, high mortality rates, and compromised quality of life from postoperative complications and the lack of specific molecular targets. Our aim was to establish a prognostic model to evaluate the prognostic significance, assess immunotherapy responses, and determine drug susceptibility in patients with BLCA.
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