Research Data from Far Eastern Memorial Hospital Update Understanding of Health Services Research (Evaluating the comparative efficiency of medical centers in Taiwan: a dynamic data envelopment analysis application): Health and Medicine – Health Services Research

2022 APR 15 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Business Daily -- Investigators publish new report on health services research. According to news originating from the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “People in Taiwan enjoy comprehensive National Health Insurance coverage. However, under the global budget constraint, hospitals encounter enormous challenges.”

Financial supporters for this research include Far Eastern Memorial Hospital Funder DOI: 10.13039/501100005866 Award: 108DN16; 108DN16; 108DN16; 108DN16; 108DN16.

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Far Eastern Memorial Hospital: “This study was designed to examine Taiwan medical centers’ efficiency and factors that influence it. We obtained data from open sources of government routine publications and hospitals disclosed by law to the National Health Insurance Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan. The dynamic data envelopment analysis (DDEA) model was adopted to estimate all medical centers’ efficiencies during 2015-2018. Beta regression models were used to model the efficiency level obtained from the DDEA model. We applied an input-oriented approach under both the constant returns-to-scale (CRS) and variable returns-to-scale (VRS) assumptions to estimate efficiency. The findings indicated that 68.4% (13 of 19) of medical centers were inefficient according to scale efficiency. The mean efficiency scores of all medical centers during 2015-2018 under the CRS, VRS, and Scale were 0.85, 0.930, and 0.95,respectively. Regression results showed that an increase in the population less than 14 years of age, assets, nurse-patient ratio and bed occupancy rate could increase medical centers’ efficiency. The rate of emergency return within 3-day and patient self-pay revenues were associated significantly with reduced hospital efficiency (p < 0.05). The result also showed that the foundation owns medical center has the highest efficiency than other ownership hospitals.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The study results provide information for hospital managers to consider ways they could adjust available resources to achieve high efficiency.”

For more information on this research see: Evaluating the comparative efficiency of medical centers in Taiwan: a dynamic data envelopment analysis application. BMC Health Services Research, 2022,22(1):1-11. (BMC Health Services Research - http://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com). The publisher for BMC Health Services Research is BMC.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07869-8.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Cheng-Ming Chiu, Department of Rehabilitation, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital. Additional authors for this research include Ming-Shu Chen, Chung-Shun Lin, Wei-Yu Lin, Hui-Chu Lang.

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