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4306.0: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - Table 5

Abstract #155057

Services and performance comparisons between self-operated and totally outsourced Taiwan public hospital based nursing homes: A case study

Chiu-Chin Huang, PhD, Senior Citizen Services Management, Minghsin University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Hsin-Hsing Road, Hsin-Feng, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, 886-928-529-797, cchuang@must.edu.tw, Chung-Liang Lai, MD, MHA, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Tai-Chung Hospital, 199 San-Min Road, Sec 1, Tai-Chung City, Taiwan, and Roger Amidon, PhD, Department of Health Services Policy and Management, University of South Carolina, 800 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208.

Since passed of The Enforcement Rules of Law for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects in 2000, Taiwan's Department of Health has actively promoted outsourcing for a great deal of public services. Many public hospitals implemented the outsourcing policy in the belief that this would reduce costs and increase revenues. As a result, more than half of public hospital based nursing home services were totally outsourced. The purpose of this study is to compare the services provided and performance between self-operated (SO) and totally outsourced (TO) public hospital based skilled nursing facilities. There are 6 nursing homes in this case study, 3 self-operating and 3 totally outsourced. The average number of beds for SO is 93 with almost 100% occupancy. Totally outsourced facilities average 113 beds with around 80% of occupancy rates. SO facilities have higher staff ratios, lower foreign labor employment rates, and higher monthly charges than that for TO nursing homes. In addition, the SO residents are frailer and need more special treatments compared to the TO residents. Furthermore, physicians spent more time and effort in SO vs. TO nursing homes. The study explores qualitative findings to explain differences between these two categories of skilled nursing facility oversight.

Learning Objectives: This case study will

Keywords: Nursing Homes, Service

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Long-Term Care and Aging

The 135th APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 3-7, 2007) of APHA