ObjectiveTo compare and evaluate the discrimination, validity, and reliability of different data envelopment analysis (DEA) models for measuring the effectiveness of models by selecting different input and output indicators of the model.MethodsData from health statistical reports and pilot program of diagnosis-related groups of tertiary hospitals in Hubei Province from 2017 to 2018 were used to analyze the discrimination, content and structure validity, and reliability of the models. Six DEA models were established by enriching the details of input and output on the basis of the input and output indicators of the conventional DEA model of hospitals.ResultsFrom the view of discrimination, the results of all models were left-skewed, the cost-efficiency model had the lowest left-skewed degree (skewness coefficient: -0.14) and was the flattest (kurtosis coefficient: -1.02). From the view of structure validity, the results of the cost-efficiency model were positively correlated with total weights, outpatient visits, and inpatient visits (r=0.328, 0.329, 0.315; P<0.05). From the perspective of content validity, the interpretation of model was more consistent with theory of production after revision of input and output indicators. From the view of reliability, the cost efficiency model had the largest correlation coefficient between the data of 2017 and 2018 (r=0.880, P<0.05).ConclusionsAfter refining the input and output indicators of the DEA model, the discrimination, validity, and reliability of the model are higher, and the results are more reasonable. Using indicators such as discrimination, validity, and reliability can measure the effectiveness of the DEA model, and then optimize the model by selecting different input and output indicators.
Objective To explore the present situation of the efficiency about public tertiary general hospitals in Shandong province, measure and compare the efficiency and the state of returns to scale of hospitals under different bed scales. Methods Based on the input and output data of 137 public tertiary general hospitals in Shandong province in 2017, two input indicators (the number of employees and the number of actual beds) and two output indicators (the total number of outpatients and emergent patients, and the number of discharges) were selected. The technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency of sample hospitals were calculated by using data envelopment analysis, and a comparative analysis was carried out under different bed scales. Results Of the 137 public tertiary general hospitals, the mean of technical efficiency value was 0.666, the medians of pure technical efficiency value and scale efficiency value in 2017 were 0.817 and 0.919, respectively. In the 137 sample hospitals, there were 132 hospitals (96.4%) in ineffective status; there were 90 hospitals (65.7%) exhibiting increasing returns to scale, 11 hospitals (8.0%) exhibiting constant returns to scale, and 36 hospitals (26.3%) exhibiting decreasing returns to scale. There were significant differences in hospital efficiency and returns to scale under different bed sizes (P<0.001), and the scale efficiency was the highest when the bed size was 1001-2000. Conclusions The overall operating efficiency of the public tertiary general hospitals in the province was not high yet. Most hospitals were in ineffective status and most of them were in the state of increasing returns to scale. The optimal scale of actual beds is between 1001 and 2000 beds from the perspective of scale efficiency.