EFFICIENCY EVALUATION OF PRIVATE HOSPITALS IN BRAZIL: A TWO-STAGE ANALYSIS

ABSTRACT Purpose: This study aims to describe the efficiency of private hospitals in Brazil and to understand the influence of property structure, specialization, accreditation, and teaching activity on the efficiency of private hospitals. Originality/value: Our findings suggested that private hospitals’ efficiency stands out due to their quest for quality and safety certification and investigates controversial factors in the hospital efficiency literature. Besides, it contributes to the development of the national literature as regards hospitals efficiency in Brazil through a two-stage analysis. Design/methodology/approach: The efficiencies of 98 hospitals of the National Association of Private Hospitals (ANAHP) were estimated through the modeling Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Three inputs and three outputs were selected referring to the performance of hospitals in the year 2017. In the first stage, the input-oriented efficiencies were analyzed using a non-discretionary variable. In the second, bootstrapped measures were estimated, and the influences of hospital efficiency factors were investigated through econometric models. Findings: The results enabled the description of resource management aspects related to the inputs and outputs investigated, to improve efficiency in private hospitals in Brazil, and to understand the influence of ownership, specialization, and accreditation factors on the efficiency of private hospitals.