Marginal Physician Visits and the Diagnostic Case Mix

Abstract: We develop a simple microeconomic framework for the analysis of health care utilisation levels for different medical conditions. Monthly panel data on different diagnoses registered in eight Swedish counties over three years is used to test the hypothesis that marginal appointments are disproportionately made for less serious medical conditions. We find significant evidence that contradicts our hypothesis, but does not hold up to closer scrutiny or a sensitivity analysis. We argue that weaknesses in the used data could be the cause, and suggest directions for further research.