Physician agency in China: Evidence from a drug-percentage incentive scheme

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Wu, Bingxiao
• 署名单位: Rutgers University System; Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2019.05.007
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 72-89
• 关键词: Physician agency; Chinese health care system; Drug percentage; Healthcare expenditure

摘要

This paper examines how physicians respond to financial incentives in China. Faced with the requirement to lower drug expenditure as a percentage of the total medical expenditure, physicians increased non-drug expenditure in addition to decreasing drug expenditure, keeping the total expenditure at the historical level. This shift in the expenditure mix was observed only among insured patients, highlighting the role of patient insurance status in affecting the extent to which physician agency drives medical decision making.