Research Seminar: The Consequences of Hospital Crowding: Evidence from Texas

Prof. Ana Costa-Ramón from the University of Zurich unfortunately has to cancel her lecture “The Causal Impact of an Anti-Bullying Intervention on Children’s Development” at HCHE at short notice.

We would like to thank Prof. Ben Ukert from Texas A&M University, who agreed to step in at short notice. He presents a study that examines how hospitals in Texas respond to unexpected and temporary capacity bottlenecks. Using comprehensive data from 2016–2020, he shows that sudden influxes of patients lead to shorter hospital stays, less intensive treatment, and changes in discharge destinations (fewer discharges to home or rehabilitation/aftercare facilities). At the same time, the quality of care deteriorates: both readmissions and in-hospital mortality increase. Overall, the study highlights that capacity constraints have significant negative consequences for patients even outside of crisis periods (such as COVID-19) and that more efficient resource planning is crucial.

Ben Ukert was a guest at the HCHE Research Seminar about a year ago. His presentation today ties in with his previous topic, “The impact of hospital closures on hospital admission and the impact on nearby surviving hospitals.”

Lecture in English