The effect of centralized hospital administration on financial control and hospital service delivery: the case of Hong Kong.
Administration, financial control and service delivery are three mutually influential dimensions of a hospital system. The centralized hospital system of Hong Kong is a case-in-point that illustrates such influence. By spending only a small fraction of the Gross Domestic Product each year, the government has been able to provide limited modern health care services at nominal financial cost to the public. At the same time, hospitals are subject to a strict system of administrative and financial controls. Consequently, Hong Kong hospitals must utilize their limited facilities effectively to provide modern health services to the public. However, the trade-off between low-cost health services and limited facilities is the incurrence, by the public, of non-monetary costs in obtaining hospital admission.
D005376:Financial Management; D005377:Financial Management, Hospital; D006723:Hong Kong; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006752:Hospital Planning; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011635:Public Health Administration