Professional Partnerships and Matching in Obstetrics / Andrew Epstein, Jonathan D. Ketcham, Sean Nicholson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Epstein, Andrew.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Ketcham, Jonathan D.

Nicholson, Sean.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w14070.

NBER working paper series no. w14070

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2008.

Summary:

Theory indicates that internally-differentiated professional partnerships can promote matching between heterogeneous consumers and professionals, particularly when consumers have imperfect information or markets have barriers to referrals between firms. We test this in obstetrics markets, relying on random assignment of patients to physicians to generate unbiased measures of a physician's treatment style and skill, and on simulations to measure a physician's specialization. Consumers match to professionals along all three dimensions -- specialization, style and skill -- based on consumers' observed characteristics and unobserved preferences. We conclude that internally-differentiated partnerships promote matching in ways that improve consumers' welfare and health.

Notes:

Print version record

June 2008.