Research on the Evaluation and Enhancement Countermeasure for the Supply Efficiency of Community Healthcare Services in China

Abstract

As the global population ages, the demand for community medical healthcare services increases. China exemplifies this trend. However, researches has primarily focused on large hospitals, neglecting community hospitals that cater to the basic medical needs of the elderly. This paper addresses this gap by developing a non-discretionary variable DEA model, which accounts for external constraints and uncontrollable factors in community healthcare services, enhancing the accuracy and objectivity of efficiency evaluations. Additionally, a Tobit model is employed to deeply analyze factors affecting efficiency, uncovering their interconnections. The study reveals: (1) Non-discretionary variable DEA-based efficiency analysis indicates significant regional disparities in the supply efficiency of community healthcare services across Chinese provinces. This suggests that supply efficiency is influenced not only by internal management quality but also by the external environment and policy direction. (2) The analysis of influencing factors reveals that population density and per capita GDP significantly positively impact supply efficiency, whereas the urbanization rate's impact is negligible. The proportion of the population aged 65 and older negatively affects supply efficiency, while the proportion of the population aged 0-14 and the percentage of children under 5 with moderate to severe malnutrition positively influence it.