Balanced scorecard-based performance evaluation of Chinese county hospitals in underdeveloped areas

Abstract

ObjectiveSince the Guangxi government implemented public county hospital reform in 2009, there have been no studies of county hospitals in this underdeveloped area of China. This study aimed to establish an evaluation indicator system for Guangxi county hospitals and to generate recommendations for hospital development and policymaking.MethodsA performance evaluation indicator system was developed based on balanced scorecard theory. Opinions were elicited from 25 experts from administrative units, universities and hospitals and the Delphi method was used to modify the performance indicators. The indicator system and the Topsis method were used to evaluate the performance of five county hospitals randomly selected from the same batch of 2015 Guangxi reform pilots.ResultsThere were 4 first-level indicators, 9 second-level indicators and 36 third-level indicators in the final performance evaluation indicator system that showed good consistency, validity and reliability. The performance rank of the hospitals was B > E > A > C > D.ConclusionsThe performance evaluation indicator system established using the balanced scorecard is practical and scientific. Analysis of the results based on this indicator system identified several factors affecting hospital performance, such as resource utilisation efficiency, medical service price, personnel structure and doctor–patient relationships.

The mediating effect of trust on the relationship between doctor–patient communication and patients' risk perception during treatment

“…We need a better understanding of the relationship between adverse health outcomes, medical malpractice claims, and poor health care. Patient satisfaction is associated with several qualitative variables such as medical service quality, the attitude of medical staff, and media orientation (Gao et al, ).…”

Establishing a balanced scorecard measurement system for integrated care organizations in China

“…11 To date, the BSC has been applied successfully worldwide in many organizations including government, private, and nonprofit organizations. 12 Today, the BSC is increasingly popular among medical organizations and institutions as well. As evidence, in a study assessing the performance and condition of the Tria Dipa Hospital in Indonesia from the four core BSC perspectives (except for learning and growth), the hospital was found to perform well on all other counts.…”

“…15 As for China, in 2000, the BSC began to be used in health care engendering a wide range of research and applications. 12 The wide application of the BSC reflects a change in management approach by policymakers and managers. That is, in the information society, the traditional method of performance management is not comprehensive enough and needs more balance.…”

“…It is a holistic method that converts an organization's mission and strategy into comprehensive performance measures that provide the basis for a successful strategic measurement and management system . To date, the BSC has been applied successfully worldwide in many organizations including government, private, and nonprofit organizations …”

“…In another example, researchers used the BSC to evaluate the strategic value of the implementation of cloud computing solutions at a Saudi hospital . As for China, in 2000, the BSC began to be used in health care engendering a wide range of research and applications …”