TY  - JOUR
AU  - Bundorf,M. Kate
AU  - Chun,Natalie
AU  - Goda,Gopi Shah
AU  - Kessler,Daniel P.
TI  - Do Markets Respond to Quality Information? The Case of Fertility Clinics
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 13888
PY  - 2008
Y2  - March 2008
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w13888
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w13888.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Kate Bundorf
Health Research and Policy
Stanford University
HRP T108
Stanford, CA 94305-5405
Tel: 650/725-0067
Fax: 650/725-6951
E-Mail: bundorf@stanford.edu

Natalie Chun
Department of Economics
Stanford University
Stanford, CA  94305
E-Mail: natc@stanford.edu

Gopi Shah Goda
Stanford University
SIEPR
366 Galvez St.
Stanford, CA 94305
Tel: 650/736-0480
Fax: 650/723-8611
E-Mail: gopi@stanford.edu

Daniel Kessler
Hoover Institution
Stanford University
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford, CA  94305
Tel: 650/723-0596
E-Mail: fkessler@stanford.edu
AB  - Although policymakers have increasingly turned to provider report cards as a tool to improve health care quality, existing studies provide mixed evidence that they influence consumer choices.  We examine the effects of providing consumers with quality information in the context of fertility clinics providing Assisted Reproductive Therapies (ART).  We report three main findings.  First, clinics with higher birthrates had larger market shares after relative to before the adoption of report cards.  Second, clinics with a disproportionate share of young, relatively easy-to-treat patients had lower market shares after adoption versus before.  This suggests that consumers take into account information on patient mix when evaluating clinic outcomes.  Third, report cards had larger effects on consumers and clinics from states with ART insurance coverage mandates.  We conclude that quality report cards have potential to influence provider behavior in this setting.
ER  -