Table 1.
Description of Variables.
| Variables | Description |
|---|---|
| Dependent Variable | |
| Technical efficiency | Efficiency scores derived from the DEA method using outputs and inputs. |
| 1. Output Variables | |
| (1) Outpatient visits | Total number of outpatient visits |
| (2) Inpatient days | Total number of inpatient days |
| (3) Surgeries | Total number of surgeries |
| (4) Residents | Total number of residents (FTEs) |
| 2. Input Variables | |
| (1) Operating expenses | Total operating expenses excluding payroll and benefit |
| (2) Hospital beds | Total number of beds in a hospital |
| (3) Doctor of Medicine | Total FTEs of MDs and DOs |
| (4) Registered Nurse | Total FTEs of RNs |
| (5) Other FTEs | Total number of other FTEs excluding trainees |
| Independent Variables | |
| 1. Transparent environment | |
| (1) APCD Adoption (1/0) | If a state adopted APCD = 1, otherwise = 0 |
| (2) Data Availability | A ratio for the number of hospitals that successfully reported their performance and the total number of hospitals in a county (=the number of successfully reported hospitals/total number of hospitals in a county) |
| 2. Competition (HHI) | The weighted (by hospital patient shares) hospital referral region-based HHIs for each hospital (=(each hospital’s number of adjusted admissions/total number of adjusted admissions in an HRR)2) |
| Control Variables | |
| 1. Case Mix Index (CMI) | Case-Mix-Index from CMS |
| 2. Size | The number of hospital beds |
| 3. Urban | Location (urban = 1, others = 0) |
| 4. Ownership | Hospital ownership type (Nonprofit = 1, For-profit = 0) |
| 5. Teaching affiliation | Teaching hospital (Teaching = 1, Non-teaching = 0) |
| 6. Medicare discharge (%) | The ratio of Medicare discharges out of total discharge |
| 7. Medicaid discharge (%) | The ratio of Medicaid discharges out of total discharge |
| 8. Nonprofit market share (%) | The market share of nonprofit hospitals in a county based on the total number of beds |
| 9. Uninsured (%) | The uninsured rate of population under age 65 in a county |
| 10. Lobbying efforts ($) | The total amount of money that AHA subsidiaries spent on lobbying efforts in a state |