The Effect of Patient's Asymmetric Information Problem on Medical Care Utilization with Consideration of a Patient's Ex-ante Health Status

Abstract

Even if a patient's access to health information has been enhanced, a patient still doesn't have enough ability to utilize it. Therefore, a doctor's effort to sincerely communicate with a patient might affect the patient's use of medical care. This paper builds up the empirical model and found the effect of a doctor's effort on patient's medical care use was significant and according to the ex-ante health status of a patient, a doctor's effort influenced a patient's medical care use in different way.asymmetry of information between doctor and patient, patient's medical care use, doctor's effort to effectively communicate with patients, patient's ex-ante health status