This setting lets you change the way you view articles. You can choose to have articles open in a dialog window, a new tab, or directly in the same window.
Open in Dialog
Open in New Tab
Open in same window

American Economic Review: Vol. 101 No. 3 (May 2011)

AER Volume. 101, Issue 3 | leftPrevious ArticleNext Articleright

Expand

Quick Tools:

Print Article Summary Email Link to this Article Export Citation
Sign up for Email Alerts Follow us on Twitter

Explore:

AER - All Issues

AER Forthcoming Articles

Are Drugs Substitutes or Complements for Intensive (and Expensive) Medical Treatment

Article Citation

Zhang, Yuting, Joseph P. Newhouse, and Katherine Baicker. 2011. "Are Drugs Substitutes or Complements for Intensive (and Expensive) Medical Treatment." American Economic Review, 101(3): 393-97.

DOI: 10.1257/aer.101.3.393

Abstract

Little is known about the relationship between variation in drug and non-drug medical treatment and how areas may substitute one type of care for the other. Using pharmacy and medical claims data for Medicare beneficiaries, we examine whether areas with more drug use have lower non-drug medical costs and how the quality of prescribing and primary care are associated with medical costs. We find that areas with higher drug spending do not have lower non-drug medical spending; however, poorer-quality prescribing and primary care are associated with higher medical spending in general and inpatient spending in particular.

Article Full-Text Access

Full-text Article

Authors

Zhang, Yuting (U Pittsburgh)
Newhouse, Joseph P. (Harvard U)
Baicker, Katherine (Harvard U)

JEL Classifications

D12: Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
I11: Analysis of Health Care Markets
I18: Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health


American Economic Review



AEA Member Login:


Quick Tools:

Email Link to this Issue

Sign up for Email Alerts

Follow us on Twitter

Subscription Information
(Institutional Administrator Access)

Explore:

AER - All Issues

AER - Forthcoming Articles

AEA Journals

Virtual Field Journals

AEAweb | AEA Journals | Contact Us