The beaten paths effect on patient inter-regional mobility: An application to the Italian NHS

We study inter-regional migration flows due to hospital admissions and focus on the impact of migration beaten paths. We estimate a gravity model applied to Italian data for the period 2010-2016. We find that beaten paths have a positive effect on inter-regional patient flows, with estimated elasticity equal to +0.32%. Therefore, family and social ties among people living in the region of origin and destination for hospital admissions may explain the concentration of health migration (HM) in some regions. Moreover, the beaten path effect is stronger for private hospitals. We also find that HM patients are more sensible to hospital quality than those admitted in local hospitals.