The Effect of Cognition of Self-Pay Treatment on Use Intention – Analyzing Moderating Effect of Patient-Physician Relationship

• Main Authors: Chuang Hsin I, 莊欣怡
• Other Authors: 施坤壽
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/18987201114221503225

碩士 === 南台科技大學 === 行銷與流通管理系 === 99 === The medical environment dramatically changed in Taiwan since carrying out the National Health Insurance (NHI) in 1995. The global budget payment system for hospital reimbursement was adopted as well in 2001. It caused most of hospitals began to develop self-pay treatment to increase their revenues in addition to the reimbursement from the NHI. However, hospitals did not know how to develop the self-pay treatment because relative research was still immature. The aim of this study is to study the interrelationship between patient’s cognition, use intention of self-pay treatment and patient-physician relationship. And this study proposed some solutions for how to increase patient’s use intention and how to develop effective business strategies of self-pay treatment in hospitals. Inpatients at three medical centers in Tainan and Kaohsiung were inquired with the questionnaires. Through the questionnaires, the aims are achieved as follows: (1) understanding the effect of cognition of self-pay treatment and patient-physician relationship on use intention; (2) understanding the moderating effect of patient-physician relationship on cognition and use intention of self-pay treatment; (3) investigating the moderating effect of salary on whole structure of use intention of self-pay treatment. Our results revealed both of cognition of self-pay treatment and patient-physician relationship affected the use intention of self-pay treatment. Patient-physician relationship had a moderating effect on cognition and use intention of self-pay treatment. Patients with low salary had a moderating effect to whole structure. According the results of analysis, some strategies for managing self-pay treatment in hospitals were proposed as follows: (1) Strengthening patient-physician relationship. Doctors must not only have strict professionalism but also have to stand on patients’ positions and sense their feelings. When patients have more communication with doctors, they will more actively participate in and cooperate with therapies, more easily accept doctor’s suggestions, and then increase more use intention of self-pay treatment. (2) Enhancing medical professionalism. Doctors have to receive continuous medical education constantly to handle new medical technologies and elevate self’s professionalism for solving patients’ health problems. (3) Strengthening explanation services of self-pay treatment. Making patients understand what the self-pay treatment is and why they have to use it will come to increase their use intention of self-pay treatment.