Low-level Services Research Articles

The Fermi problem: Estimation of potential Billing losses due to Undercoding of Florida Medicare data

Billing issues are more commonplace than most healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, even realize. Undercoding—or billing outpatient visits for a lower level of service than may be justified—leads to decreased reimbursement, but almost no data captures what is being sacrificed, especially at the state level. Using publicly available data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, we attempt to approximate just how much Medicare reimbursement is lost annually to undercoding in Florida. We also discuss the hidden dangers of undercoding, including how it could hinder the ability of clinical pharmacists to build sustainable clinical services and contribute to the broader healthcare team.

CLUSTER APPROACH IN ASSESSING THE PRE-WAR LEVEL OF FINANCIAL INCLUSION OF POPULATION FROM DIFFERENT REGIONS OF UKRAINE IN THE MARKET OF BANK LOAN

The problem of financial inclusion of the population is relevant in developing countries, including Ukraine. Analysis of the state of financial inclusion demonstrated a fairly low level of financial services provided to Ukrainians. The purpose of the article is to assess the level of financial inclusion of households in the regions of Ukraine in the market of bank loans in the pre-war period using cluster analysis tools and justify the possibility of their application for the formation of an effective state-regional policy for the restoration and development of the affected territories, in particular, in the context of ensuring access to bank loans. Cluster analysis was the methodological tool of the study. An algorithm of clustering of regions of Ukraine by the level of financial inclusion of the population in the market of bank loans was designed, taking into account such indicators as the number of bank branches, amount of a loan for one person, interest rates on loans to individuals in the regions. As a result of cluster analysis, four clusters were formed with low, middle, high and advanced-level regions by the level of financial inclusion of the population in the market of bank loans. Most Ukrainian regions (15) were determined as having a low level of access to the market of bank loans. This made it possible to conclude that these regions need special attention from the central and local authorities, as well as from financial institutions in terms of facilitation of public access to banking services. The need to strengthen the financial inclusion of the population in Ukraine during martial law and in the post-war period, taking into account the needs of de-occupied and front-line territories, as well as regions with a large number of internally displaced persons, is substantiated.

Mobile Money Operations: Policies for Managing Cash and Digital Currency Inventories in the Developing World

Problem definition: Mobile money systems—platforms built and managed by mobile network platform operators (MMPOs) to allow money to be stored as digital currency—connect millions of poor and “unbanked” people to the formal financial system. Unfortunately, low service levels because of the suboptimal management of cash and digital currency (e-float) inventory impede the development of these ecosystems. Accordingly, we seek to answer the question of how agents should manage inventories of cash and e-float. Academic/practical relevance: This paper extends inventory theory to the mobile money context, unique in that sales of cash generate inventory of e-float and vice versa. In doing so, we address a key pain point for an emerging sector that improves lives at the base of the pyramid. Methodology: We develop an analytical heuristic to determine initial stocking levels for cash and e-float and analyze its performance on simulated and actual data. Results: By partnering with an MMPO, we tested the performance of the heuristic inventory policy with data from more than 35 million transactions. The heuristic captured 99.9998% of the optimal profit on simulated data and, on actual data, we found that following the recommendations could increase agents’ profits by an average of 15.4%. Managerial implications: We develop a pragmatic inventory policy that performs nearly optimally. We also analyze under which conditions the performance deteriorates and examine heterogeneity among agents with respect to the heuristic’s impact on their performance. Thus, we equip MMPOs with guidance as to whom to target and how. By contributing to service level and profit improvements, this work can make mobile money a more effective financial inclusion tool in the developing world as well as improve the livelihoods of agents. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.1175 .

The Cities of Transdniprian Ukraine at the End of the 18th — in the First Half of the 19th Century in the Travelogs of English Travellers

The article investigates the records of English travellers about their visits to Transdniprian Ukraine in the end of the 18th - in the first half of the 19th centuries. The travelogues are characterised by the subjectivity of descriptions, absence of clear structure, and irregular presentation of data. However, they also contain unique information that cannot be found in other resources. In the course of the investigation it was established that the majority of the travellers preferred to visit Kyiv and Odesa, as opposed to provincial towns. The authors paid special attention to different aspects of city life, such as landscape description, building peculiarities, and architectural monuments of predominantly religious nature. Furthermore, the travellers observed such typical issues of the Ukrainian cities as desolate streets and houses, low service level and so on. The authors also analysed the attribution of sacred orthodox properties to some Ukrainian cities and to Kyiv in particular. This phenomenon attracted attention of the protestants who perceived certain features of the Orthodox Church, for instance pilgrimage, as local superstitions. In addition, they viewed the Church as a tool of mental manipulation and enrichment. A part of the travelogues is dedicated to the polyethnicity of the Ukrainian cities, although it interested the travelers only in the context of cultural interaction. In their description of the Ukrainian territories and cities the authors not only wrote down what they had seen or heard, but also referred to geographical, historical, ethnographical, and statistical data about the regions they had visited. This data was collected from researches made by their predecessors or from statistical and administrative accounts provided by the Russian officials.

Performance Evaluation and Improvement of Main Road Intersections in Al-Bayda City Using Sidra Software

Intersections are one of the most crucial parts of urban transportation systems since they actively contribute to developing strategies to reduce traffic congestion. Congestion is one of the major issues that intersections face as a result of the growth in traffic, which cause lower service levels and longer waiting time. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the current traffic flow and Level of Service (LoS) at four signalized intersections at peak hours in the city of Al-Bayda utilizing sidra software. In addition, comparing the performance of traffic flow during the morning and evening peak hours at the selected intersections. The results revealed that the level of service of the four intersections was very low and ranged between F and D, which indicated that the delay time was very high, therefore, an improvement to these intersections was necessary. After exploring various alternatives, the level of service increased to B and D levels, which make the delay time acceptable in these intersections. In the morning period, the average delay time decreased by 43.6, 44.3, 32.3, and 42% for intersections no.1-4 respectively. In the evening period, the average delay time decreased by 45.8, 69.5, 57.5, and 52% for intersections no.1-4 respectively.

EVALUASI TINGKAT KEPUASAN PELAYANAN REVISI ANGGARAN

Stakeholder satisfaction is an important issue in public services organized by the bureaucracy. This study aims to measure the satisfaction of budget revision services organized by the Directorate of Budget for Human Development and Culture, Directorate General of Budget. The analytical tools used consist of the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI), Service Quality (Servqual), and Importance Performance Analysis (IPA). CSI analysis is intended to determine the level of customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, Servqual analysis to identify the importance of each service dimension. IPA identify the level of importance of each service attribute as well as priority improvements that must be made. Respondents consisted of 110 employees of the Planning Bureau of ministries/agencies. Based on CSI analysis, the level of satisfaction with budget revision services is 87.70% and is in the "Very Satisfactory" category. However, there are still dimensions and attributes of budget revision services that have a lower level of service (performance) value than the level of importance of partners (importance). Based on Servqual analysis, the dimension that gets the most attention is Reliability. Meanwhile, the attributes of budget revision services that still need to be improved are: responsiveness in answering questions related to the proposed budget revision; readiness to assist outside working hours on budget revision issues; providing personal assistance or contacting if there are problems.

Study on the improvement of medical service quality in Beijing’s Tianqiao Community Health Service Centre

Abstract Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, community-level medical institutions as health service centres have been gaining importance in the medical reform expansion. As prior research has not fully addressed how to index and evaluate the quality of medical service, this article proposes a framework based on the service quality gap theory and the three-faceted “structure–process–outcome” quality evaluation theory. The study took the medical services at Beijing’s Tianqiao Community Health Service Centre as an example to construct an index system for medical service quality evaluations. Data was collected from 211 people, and SPSS software was used for data processing and analysis. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, patients without serious diseases tend to choose community hospitals to reduce their infection risk. As a result, they have growing requirements for clinics to have more departments and specialists. The studied community health service centre has encountered difficulties connected to low patient expectations, a poor medical environment, outdated hardware and equipment, and a low level of medical services. Some suggestions have been made to add specialised departments and consider the convenience of medical treatment for the elderly.

Performance Level of the Public Transportation in the West Bank

Developed countries pay great attention to Public transport (PT), their development and evaluation as it is one of the bases of success for that nation. In the West Bank (WB), the PT is generally neglected and worn out. There is no periodic study about the quality of the services provided and the passengers’ satisfaction and their needs. Despite of the relatively large number of daily passengers, only 19% of them use buses because of their lack of confidence in the service. This study aims to investigate passengers’ satisfaction in the PT to identify strengths and weaknesses and evaluating their Level of Service (LOS), which consists of reliability and performance. Required data were collected through field surveys in the WB governorates, from the relevant official authorities or previous studies, interviews with service providers, and a questionnaire to measure the satisfaction of passengers for all intercity bus lines (22 lines). Generally, the PT system in Palestine is inefficient and non-productive. There is an imbalance between demand and supply, imbalance between number of buses and shared taxis, poor infrastructure, low LOS, non-efficient management, and number of ridership is low; therefore, the productivity is low. Passenger trust in buses should be revamped by modernizing the fleet, adopting a regular schedule, providing a smart service system, and providing services at all times where demand is available. It is also essential to carry out periodic studies for this sector and collect statistical information.

Pilot Implementation of Innovative Proposal for Service Level Improvement in a Spare Parts Trading Company

In the context in which spare parts trading companies are becoming increasingly competitive, the level of service is essential to be able to compete in the market. This indicator is affected by on-time deliveries, which are a key factor in meeting customer demand, as this determines customer satisfaction and thus has an effect on the company's profitability. For a company to deliver its products on time, the warehouse processes must work efficiently, making the picking process one of the most critical of them. It must also run a proper inventory procurement process in order to have stock on hand to fulfill customer orders. This case study focuses on increasing the level of service in a company that sells spare parts for mining, which was found to have a low service level of 66.1%, in contrast to the recommended level for the sector, which is 85.9%. Therefore, the implementation of the 5S methodology, Systematic layout planning, demand forecasting, and cycle counting are proposed as tools to solve the root causes of the problem. The main results indicated a reduction in picking times of 36.70%, an increase in demand forecast accuracy of 13.45%, and an increase in Inventory Record Accuracy (IRA) of 5.42%.

The Importance of Developing Online Counseling Services for Family Planning Programs in Indonesia

One of the reasons for the high of contraceptive acceptors drop out is the low number of contraceptive information received by clients. Indonesian Population Demographic Survey in 2017 stated that only 29% of women in Indonesia received contraceptive information including contraceptive side effects, how to deal with side effects, and alternative contraception that can be used. This is due to a limited number of family planning instructors, and a large number of tasks that health workers must carry out, especially midwives as the largest source of contraceptive services in Indonesia. The solution to overcome the low level of contraceptive information services is to build an online counseling service for family planning programs. Online counseling services based on digital technology are flexible and can be accessed by anyone who needs information. For this reason, this technology must be built on an evidence-based basis and a good reputation, so it is hoped that in addition to meeting the need for family planning information, it is also able to change behavior for the use of appropriate contraception.

Level of service (LOS) assessment of stormwater infrastructure systems: a case study for cost-benefit analysis of low-impact development practices

Stormwater infrastructure system (SWIS) is a main component of a municipal infrastructure system that safely passes excess runoff, controls floods, and manages pollutant discharges. A comprehensive literature review has revealed that stormwater infrastructure level of service (LOS) assessment, an important step in asset management, has been abstractly defined. LOS assists in infrastructure performance assessment as well as investment decision-making. This research proposes a methodological framework for LOS assessment of SWIS and adopts the proposed method in asset management decision-making. A hierarchical framework was developed to assess the LOS by using key performance indicators. The proposed framework was demonstrated in a case study for a municipality in Southwestern ON. To improve the LOS of sub-catchments with low LOS, low-impact development (LID) controls were proposed. The cost-benefit analysis revealed that an investment of $110 950 in LIDs could increase the LOS by 26.4% (from medium to good).

Measuring Service Quality in Scheduled Bus Services

Transit operators are increasingly being asked to provide services more cost efficiently. To do this, operators must find ways to reduce the costs of delivering a given level of service (in contrast to simply reducing cost at the expense of lower service levels). There is growing concern in many countries that operators are not focusing enough attention on identifying whether passengers are satisfied with existing service levels and what might be done to increase or at least preserve current service quality.This article develops a stated preference model of service quality choice that provides the set of indicators required to represent a user-based measure of service quality. The service quality index (SQI) provides an operationally appealing measure of service effectiveness to assist regulators in administering and monitoring a performance assessment regime and operators in improving customer service. SQI has been readily accepted by many bus operators in New South Wales (Australia) as the preferred way of establishing and monitoring the effectiveness of service levels, in contrast to traditional stand-alone satisfaction scores based on independent assessment of each attribute in isolation from the entire service package that passengers actually experience.

Pengaruh Kualitas Pelayanan Mobile Banking Kepada Loyalitas Nasabah dengan Kepuasan Selaku Variable Intervening (Studi Kasus Bsi Kacab Binjai)

Service1quality is1one of the key1aspects1of a bank's success, for1that a strategy is needed to improve1service1quality1so that customer1satisfaction and loyalty can be realized, because if satisfaction cannot be achieved by a bank, it means1that the low level of service provided does not lead to customer compliance itself. With Customer Happiness as an intermediary or intervening. This study intends to identify and analyze the impact of the quality of mobile banking services at Bank Syariah Indonesia on customer satisfaction and the 1onsequences for customer loyalty at Bank Syariah Indonesia KC Binjai. The method used is descriptive qualitative. The results of the study found that the simultaneous method is known if m-banking services affect customer satisfaction. The company is obliged to improve every service provided so that customers who use m-banking services feel excessive benefits.

Management of innovative development of transit transportation on the railways

The article discusses the innovative development of transit transportation on the railway transport of Kazakhstan, including the management of domestic, export-import and transit cargo transportation. The study revealed the need to create a modern transport infrastructure of Kazakhstan to attract transit cargo flows. Currently, experts in Kazakhstan identify the following issues for rail transport: limited international transportation, limited technological development, insufficiently developed intermodal transportation, low level of transport and logistics services, incompetent number of vehicles and their outdated fleet. At the same time, logistics makes a significant contribution to GDP in developed countries, while it is still at a low level in Kazakhstan. The article discusses the fundamental changes in all technological and business processes in Kazakhstan’s railway transport, based on the introduction of new rolling stock, efficient technological infrastructure facilities, intelligent transportation process management systems and other technological and organizational innovations. The main feature of railway transport is that it affects the pace and scale of innovation activity at the enterprises of the industry, therefore railways belong to the infrastructure and are focused on their main maintenance. The necessity of these changes in increasing the competitiveness of enterprises in the target industry, increasing the efficiency of their functioning and investment attractiveness is being studied. In this context, one of the important and difficult tasks is to develop approaches to managing the development of innovation activity at the enterprises of the industry. A set of organizational and economic measures is considered in relation to railway transport enterprises by public administration bodies to manage the innovative development of transit transportation, the formation of internal and external conditions for the growth of innovative activity.

Impacts of Precautionary and Opportunistic Buying Behaviors and Supply Issues on Supply Chain Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper proposes a text analytics approach using dictionary-based clustering, word counting data, and discrete regression modeling to study the relationship between demand behaviors and supply issues affecting supply chain resilience during the first stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The work used news and media articles gathered from the LexisNexis database covering 5 months between February and July 2020. The data analyses describe the general patterns in the news texts by using text mining techniques, and the methodology describes the relationship between consumer behavior, supply chain issues, and the reduced level of service shown during the study period. Demand behaviors include precautionary and opportunistic buying, which affected many countries and could be the result of a lack of perceived control and other factors; for example, near-empty shelves of certain products could have prompted consumers to increasingly look for comparable products, driving up demand. Additionally, the method explored the potential effect of strategies to mitigate impacts on the resilience of supply chains. The results confirmed that buying behaviors and a reduction in the capacity of the supply chain led to a lower level of service being perceived by consumers, however, resilience strategies were found to mitigate the impact of such capacity reductions. Empirical analyses showed that the proposed approach, using data extracted from the news, could identify and represent impacts consistent with expectations from the supply chain field under disruptions, and quantify the magnitude of the impacts as the pandemic evolved, providing more information for decision making.

Choice of competitive strategy of formal and informal sectors in recycling WEEE with fund subsidies: Service or price?

It is quite common to find that formal and informal sectors compete in the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling markets in developing countries. The formal sector consists of recyclers with dismantling qualifications, while the informal sector includes recyclers without qualifications. The two sectors compete on the used products' acquisition quantities which depend on both the acquisition prices and collection services. By constructing two-stage game models, the paper studies the two sectors’ competitive strategy, i.e., focusing on higher price or better service. We also examine how subsidies on the formal sector affect its decisions under two schemes of subsidies, namely, subsidy on acquisition quantity and subsidy on acquisition cost. The social welfare under two schemes of subsidies is compared under the same budget. Results show that as the collection cost of the formal sector decreases, the formal sector will adopt the service strategy by investing in its collection service, even at a cost disadvantage compared with the informal sector, while the informal sector will lower service level and raise acquisition price. A rise in subsidy level will also encourage the formal sector to use the service strategy.

Overseas Warehouse Deployment for Cross-Border E-Commerce in the Context of the Belt and Road Initiative

The development of cross-border e-commerce is generally faced with problems such as high freight, long transportation time, and low service level. However, overseas warehouses can effectively solve the above problems to a certain extent, and they can improve consumer satisfaction. Therefore, this paper proposed a method combined with the entropy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (E-TOPSIS) model and complex network analysis theory to make a comprehensive determination of overseas warehouse locations for China’s e-commerce exports in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R). We selected 62 countries along the B&R as pre-candidates for overseas warehouse locations and then evaluated the significance of each node in cross-border e-commerce for Chinese export products. Finally, 15 countries were identified as the optimal overseas warehouse locations for Chinese export products along the B&R. The results can provide reference for overseas warehouse deployment of Chinese cross-border e-commerce enterprises as well as the development and the construction of the B&R.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE LOW PENETRATION OF INSURANCE SERVICES IN AFRICA

Purpose: This research factors influencing the low penetration of insurance services in Africa.
 Findings: Insurance promotes economic growth by increasing the amount of money that people save, lowering the amount of money that people save for unnecessary precautions, and turning idle capital into active capital by reducing the amount of risk that companies and individuals in different parts of the economy are exposed to. The extent to which a country's markets participate in insurance shows the extent to which such markets are able to accept insurance as both a strategy for risk reduction and a source of investment. A low insurance market penetration rate is indicative of a slower rate of economic expansion. As a consequence of this, the objective of this research is to determine the elements that contribute to the low level of insurance services that are utilized in Africa. Lack of means, mistrust of financial service providers, unwillingness of multinational insurance firms to invest in Africa, lack of reliable information, poor legal and judicial systems, lack of human capital and expertise, shallow financial markets, and failure by communities to embrace formal insurance services are some of the reasons behind low insurance penetration on the Africa continent. According to the findings of the study, there is a significant connection between the criteria indicated and the level of insurance services penetration in Africa.
 Unique contribution of Theory, Practice and Policy: According to the findings of the study, insurance companies should offer individualized services and products that combine protection against risk with opportunities for financial gain. The report also suggests that various stakeholders work together to ensure the adoption of measures that would address the numerous variables that were identified as being the cause of low insurance penetration. This recommendation was included in the study.

Послуги з догляду за дитиною як складова сімейної політики у великому місті

Finding a balance between employment and family life today is a significant challenge for families with children and, therefore, one of the main issues of family policy, especially relevant for big cities. The availability of quality childcare, especially for children under three years of age, is crucial for parents’ participation in the labor market, reduces the risk of poverty for families with children and has a positive impact on fertility. This work is based on the idea of the special importance of social services for childcare in modern cities (especially, big cities) in the context of similar fertility trends in urban areas of Ukraine and other European countries. The purpose of this publication is to analyze social services for childcare in developed countries and Ukraine, identify major development problems and find ways to improve family policy in Ukraine at the level of big cities by studying the development of preschools in other countries and cities. The coverage of children with preschool education and care in Ukraine is significantly lower than in most European countries, especially for children under two years of age, where there is no noticeable growth trend. In big cities of Ukraine, against the background of relatively low coverage, the problem of overloaded preschools remains acute. The current problems, especially acute in big cities, are the low level of services, inconvenience for parents and low staff salaries. Useful experiences of family policy development in big cities of developed countries include: assistance in increasing the number of available places in preschools and childcare facilities (in particular, for children under three years of age), targeted financial support or reducing the tax burden for families with children using childcare services, wider support for vulnerable groups of families with children, development of individual childcare. It is important to implement complex family policy that combines the development of preschools with other tools to provide material support and promote employment for parents, as well as to promote practical gender equality and overcome the “double burden” for working mothers.

Embodied GHG emissions of high speed rail stations: Quantification, data-driven prediction and cost-benefit analysis

PurposeThe embodied green-house gas (GHG) emissions from the high speed rail (HSR) stations are non-negligible given the considerable scale of modern HSR stations that serve as multifunctional complex. However, the magnitude of the GHG emissions is often underestimated owing to the limited use of reliable inventory data, as well as the simplified modelling that fails to capture the versatile structural/architectural features. To fill the knowledge gap, this paper reviewed the design documents of 117 HSR stations in China to provide more reliable quantification and reveal the factors associated with the GHG emissions. MethodsThe embodied GHG emissions of the HSR stations were quantified by use of the actual inventory data. Based on the quantification results, a data-driven prediction model was constructed by an optimized general regression neural network (GRNN), which identified a link between the seven design parameters of HSR stations and the embodied GHG emissions. In addition, a cost-benefit analysis was conducted considering the balance between the embodied GHG emissions and serviceability. Resultsand discussion The results revealed a non-negligible contribution of HSR stations to the embodied GHG emissions of rail infrastructure. For regional HSR lines, the embodied GHG emissions from the stations could account for over 26% of the whole line. The results also revealed the large stations to be the major source of emissions, for which the embodied emissions per area are 2.84 times of the smaller stations. A Pareto-type distribution exists as the ten largest stations (in station area) contribute nearly 60% of the total emissions of the 117 samples. A canonical correlation analysis (CCA) revealed the station area to be the most prominent factor to the embodied GHG emissions, and the optimized GRNN with CCA-processed input vector make more reliable prediction. The regional HSR lines are subject to higher risk of unsound carbon investment, owing to the low service level of some stations.