Competing forces in outpatient healthcare delivery: theory and empirics

Abstract

This study tests the effects of incomplete institutionalization in outpatient healthcare delivery settings on the quality and quantity of services provided after controlling for technical and agency factors. One dimension of quality (provider-patient contact time) and one dimension of quantity (number of services provided) were examined using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for the year 2000. Regression models capture 27.8% and 36.4% of the variance in these respective dimensions (p<.001). The results reaffirm that uncertainty breeds variation and that ownership differences matter. From a management perspective, the regression model associated with provider-contact time has added utility in that a priori knowledge of certain variables might be used as decision support for provider (and service) scheduling.

Citation

Fulton, L.V. (2010), "Competing forces in outpatient healthcare delivery: theory and empirics", International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-13-01-2010-B001