Estimating the Parameters of a Distributed Lag Model from Cross-Section Data: The Case of Hospital Admissions and Discharges

It is natural to think of estimating distributed lag models from time series data since it is in time series contexts that such models arise. This article studies the estimation of rational distributed lags in the context of hospital admissions and discharges where a relevant body of cross-section data exists in the form of lengths-of-stay and appears to be more appropriate for this purpose than do the available time series data. The cross-section approach presumably has applications in many situations in which length-of-stay in the system or its counterpart can be observed.