Background:Performance measurement is essential to the management of health care organizations to which efficiency is per se a vital indicator. Present study accordingly aims to measure the efficiency of hospitals employing two distinct methods.Methods:Data Envelopment Analysis and Pabon Lasso Model were jointly applied to calculate the efficiency of all general hospitals located in Iranian Eastern Azerbijan Province. Data was collected using hospitals’ monthly performance forms and analyzed and displayed by MS Visio and DEAP software.Results:In accord with Pabon Lasso model, 44.5% of the hospitals were entirely efficient, whilst DEA revealed 61% to be efficient. As such, 39% of the hospitals, by the Pabon Lasso, were wholly inefficient; based on DEA though; the relevant figure was only 22.2%. Finally, 16.5% of hospitals as calculated by Pabon Lasso and 16.7% by DEA were relatively efficient. DEA appeared to show more hospitals as efficient as opposed to the Pabon Lasso model.Conclusion:Simultaneous use of two models rendered complementary and corroborative results as both evidently reveal efficient hospitals. However, their results should be compared with prudence. Whilst the Pabon Lasso inefficient zone is fully clear, DEA does not provide such a crystal clear limit for inefficiency.

BackgroundHospitals are the most costly and important components of any health care system, so it is important to know their economic values, pay attention to their efficiency and consider factors affecting them.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the technical scale and economic efficiency of hospitals in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran, for which Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to propose a model for operational budgeting.Materials and MethodsThis study was a descriptive-analysis that was conducted in 2009 and had three inputs and two outputs. Deap2, 1 software was used for data analysis. Slack and radial movements and surplus of inputs were calculated for selected hospitals. Finally, a model was proposed for performance-based budgeting of hospitals and health sectors using the DEA technique.ResultsThe average scores of technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency (managerial efficiency) and scale efficiency of hospitals were 0.584, 0.782 and 0.771, respectively. In other words the capacity of efficiency promotion in hospitals without any increase in costs and with the same amount of inputs was about 41.5%. Only four hospitals among all hospitals had the maximum level of technical efficiency. Moreover, surplus production factors were evident in these hospitals.ConclusionsReduction of surplus production factors through comprehensive planning based on the results of the Data Envelopment Analysis can play a major role in cost reduction of hospitals and health sectors. In hospitals with a technical efficiency score of less than one, the original and projected values of inputs were different; resulting in a surplus. Hence, these hospitals should reduce their values of inputs to achieve maximum efficiency and optimal performance. The results of this method was applied to hospitals a benchmark for making decisions about resource allocation; linking budgets to performance results; and controlling and improving hospitals performance.

Background:Drug costs in Iran accounts for about 30% of the total health care expenditure. Moreover, pharmaceutical business lies among the world’s greatest businesses. The aim of this study was to analyze Iran’s comparative advantage and intra-industry trade in pharmaceuticals so that suitable policies can be developed and implemented in order to boost Iran’s trade in this field.Methods:To identify Iran’s comparative advantage in pharmaceuticals, trade specialization, export propensity, import penetration and Balassa and Vollrath indexes were calculated and the results were compared with other pharmaceutical exporting countries. The extent and growth of Iran’s intra-industry trade in pharmaceuticals were measured and evaluated using the Grubel-Lloyd and Menon-Dixon indexes. The required data was obtained from Iran’s Customs Administration, Iran’s pharmaceutical Statistics, World Bank and International Trade Center.Results:The results showed that among pharmaceutical exporting countries, Iran has a high level of comparative disadvantage in pharmaceutical products because it holds a small share in world’s total pharmaceutical exports. Also, the low extent of bilateral intra-industry trade between Iran and its trading partners in pharmaceuticals shows the trading model of Iran’s pharmaceutical industry is mostly inter-industry trade rather than intra-industry trade. In addition, the growth of Iran’s intra-industry trade in pharmaceuticals is due to its shares of imports from pharmaceutical exporting countries to Iran and exports from Iran to its neighboring countries.Conclusions:The results of the analysis can play a valuable role in helping pharmaceutical companies and policy makers to boost pharmaceutical trade.

Background:Health system reform is essential to make desired Changes. In Iran, first phase of Health Reform Plan (HRP) was implemented in hospitals affiliated with Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MHME) in 2014.Aim:The present study was carried out to evaluate the performance of hospitals affiliated with Urmia University of Medical Sciences at the time of the implementation of HRP.Methods:This cross-sectional study carried out in two stages, before (2012- 2013) and during (2014- 2015) implementation of the HRP in district and teaching hospitals. Data collection and evaluation of performance of hospitals was performed using indices issued by MHME using graphical and statistical analysis.Results:Average bed occupancy rate and bed turnover rate increased and the average length of stay decreased in the majority of hospitals during the study period. The highest and lowest bed occupancy rate was observed in district hospitals. All hospitals were shifted toward the third zone in Pabon Lasso (PL) diagram.Conclusion:This study confirmed that the implementation of the defined package of HRP in hospitals affiliated with UUMS resulted in increased admissions and hospitalization and improved performance.

Background: Increasing expenditures in health sector and scarcity of resources are the main bases to investigate productivity and efficiency; such studies are effective in better management of resources and reduction of expenditures and their results can be used as an instrument for policy-making. Objectives: The current study aimed at analyzing the productivity of hospitals affiliated to

Background:Pharmaceutical industry is a sensitive and profitable industry. If this industry wants to survive, it should be able to compete well in international markets. So, study of Iran’s intra-industry trade (IIT) in pharmaceuticals is essential in order to identify competitiveness potential of country and boost export capability in the global arena.Methods:This study assessed the factors associated with Iran’s intra-industry trade in pharmaceuticals with the rest of the world during the 2001–2012 periods using seasonal time series data at the four-digit SITC level. The data was collected from Iran’s pharmaceutical Statistics, World Bank and International Trade Center. Finally, we discussed a number of important policy recommendations to increase Iran’s IIT in pharmaceuticals.Results:The findings indicated that economies of scale, market structure and degree of economic development had a significantly positive impact on Iran’s intra-industry trade in pharmaceuticals and tariff trade barriers were negatively related to IIT. Product differentiation and technological advancement didn’t have the expected signs. In addition, we found that Iran’s IIT in pharmaceuticals have shown an increasing trend during the study period. Thus, the composition of Iran trade in pharmaceuticals has changed from inter-industry trade to intra-industry trade.Conclusions:In order to get more prepared for integration into the global economy, the development of Iran’s IIT in pharmaceuticals should be given priority. Therefore, paying attention to IIT could have an important role in serving pharmaceutical companies in relation to pharmaceutical trade.

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Background: The importance of paying attention to improving productivity in different departments of health system become increasingly evident due to increased costs of health care goods and services, limited resources and production facilities. The aim of this study was to measure the productivity of medical records departments of hospitals affiliated with Urmia University of Medical Sciences (UUMS) in order to provide a comprehensive analysis of their performance.Method: In this study, total productivity and total factor productivity changes of medical record department in hospitals affiliated with UUMS were calculated by Kendrick-Creamer and Malmquist indexes in 2016-2020 and has examined the trend of each One of them.Results: The results of Malmquist index showed that average total productivity changes of medical record departments of hospitals during the study period was equal to 1,096 which is greater than one, therefore it can be concluded that productivity has decreased by about 9.6% during the study period; Technological efficiency changes has had the greatest impact on reducing productivity compared to other factors. Conclusion: The main cause for decreased productivity due to technological changes in the studied departments is the lack of sufficient knowledge of the medical record department staff of hospitals in the use of technology and equipment in providing services correctly and holding training courses for the correct use of technology by personnel can be useful in this regard.