Safarnia H * (PhD), Zeynali S (MA), Bastani R (MA)

  Management Department, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

  Received: 10 Jul 2012, Accepted: 14 Mar 2013

  Abstract

  Introduction: The main purpose of businesses is to achieve the most output with the use of the least input. This leads to the importance of effectiveness and efficiency. While the main part of capital in health systems is spent in hospitals, there are a few numbers of studies conducted on effectiveness and efficiency in hospitals before 1980. In recent years, this issue has attracted a great attention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the productivity in general hospitals of Iran’s social security organization in 2006-2009.

  Methods: In this study, productivity of 64 general hospitals affiliated to Iran’s social security organization was analyzed using the Malmquist index, with an input-based approach and with the assumption of variable returns to scale. Four main inputs included number of beds, nurses, physicians, and other personnel and four main outputs included number of surgeries, occupied bedrooms, and inpatient and outpatient admission. Data were gathered using an accepted check-list and were analyzed in the DEAP2.

  Results: Our findings showed that mean (SD) of productivity in the hospitals was 1 (0.059). The mean change in technical efficiency, change in technology change, pure technical efficiency (managerial), and scale efficiency were 0.998, 1.002, 1.007 and 0.991, respectively. In addition, the range of total factor productivity based on the Malmquist in the hospitals was 0.827 to 1.22.

  Conclusion: Technology changes as well as changes in managerial efficiency had negative effect on total productivity while changes in scale and technical efficiency had positive effect on productivity.

  Key words: Malmquist index, productivity, efficiency, hospital

  Please cite this article as follows:

 Safarnia H, Zeynali S, Bastani R. Measuring productivity of hospitals Affiliated to Iran's Social Security

 Organization using Malmquist Index during 2006-2009. Hakim Research Journal 2013 16(1): 65- 71.

  * Corresponding Author: Department of Management, Shahid Bahonar Univresity of Kerman. P.O.Box :7616914111. Tel: +98- 341- 2112397, Fax: +98- 341- 3222037. E-mail: safarnia418@yahoo.com.tr