Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/185305 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 11845
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We examine the launch of a mobile outpatient appointment app in China to study the effect of information provision and a streamlined appointment process on hospital operations and the alignment of healthcare supply and demand. Using a longitudinal dataset on hospital operations and a difference-in-differences model, we document that the app increases completed hospital consultations by 9.5%, through boosting registrations by 4.8% and reducing appointment cancellations by 3.4%. The app improves queuing efficiency in overcrowded hospitals and draws demand for underutilized ones. Supported by additional evidence from a subset of patients' electronic medical records, we also find that the app directs patients to the hospital and department more suitable to their medical conditions and to less busy days, resulting in a better match between patient demand and hospital service.
Subjects: 
healthcare information technology
information provision
hospital operations
patient sorting
patient choices
JEL: 
I11
I12
I18
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
1.72 MB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.