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Research Article
Productive innovations in hospitals: an empirical research on the relation between technology and productivity in the Dutch hospital industry
Article first published online: 13 AUG 2008
DOI: 10.1002/hec.1395
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
1099-1050/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=af8abe1b1dd6990bc2f6af06e451153b7d74332a "Health Economics")
Additional Information
How to Cite
Blank, J. L. T. and Hulst, B. L. V. (2009), Productive innovations in hospitals: an empirical research on the relation between technology and productivity in the Dutch hospital industry. Health Economics, 18: 665–679. doi: 10.1002/hec.1395
Publication History
- Issue published online: 7 MAY 2009
- Article first published online: 13 AUG 2008
- Manuscript Accepted: 6 JUN 2008
- Manuscript Revised: 28 MAR 2008
- Manuscript Received: 23 MAR 2007
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- cost efficiency;
- technical efficiency;
- technical change;
- technology index;
- hospitals
Abstract
This paper studies the relationship between technology and productivity in Dutch hospitals. In most studies technical change is measured by a proxy, namely a time trend. In practice however, innovations slowly spread over all hospitals and so different hospitals are operating under different technologies at the same point in time. In this study we explicitly inventory specific and well-known innovations in the Dutch hospital industry in the past ten years. These innovations are aggregated into a limited number of homogenous innovation clusters, which are measured by a set of technology index numbers. The index numbers are included in the cost function specification and estimation. The results indicate that technical change is non-neutral and output- biased and that some technologies affect cost in beneficial ways. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.