Provider competition and health care quality: challenges and opportunities for research.

On May 28, 2003, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Federal Trade Commission co-sponsored an invitational conference entitled, "Provider Competition and Quality: Latest Findings and Implications for the Next Generation of Research." The main objectives of this conference were to share and discuss the latest findings on provider competition and quality, to identify implications for antitrust policy, and to develop an agenda for further research in this area. While it is impossible to completely capture the rich exchange of ideas and perspectives that transpired at the conference, we highlight several key themes that emerged and present a research agenda to guide future investigations.