With the growing number of uninsured Americans, the aging baby-boomer population, and the increasing life expectancies, containing costs in order to still generate positive margins in hospitals is becoming exceedingly important. One financial and organizational trend for hospitals has been to join ranks with other hospitals to create hospital systems. This study tests the proposition that hospitals that are members of a hospital system are more likely to experience positive margins than independent hospitals. Based on the cross-sectional analysis of Colorado and Florida hospitals from 2001 and 2002, the study finds that hospitals from larger hospital systems generally achieve higher margin levels, giving financial incentive for hospitals to integrate themselves into large systems.
Bibliography : p. 63-65
bachelor
Bachelor of Arts
