Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
This paper investigates whether there are differences in patient outcomes across different types of hospitals using patient‐level data on readmission and mortality associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Hospitals are grouped according to their ownership type (private, public teaching, public non‐teaching) and their location (metropolitan, country and remote country). Using data collected from 130 Victorian hospitals on 19 000 patients admitted to a hospital with their first AMI between January 2001 and December 2003, we consider how the likelihood of unplanned re‐admission and mortality varies across hospital type. We find that there are significant differences across hospital types in the observed patient outcomes – private hospitals persistently outperform public hospitals. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.