Productivity Developments in Swedish Hospitals: A Malmquist Output Index Approach

The purpose of this chapter is to study productivity change in Swedish hospitals during the time period from 1970 to 1985. By comparing annual changes in the productivity of individual hospitals, it is possible both to identify general trends in the productivity of the hospital industry as a whole and to identify individual hospitals exhibiting patterns of change in productivity that differ from the rest of the industry. A careful analysis of the results of this exercise should add to our knowledge about the factors determining the pattern of hospital productivity in Sweden.