Biomedical subjects

G J Wedig

Publications and source records attributed to G J Wedig.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

Do nonprofit hospitals pay their way?

Using 1988 and 1991 data from nonprofit voluntary hospitals in California, we find that the vast majority of nonprofit hospitals provide community dividends in excess of the tax subsidies they receive. However, nearly 20 percent of nonprofit hospitals do not meet this standard. Further, those hospitals that do not meet the standard tend to not meet the standard over time. We recommend more explicit identification of the community dividends expected in return for special tax treatment and more explicit accounting on the part of nonprofit hospitals.

California↗

PubMed1993

Ramsey pricing and supply-side incentives in physician markets.

In this paper, I develop a theory of optimal prices using a relative value scale where there are fixed costs of medical practice. I consider a regulator constrained to set prices in excess of marginal cost, in markets where physicians can create demand at the margin. Under these conditions, basing prices on physician costs alone is shown to be suboptimal. Instead, prices should anticipate the behavior of physicians by setting profit margins highest for services least susceptible to demand creation. This is equivalent to a form of Ramsey pricing, used in this case to minimize the deadweight loss of oversupply.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

PubMed1990

Increases in volume: lessons from Medicare.

Earlier attempts by Medicare to freeze physician fees fell short in controlling rising expenditures. Why did this happen? Some point to the forces of the medical care market. Others look at the influence of physicians.

Health Services Needs and Demand↗

PubMed1988

Health status and the demand for health. Results on price elasticities.

The relationship between measured health status and the elasticity of demand for ambulatory physician services is estimated using data from the National Medical Care Utilization and Expenditure Survey (NMCUES). Although the theoretical relationship between health status and demand elasticity is ambiguous, results obtained in this study suggest that declines in health reduce the elasticity of the initial decision to seek care, but have no discernible effect on the elasticity of demand at mean levels of consumption. These results are consistent with the findings of Rand's HIE, and suggest that consumer price sharing has little effect on initial access to physicians for those in poor health.

Ambulatory Care↗