How Does Management Matter for Hospital Performance? Evidence From the Global Hospital Management Survey in China.

backgroundImproving healthcare productivity and efficiency through effective management practice is crucial in the healthcare sector. However, the evidence on how management practices affect hospital performance is mixed and limited in the public health system. The objectives of this study are (1) locating Chinese public hospitals' management ability in the global health system community, and (2) investigating how public hospital's management practice is correlated to the objective and subjective performances.

methodsUsing the World Management Survey (WMS) methodology, the national Global Hospital Management Survey-China (GHMS-China) was conducted from 2014 to 2016 to measure Chinese hospitals' management practices. This study utilized a national representative hospital sample from the GHMS-China and used multi-variable linear regression model to examine the association between hospital performance and management practices. This study mainly focused on the clinical outcomes for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure (HF), pneumonia children (PC), and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), as well as satisfaction measurements including staff turnover and subjective ratings from patient and staff.

resultsHospitals with higher management scores have significantly lower mortality rates on AMI, lower complication rates on CABG and shorter average length of stay (LoS) for PC patients. Hospital management and subjective performance also shows a positive correlation, with a significant increase of inpatient satisfaction rating by 0.72 scores (95% CI: 0.28,1.16; P=0.001). This relationship is more pronounced in hospitals with larger bed capacities, greater competition, more autonomy, and in sub-sample group of hospitals with superior management practice. The potential mechanisms through which hospital management can foster performance include attracting more talented clinical staffs, providing more valuable and continuous training opportunities, as well as providing more standardized clinical care service.

conclusionBetter management practice is correlated to superior hospital performance in Chinese Public Health Service System. Future studies with religious and causality study design are warranted.