Health Systems in Transition - Hungary - World Health Organization ...

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Health systems in transition Hungary
Production efficiency requires the comparison of the total cost of inputs
(expressed in terms of money) with the quantity and quality of outputs produced
by the hospital using these inputs, and the efficiency measure is the cost per
unit of output produced. For the inputs, a better overview is provided by
HIF expenditure on acute inpatient care (Fig. 7.2) than by patient-days. HIF
expenditure on acute inpatient care decreased by 16% in real terms between
1994 and 1997, stagnated between 1998 and 2001, and then began to rise again
in 2002 and 2003 as a result of increased public spending (e.g. the 50% pay rise
of health workers; see also section 3.7.2). This was followed by another period
of stagnation and then a drop in 2007. In 2008, HIF spending on acute inpatient
care was virtually the same as in 1994.
As for the outputs, the number of hospital discharges is one option for
assessment. Between 1994 and 2005, all hospital discharges increased by 20%;
the 11% drop in 2007 is attributable to the introduction of the strict limit placed
on the volume of billable services (Fig. 7.3).