Symposium Article
The location of urban healthcare services: Evidence from Phoenix Yelp reviews
Josh Matti,
Jane E. Ruseski,
Josh Matti
College of Business, Department of Economics, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jane E. Ruseski
John Chambers College of Business and Economics, Department of Economics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
Correspondence
Jane E. Ruseski, John Chambers College of Business and Economics, Department of Economics, West Virginia University, 1601 University Ave., PO Box 6025, Morgantown, WV 26506-6025, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorJosh Matti,
Jane E. Ruseski,
Josh Matti
College of Business, Department of Economics, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jane E. Ruseski
John Chambers College of Business and Economics, Department of Economics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
Correspondence
Jane E. Ruseski, John Chambers College of Business and Economics, Department of Economics, West Virginia University, 1601 University Ave., PO Box 6025, Morgantown, WV 26506-6025, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
The U.S. healthcare sector is a large and important industry. However, relatively little is known about the localization and colocalization patterns of healthcare services within an urban area. By using Yelp data from over 3000 healthcare service establishments in the Phoenix area, this paper applies a recent spatial econometric technique to the analysis of healthcare services. The results reveal that spatial concentration varies across distances and types of healthcare services. Localization is more prevalent at closer distances, and general practitioners tend to be more dispersed than specialists. Colocalization with hospitals is most likely for specialists while family practices and dentistry services tend to locate away from hospitals. Different types of location patterns across different types of healthcare services are relevant for informing policies addressing healthcare access and competition in healthcare markets.
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