In response to recent discussions regarding the ability of hospitals to achieve gains in productivity, we present two methodologies that attempt to measure multifactor productivity (MFP) in the hospital sector. We analyze each method and conclude that the inconsistencies in their outcomes make it difficult to estimate a precise level of MFP that hospitals have historically achieved. Our goal in...

PURPOSE To determine how productivity- and finance-related indicators are used by radiology departments to evaluate departmental performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study met the criteria to be exempt from institutional review board approval. All subjects were informed of the purpose of the study and that their questionnaire responses would be kept confidential. For the study, a survey was...

This paper reports preliminary findings from the National Hospital Rate-Setting Study regarding the effects of State prospective reimbursement (PR) programs on measures of payroll costs and employment in hospitals. PR effects were estimated through reduced-form equations, using American Hospital Association Annual Survey data on over 2,700 hospitals from 1969 through 1978. These tests suggest t...

Health information technology (IT) has been championed as a tool that can transform health care delivery. We estimate the parameters of a value-added hospital production function correcting for endogenous input choices to assess the private returns hospitals earn from health IT. Despite high marginal products, the total benefits from expanded IT adoption are modest. Over the span of our data, h...

Currently, there are no national guidelines on appropriate staffing for hospital lactation, and a central goal in today's health care climate is to provide optimal patient care while making the best use of available resources. This article describes a successful effort to improve patient care, lactation productivity, and employee satisfaction through a system of lactation rounds at Oklahoma Uni...

The Taiwan Quality Indicator Project (TQIP) is a quality management program that measures and monitors the healthcare quality of hospitals in Taiwan. This paper examines the impact of TQIP participation on hospital productivity growth with the application of the Malmquist productivity change index based on data envelopment analysis (DEA). Analyzing operations data from 31 TQIP regional hospital...