Health Care Centralization: The Health Impacts of Obstetric Unit Closures in the United States
研究美国400多个县医院产科病房关闭对母婴健康的影响，发现关闭导致分娩方式改变，但对健康结果影响很小甚至略有好处，因为妇女转而获得更高质量的护理。
Over the last few decades, health care services in the United States have become more geographically centralized. We study how the loss of hospital-based obstetric units in over 400 counties affects maternal and infant health via a difference-in-differences design. We find that closures lead mothers to experience a significant change in birth procedures such as inductions and C-sections. In contrast to concerns voiced in the public discourse, the effects on a range of maternal and infant health outcomes are negligible or slightly beneficial. While women travel farther to receive care, closures induce women to receive higher quality care.