Resource use efficiency level of public organizations. The case of Spanish health systems

Abstract

Objectives: This paper seeks to detect, in the Spanish health system, which health services are efficient, and which are not, as well as propose corrective measures that allow inefficient health services to achieve efficiency. Methods: This paper applies the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology, which allows obtaining natural and managerial efficiencies, as well as deviations from inefficient units in relation to efficient ones and proposing corrective measures that imply only budgetary (natural) modifications or changes in the policies of resource management (management). Results: Through the efficiencies, or the lack of them, the health services of the 17 Spanish autonomous communities are classified into four groups: With high, medium-high, medium-low or low natural or managerial efficiency. Conclusions: The lack of natural efficiency can be corrected with a greater budgetary endowment and the lack of managerial efficiency with a budget cut and changes in resource management policies. This tendency contrary to the adjustments is precisely what gives this work of interest and novelty with respect to others that apply the DEA in different sectors such as those that study the impact on the environment of resource consumption. Another important aspect of this study is the possibility of applying it to other countries with similar political structures.