title: Comparison of efficiency and profitability of investor-owned multihospital systems with not-for-profit hospitals.
abstract: It is often assumed that investor-owned hospitals are more market driven than are not-for-profit hospitals, and that they will maximize output and minimize inputs, to the exclusion of other management strategies. To resolve the conflicting research evidence, this study analyzed efficiency and profitability measures for approximately 50 investor-owned and 60 not-for-profit hospitals in Florida for the period from 1982 through 1988. The results indicate that the investor-owned hospitals used significantly fewer FTE staff per bed, had significantly fewer manhours per adjusted patient day, and paid significantly less in wages and had significantly higher operating margins (profit) than did the not-for-profit institutions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, University of South Florida, Tampa.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sear
mesh_terms: D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004526:Efficiency; D005431:Florida; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006777:Hospitals, Proprietary / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006788:Hospitals, Voluntary / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009096:Multi-Institutional Systems / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data