医院规模经济研究述评

Economies of Scale in Hospitals:A Review of Research

我国医院规模随着市场经济体制的逐步建立而快速扩张,同时导致医院经营风险扩大和资源利用效率下降等问题。经济学规模经济理论揭示在生产领域存在规模经济现象,医疗服务提供的生产性提示在医院可能存在适宜规模问题。国内外的研究对医院规模经济的理论基础、投入产出指标、规模经济和效率测量方法、规模影响因素等进行了初步探讨,一些研究发现了医院存在规模经济的证据,另一些研究则认为不存在或存在较弱的规模经济。对医院规模经济问题的进一步研究有助于为澄清我国医院发展是否规模经济这一重大理论问题提供新的证据,进而为医院规模发展提供理论支持,为政府实现卫生资源有效配置提供决策参考。

The scales of hospitals in China have been expanded rapidly with the development of market-oriented economy mean while the operating risk of hospital is being enlarged and efficiency of health resource is declining.The theory of economies of scale from economics reveals that there are economies of scale in product field,and the production mechanism in supply of health service implies that moderate scale maybe exists in hospital.Many researches have paid attention to the theory basis,definition,indictors of output and input,measurements of efficiency about economies of scale.Some found the proofs of economies of scale in hospitals,but the others acclaimed that it is almost nothingness.The further studies would add new evidences to clarify the ambiguity of economies of scale in hospital,and then providing theory foundation for development of hospital and suggestions for effective allocation of health resources.