Hospital competition and quality for non‐emergency patients in the English NHS

We investigate the effect on quality of three high-volume non-emergency treatments a reform that relaxed restrictions patient choice hospital. employ quasi difference-in-difference strategy and use control functions allowing for selection into providers correlated with unobserved morbidity. Public hospitals facing more rivals reduced quality, increased waiting times, length stay hip knee replacements. This is likely due to regulated prices implying larger losses these compared coronary artery bypass grafts, where no effects were found. Our findings are robust estimation methods competition measures, private providers’ entry.