• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.68-90
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• 2007

Nurse staffing level is an important factor that influences the quality of health service and patient outcomes. This study was carried out to examine the current state of acute hospital nurse staffing and find out factors that affect the nurse staffing level. Nurse staffing of individual hospitals was measured using the number of registered nurses per 100 beds. Descriptive and multiple regression analyses were conducted using 592 acute care hospitals' data. Regression model included structure factors such as referral level, ownership, medical and general staffing, and financial outcome factors such as occupancy rate, inpatient and outpatient revenues. Market characteristics included strength of competition, supply of nurses, and income and health status level of consumers. The average number of nurses per 100 beds was 28 and showed a great variation according to the referral level. Regression model explained this variation as much as 76.87%. Hospital structure variables which affecting the hospital nurse staffing level positively were ICU bed ratio, the staffing level of specialist, training doctor and employees except doctor and nursing personnel, while the negative factor was nurse aid staffing level. General hospitals employed more nurses than hospitals. Among outcome characteristics, occupancy rate and the amount of health insurance inpatient revenue affected positively on the hospital nurse staffing level. The more supply of the new nurse and the higher consumer income and health status in the medical service markets, the more nurses were employed by the medical institutes. According to the study result, hospitals employed more nurses when they had more financial incentive by increasing nurses. This means appropriate hospital incentive policy and regulation policy, which hospital violate nurse staffing level have to pay penality, should be needed. Clarifying job description between nurses and nurse aids and the reentry program for unemployed experienced nurses will be helpful to increase nurse staffing level.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.43-55
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• 2015

Objectives : This study analyzed the managerial efficiency of hospitals and identified the productivity trends for three years. Methods : Data were collected from 44 tertiary hospitals and 32 university hospitals from 2009 to 2011. Efficiency scores and productivity trends were evaluated with the DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) method. The input variables were the numbers of beds, doctors, nurses, and health personnel, and the medical costs. The output variables were the numbers of outpatients, and inpatients, and the medical revenues. Along with the traditional input-oriented DEA analysis, the Malmquist Productivity Index(MPI) was calculated. Results : First, the mean values of the study variables showed gradual increases in all the variables for all the study years. Second, technical efficiency scores varied depending on the study year. Third, MPI decreased from 2009 to 2010 (MPI=0.986), and then increased from 2010 to 2011(MPI=1.011). The contributions of the Efficiency Change Index and Technical Change Index on the MPI varied depending on the study year. Conclusions : This study provides information to hospital managers about changes in hospital performances. External environments had more influence on hospital performances, and hospital managers will need to manage these influences from factors surrounding the hospitals.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2016

Objectives : This study examined relations between investment efficiency and management performance as indexes related to productivity of Korean regional public hospitals. Methods : The analysis data are financial information of Korean regional public hospitals from 2011 to 2014. For the indicators, value added to total assets, value added to productive activity tangible fixed assets, and value added to personnel expenses, operating margin to revenues, net profit to total earnings, and ratio of value added. Results : Significant relevance was not shown among indicators of investment efficiency. However, Significant relevance was shown between value added to personnel expense and productivity per value added. Conclusions : It confirmed that outside support funds like subsidy did not have effect on improving the management performance. Also, it could be known that availability about input of capital and labor was not realized organically.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.71-92
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to analyze the efficiency in management of general hospitals and investigate the major factors on efficiency. Specifically, the management of each general hospital is evaluated by using Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA) technique which is a nonparametric statistical method for measurement of efficiency. Then, the influencing factors are investigated through analyses of Decision-Tree Model and Tobit Regression. The target hospitals were general hospitals in which bed sizes are between 200 and 500 among a total of 276 general hospitals. The main data of financial indicators were collected from 48 hospitals, and it was analyzed by using two statistical models. For Model I, three input and two output variables were used for efficiency evaluation. In particular, three input variables were the number of medical doctors, the number of paramedical personnel, and the bed size. And, two output variables were the numbers of inpatients and outpatients per year, adjusted by bed-size. The results of DEA analysis showed that only seven out of 48 hospitals(15%) turned out to be efficient. The decision-tree analysis also showed that there were six significant influencing factors for Model I. Six factors for Model I were Bed Occupancy Rate, Cost per Adjusted Inpatient, New Visit Ratio of Outpatients, Retired Ratio, Net Profit to Gross Revenues, Net Profit to Total Assets. In addition, the management efficiency of hospital is proved to increase as profit and patient-induced indicators increase and cost-related indicators decrease, by the Tobit regression model of independent variables derived from the decision-tree analysis. This study may be contributable to the development of analytic methodology regarding the efficiency of hospital management in that it suggests the synthetic measures by utilizing DEA model instead of suggesting simple ratio-analyzing results.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.31 no.3 s.62
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• pp.490-502
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• 1998

This study purports to find the predictor of hospital bankruptcy in Korea and to examine the predictive power of the discriminant function model of hospital bankruptcy. Data on 17 financial and 4 non-financial indicators of 31 bankrupt and 31 profitable hospitals of 1, 2, and 3 years before bankruptcy were obtained from the hospital performance databank of Korea Institute of Health Services Management. Significant variables were identified through mean comparison of each indicator between bankrupt and profitable hospitals, and the discriminant function model of hospital bankruptcy was developed. The major findings are as follows 1. As for profitability indicators, net worth to total assets, operating profit to total capital, operating profit ratio to gross revenues, normal profit to total assets, normal profit to gross revenues, net profit to total assets were significantly different in mean comparison test in 1, 2, and 3 years before hospital bankruptcy. With regard to liquidity indicators, current ratio and quick ratio were significant in 1 year before bankruptcy. For activity indicators, patients receivable turnover was significant in 2 and 3 years before bankruptcy and added value per adjusted inpatient days was significant in 3 years before bankruptcy. 2. The discriminant function in 1, 2, and 3 years before bankruptcy were; $Z=-0.0166{\times}quick$ ratio-$0.1356{\times}normal$ profit to total assets-$1.545{\times}total$ assets turnrounds in 1 year before bankruptcy, $Z=-0.0119{\times}quick$ ratio-$0.1433{\times}operating$ profit to total assets-$0.0227{\times}value$ added to total assets in 2 years before bankruptcy, and $Z=-0.3533{\times}net$ profit to total assets-$0.1336{\times}patients$ receivables turn-rounds-$0.04301{\times}added$ value per adjusted $patient+0.00119{\times}average$ daily inpatient census in 3 years before bankruptcy. 3. The discriminant function's discriminant power in 1, 2, and 3 years before bankruptcy was 77.42, 79.03, 82.25% respectively.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.10 no.11
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• pp.324-331
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• 2020

This study used the financial information of 29 Regional public hospitals registered in the HASPA. Regional public hospitals analyzed the ratio of operating financing by management activities and how they affect net profit. The results of the study, Regional Public Hospitals ratio of fund financing for management activities was 83.50 percent for medical revenues, 9.53 percent for Incidental Revenue of Medical, 4.54 percent for Contribution Revenue, 4.42 percent for Other non-medical profits, 1.21 percent for depreciation Expense and 0.73 percent for Amount of reserve for unique purpose project. As a result of examining the effect of financing by management operation on net profit, the ratio of operating funds by medical revenue, by incidental revenue of medical, by contribution revenue and by other non-medical profits had a positive impact on net profit of Regional public hospitals. And It has been confirmed that the ratio of amount of reserve for unique purpose project has a negative impact on net profit. Therefore, it is necessary for Regional public hospitals to manage costs in consideration of revenues and internal reserves.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2012

Objectives : A protocol called "critical pathway" was developed to standardize the management of hospital patients the day after they underwent gamma knife radiosurgery. The quality of improvement in patient outcomes was evaluated. Methods : Critical pathway was developed, according to the regulations of the I hospital, by analyzing the medical records of 22 inpatients who underwent gamma knife surgery within the period from January to April 2011 on the day of the surgery. The study included a group of 22 patients admitted to the hospital the day after they underwent gamma knife radiosurgery, between July and September 2011. The control group included 22 patients who had surgery employing the same method within the period from May to June 2011. To measure the effects on quality improvement, the average length of stay, the execution rate of the hospital discharge notice system, daily hospital revenue, and the satisfaction of the patients and the medical team were assessed. The patient questionnaire employed a four-point Likert scale while the medical-staff questionnaire employed a five-point Likert scale. Result : The average length of stay was significantly shorter in the study group compared to the control group (2.3 days vs. 3.8 days, P<0.05). The execution rate of the hospital discharge notice system was higher in the study group (100% vs. 72%) than in the control group. Daily hospital revenues were higher by 264,178 Korean won in the study group when compared to the control group. The study group showed greater satisfaction of patients compared to the control group based on a four-point Likert scale (P<0.05). The study group showed greater satisfaction in medical team compared to the control group based on a five-point Likert scale (P<0.05). Conclusion : The development and implementation of a critical pathway protocol for hospital admission the day after gamma knife radiosurgery is an effective care process that improves the clinical quality.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.16-21
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• 2021

As the average age of national veterans has increased from 69 years old(2011) to 71 years old(since 2015) over the past five years, the overall medical service cost of veterans has increased by about 20%. The main cause of this phenomenon is 'ultra-aging', which accounts for 67% of veterans, while the proportion of health insurance patients aged 70 or older is 9%. Therefore, it is judged that the analysis of the trend of use of medical services at veterans hospitals in each region that is in charge of severe medical services of national veterans can serve as an opportunity to seek countermeasures for the severe medical system of national veterans. First of all, based on the details of major medical expenses (hospitalization, outpatient, pharmaceutical expenses) by region for the last 10 years(2010-2019), data significance was performed through a chi-square test, and the Central Veterans Hospital and Non-Central Veterans Hospital using EXCEL. 'Expected frequency' was calculated by year. By applying the CHITEST(observation frequency, expected frequency) function again, the p-value(p<0.05) was calculated, and the profit bias of each region's veterans hospital could be determined. The specific research method is for the last 10 years(2010-2019) for state-sponsored patients_outpatient treatment income, state-sponsored patients_hospitalization income, exempt patients_outpatients at the Central Veterans Hospital, Busan Veterans Hospital, Gwangju Veterans Hospital, Daegu Veterans Hospital, and Daejeon Veterans Hospital. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to verify the significance of the difference between group averages on the status of 5 medical revenues of veterans hospitals in each of the 5 regions, including medical treatment income, reduced patients_hospitalization income, and reduced patients_medicine expenses. It was found to be significant(p<0.05) at all levels, including region and type. Finally, the bias in the profit structure of regional veterans hospitals was the highest in 2017(p=0.0004) and the lowest in 2013(p=0.0349). In addition, in the profit structure of the Veterans Hospital, the year in which the'regional' variable worked the most was 2019, and the year with the least affected was 2010. The order of the former is Jungang(=31,674,713), Busan(=12,314,614), Gwangju(=11,957,038), Daegu(=10,168,015), and Daejeon(=6,991,034), and the order of the latter is Jungang(=57,868,791), and Busan(=19,183,194). Gwangju(=17,904,712), Daegu(=15,656,034), and Daejeon(=14,377,395). In conclusion, the profit bias of veterans hospitals repeatedly raced the lowest(p=0.01986) and highest(p=0.03499) for the past five years(2010-2014) year by year, with the 'regional' variable being the most in the veterans hospital's profit structure It was identified as a major influence factor. On the other hand, for the last 5 years (2015-2019), the influence factors of the'regional' variable every year were in 2015(p=0.02015), 2016(p=0.01741), 2017(p=0.00045), and 2018(p=0.00394). in 2019(p=0.00227), a significant difference was confirmed at a very low level.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.84-101
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• 2002

This study estimated the influence of 'the separation of prescribing and dispensing roles' (SPD) policy, which implemented in July 2000, on the community pharmacies in Korea, by using data on the revenues and expenditures in the previous researches. We first assumed the rate of drug price differential was 20% with four different models which was based on various data of studies carried out in the similar period. Later, we applied different rates for the sensitivity analysis. According to the results, all community pharmacies made the net profit of 118.9 billion won (0.552 million won monthly per one pharmacy) after the SPD policy. The ratio of net profit to net sales dropped by 7.41%p from 22.19% to 14.78%. Additional sensitivity analysis indicated there were wide range of differences about whether net profit or net gain, and that extent which either existed.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 1999

Since the late 1980s, there have been radical changes in the managerial environment of Y University Medical Center(YUMC). Externally, the competition among hospitals has intensified due to the establishment of universal health insurance in 1939 and the entrance of large enterprises into the health care industry in the early 1990s. In addition, government regulation of medical institution is becoming stricter. Also, consumer groups have continued to demand the respect for patient rights and improvement of the quality of medical services. Internally, the financial condition of YUMC has worsened, not only because weak control and poor mediation in its large-scale structure have made its operation inefficient, but also because the rates of increase in the prices of goods and labor have grown faster than any increases in revenues. This study on materials management at YUMC presents a way for YUMC to reduce costs and increase its productivity, thereby overcoming its financial difficulties and dealing with external pressures. This study utilized the case studies of the materials purchasing and medical supply management in the United States and the comparative analysis of management to suggest short-term and long-term alternatives for innovation in YUMC. The goals of the short-term alternatives for innovation are to centralize the purchasing and supply departments and to simplify the decision-making processes. Through these attempts, it is estimated that YUMC's costs could be reduced by $600,000 per year. In the long-term, it is necessary to consider introducing a Supply Processing Distribution(SPD) system and setting up a centralized electronic system for supply and inventory management, although it is difficult to estimate the effect of cost-cutting because of the lack of analysis data. Thus, YUMC should thoroughly analyze initial investment costs and economical efficiency generated from long-term alternatives.