TY  - JOUR
AU  - Buchmueller,Thomas C.
AU  - Jacobson,Mireille
AU  - Wold,Cheryl
TI  - How Far to the Hospital? The Effect of Hospital Closures on Access to Care
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 10700
PY  - 2004
Y2  - August 2004
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w10700
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w10700.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Thomas C. Buchmueller
Stephen M. Ross School of Business
University of Michigan
701 Tappan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Tel: 734/764-5933
E-Mail: tbuch@bus.umich.edu

Mireille Jacobson
RAND Corporation
1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138
Tel: 301/393-0411, x7141
E-Mail: jacobson@nber.org
AB  - Do urban hospital closures affect health care access or health outcomes? We study closures in Los Angeles County between 1997 and 2003, through their effect on distance to the nearest hospital. We find that increased distance to the nearest hospital shifts regular care away from emergency rooms and outpatient clinics to doctor's offices. While most residents are otherwise unaffected by closures, lower-income residents report more difficulty accessing care, working age residents are less likely to receive HIV tests, and seniors less likely to receive flu shots. We also find some evidence that increased distance raises infant mortality rates and stronger evidence that it increases deaths from unintentional injuries and heart attacks.
ER  -