Economists’ Opinions Differ on Impact of Hospital Competition – Valley News

Read article - Quotes Elliott Fisher, chair and professor of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, and professor of medicine and community and family medicine, in an article about how deciding whether hospital mergers, affiliations and other forms of cooperation are desirable is not an easy proposition—even for experts. "On the one hand, there is concern about consolidation leading to greater market power and higher prices for consumers," says Fisher. "To the extent that clinical integration is being done to improve care for patients, and thereby lower the actual cost of taking care of them, that's a great thing."