Abstract
We investigated differences among five types of hospitals, defined by ownership (investor-owned or not-for-profit), system affiliation (system-affiliated or freestanding), and government sponsorship on 24 measures of economic performance. Using multivariate analysis of 1980 Medicare cost report and other data from a national sample of 561 hospitals, we found that investor-owned chain hospitals charged significantly more, and were more profitable, than all other types of hospitals except freestanding for-profits; there were no differences in productive efficiency that could be attributed to ownership or affiliation; the investor-owned hospitals had higher debt-to-asset ratios, less-capital-intensive plants, and greater capital costs as a percentage of operating costs than the not-for-profits; and there were no consistent case-mix differences among the hospitals.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 219-236 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Inquiry |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 3 |
State | Published - Sep 1985 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health Policy