Health Services: Available Research Shows That Capacity is Only Weakly Related to Volume
Abstract
Roemer's law is not very different from the idea in criminal justice that if prison capacity is expended, prison population will swell to fill the space. In both cases, the argument is about whether increased capacity is used meaningfully or whether it merely augments the volume of services without showing measurable improvements. You asked us to determine if completed studies of health services delivery support Roemer's model. Further, if these studies did not permit a judgment about Roemer's law, you wanted us to indicate what research gaps needed to be filled to reliably determine its accuracy. Specifically, our study focused on the following questions: What is the relationship between capacity and volume shown in these studies? and What research gaps, if any, need to be filled to reliably assess the validity of Roemer's law?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA263316
Entities
People
- Carol F. Johnson
- George Silberman
- Gerald L. Dillingham
- Linda K. Demlo
- Richard Scott
- Venkareddy Chennardeddy
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office