The Health Impacts of Hospital Delivery Practices

Treatment practices vary widely across hospitals, often with little connection to patients’ medical needs. We assess impacts of these differences in delivery at childbirth. find that infants quasi-randomly delivered hospitals higher C-section rates are born better shape and less likely be readmitted, suggestive evidence improved survival. These benefits driven by avoidance prolonged labors pose risks infant health. In contrast, more visit the emergency department for respiratory-related problems, consistent a large observational literature linking chronic reductions respiratory (JEL I11, I12, J13, J16)