title: Outsourcing in private healthcare organisations: a Greek perspective.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper is to present a study carried out to investigate the extent of outsourcing, the decision-making process, the impact of outsourcing, and the future trend of outsourcing in private healthcare organisations in Greece.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey instrument was designed and mailed to a random sample of 100 private healthcare organisations in Greece. A total of 25 usable questionnaires were received, representing a response rate of 25 percent. The survey instrument focused on the extent to which private healthcare organisations outsource services, the decision-making process for choosing an external service provider, the impact of outsourcing, and the future trend of outsourcing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Private healthcare organisations in Greece outsource a variety of activities. Cost savings, customisation, and customer satisfaction are the main factors affecting the outsourcing decision. The cooperation with a contract service provider has led to an improvement in customer satisfaction and to a cost reduction. Most users are highly satisfied with the performance of these companies and believe that there will be a future increase in the usage of these services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The paper provides a framework regarding outsourcing in private healthcare organisations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This research fills the gap in the area of outsourcing in private healthcare organisations in Greece.
authors: Department of Industrial Management and Technology, University of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece. smosx@unipi.gr
authors: Socrates J
authors: SJ
authors: Moschuris
authors: Michael N
authors: MN
authors: Kondylis
mesh_terms: D006115:Greece; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D058016:Health Facility Administration; D009313:National Health Programs; D020416:Outsourced Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017149:Private Sector