The Strategic Management of Ophthalmology Division of Regional Hospital in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Chi-ting Horng, 洪啟庭
• Other Authors: Cher -Min Fong
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/9kgbde

碩士 === 國立中山大學 === 高階經營碩士班 === 102 === Objective: Lots of patients with any ocular problems were used to seek for treatment in the medical centers directly in Taiwan. The reason is that they believed there are more outstanding physicians and advanced equipments to be found. Beside, some franchise ophthalmologic clinics have stronger marketing abilities and provide excellent service. In fact, most of the ocular diseases are not serious and fatal. Because of the longer wating time and inconvient in all medical centers, patients often seek for help from local clinics at first. As a result, the benefits of ophthalmologic clinics and medical centers are obvious. Therefore most patients would neglect the role of regious hospitals. How to struggle between two superpower (medical centers and clinics) became the challenge of regional hospitals. According to the previous literature, no associated researches in this particular phenomenon were found. To increase the competitiveness and to survive, hospitals need to make policy to be aware of the demand in the healthcare market. In this pilot research, we aimed at the strategic managenent of ophthalmologic division of regional hospital which may promote the competitive advantage. Methods: Based on the behavior patterns of medical care proposed Anderson and others, we will focus on the dynamic and cyclic concept of the utilization of patients with ocular diseases. According to the early reports, the newly modified behaviors of seeking medical service of patients were studied. In our study, six items including environmental factors, demographic factors, healthy behaviors, healthy results, patient’s satifaction and hospital image were added in the designed questionnaire. This survey was implemented in several medical centers, regional hospitals and ophthalmologic clinics in Sourthern Taiwan (Kaohsiung and Pingtune) between September and December in 2013. The results were recorded and analyzed by using descriptive statistic and linear regression which employed to test the medical relationships among variables and how variables related to patient''s loyalty. Results: Total 300 samples are collected and the preference of choice of hospital, the patient’s satisfaction and hospital image were explored. First, the partial burden of National Health Insurance would partly the consideration of seeking medical service. Secondly, patients with cataracts who needed operation would go to the regional hospital for admission with the support of private healthy insurance. Because the common ocular diseases were mild, patients would not like to move to remote and bigger hospitals. If the illness of eyes were serious, half of patients are willing to longer waiting time for further evaluation and treatment. Nearly 90% of patients did not care about the amount of eye-drops which was given by doctors. About the patient’s loyalty, 70 % of patients would visit the same hospitals or doctors according to their past experience. Even the first visiting time of treatments was not effective, they also came back to the same one. There are three factors which would impact on the choice of patients with ocular diseases included the professional skills of physicians, convenience, and recommendation from the relatives and friends (near 90%). The medical information was mainly obtained from TV media. The main reason of choosing the clinics is due to the closer distance from they lived. The possibility of seeking for medical centers is the referral system from local ophthalmologists. Half of this group was bothered by trouble eye problems. The frequence of consulting doctors is almost 1-2 times within three months. However, patients with cataracts, glaucoma and other chronic illness, they may visit the doctors in clinics just for drugs in each month. If patients only needed the regular medication for controlling cataracts and glaucoma, they may choose the clinics due to the shorter waiting time. It is wonderful that only 30% patients appreciated the free charge about registration fee in clinics. However, the discount of fee in bigger hospitals for special populations may attract 50 % patients with ocular diseases. In Sourthern Taiwan, the peculiar habits of outpatients waiting in the line to register were noted since early morning. They seldom got used to the help from telephone and morden internet to make reservation. In addition, the patients emphasized on three excellent traits about hospital image including reputation from their relatives, promoting messages from TV programs and newspapers in their mind. Finnaly, the good patient’s satifaction and best hospital image would influence on the loyalty of many patients. Conclusion: Under the pressure of increasingly fierce competition in regional hospitals, all the managers should pay greater attention to the preference of patient’s choice of hospital and the quality of medical service. The process of strategic management must be completed, detailed and innovative. Beyond the short term business target and sequence of priority, the mid- and long term goals must be arranged at the beginning of plan. Moreover, consistency and provative perseptive have to be achieved. At first, we must recognize the significant influential factors in this medical environment. The other strategic goals included the gain and distribution of critical and important resources, the implement and methods about valuable activities, introducing the system of new management and medical technology, focusing on the core capacity and market share, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and alliance between clinics and medical centers, categorizing market segmentation and the strategic differentiation. Our studies strongly suggested that only good strategy may induce the good patient’s satisfaction and promote the best hospital image which cound improve the permanent development of the department of ophthalomoly in regional hospitals.