Hospital Mergers, Hospital Choice, and Care Quality for Pregnant Enrollees in Medicaid.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Despite increasing consolidation in the US hospital market, little is known about how these mergers influence labor and delivery admissions and obstetric outcomes for patients with Medicaid.

Objective

To assess whether hospital mergers are associated with changes in patient flows to hospitals and care quality for pregnant Medicaid enrollees.

Design, setting, and participants

This cross-sectional study used a stacked difference-in-differences design to examine mergers occurring between 2004 and 2011. Changes in outcomes were examined in the 3 years before vs 3 years after a merger. Estimates were compared by urban vs rural settings and for Medicaid patients relative to privately insured patients. Labor and delivery admissions in 9 US states accounted for app

SUBMITTER: Desai SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12681039 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature