Outsourcing in private healthcare organisations: a Greek perspective.
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.
Moschuris
Socrates J
SJ
Department of Industrial Management and Technology, University of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece. smosx@unipi.gr
Kondylis
Michael N
MN
D006115:Greece; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D058016:Health Facility Administration; D009313:National Health Programs; D020416:Outsourced Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017149:Private Sector