If you say so:A mixed-method study of hospital mergers and quality of care

Background Despite a lack of supporting evidence, hospitals continue to merge in pursuit of quality improvements. Purpose We seek to develop a more thorough understanding of the quality effects of hospital mergers by integrating various theoretical perspectives using a mixed-methods design. Methodology Quantitatively, we tested the quality effect of all consummated hospital mergers in the Netherlands between 2008 and 2014 on 15 quality indicators (with 82 measurements at hospital, department, and disease levels) using a difference-in-difference approach with Bonferroni correction. Qualitativel... Mehr ...