Study on optimal scaling of secondary public general hospitals in Beijing

Abstract

Objective To analyze the optimal scales of secondary public hospitals so as to optimize the expansion of public hospitals.Methods Forty-six secondary public general hospitals in Beijing were selected as the sample,with input and output indicators pinpointed,for analysis of the status of economic return to scale of such hospitals from 1996 to 2012,and identification of inflexion points of the returns to scale.These efforts will help find an optimal scale of such hospitals.Resalts The period from 1996 to 2012 found the general effectiveness of such hospitals in a decline.In 2012,only 4 of the 46 hospitals were in DEA effectiveness status,and the other 42 hospitals were not; Forty-three inflexion points were identified.This study found that the strict control standards for secondary public general hospitals in Beijing were 298 beds and 585 staffs; the flexible control standards were 421 beds and 807 staffs.Conclclsion The optimal scales for secondary public hospitals were drown from the analysis,for references of other regions in China.The hospitals should prioritize resources efficiency instead of scale expansion. Key words: Secondary public hospitals; Scale; Data envelopment analysis(DEA) ; Returns to scale; Inflexion point