Contractual agreement with hospital staff delivering hospital care: case study of the MRI center of Shariati hospital

Abstract Introduction: Shariati MRI center located in Esfahan began producing services in ۲۱ July ۲۰۱۱. The responsibility of producing services was delegated to the radiology staff based on a contractual agreement between hospital executives and radiology department staff. We aimed to assess to what extent this method had been successful in improving efficiency comparing to a similar public MRI center and outsourcing alternative. Methods:   A case study approach was used. We collected quantitative and qualitative data to provide a comprehensive picture of the experience and forthcoming challenges. By using quantitative data, we measured unit cost of services and the cost-revenue ratio of the MRI center. Relevant documents and reports were reviewed and key peoples were also interviewed for understanding potential challenges. Results: The ratio of the cost to the revenue of the MRI center was ۴۸% without the equipment depreciation and ۶۰% including depreciation. The unit cost of the MRI center of Shariati hospital was ۱۰% lower than outsourcing alternative and ۳۵% lower than a similar public MRI center managing by governmental system. Nevertheless, qualitative analysis showed that the MRI center may have some challenges in the long-term period. Discussion and Conclusion: Despite the advantages of the new method, some important challenges such as physician’s issues, coordination between different hospital departments and delegating more authorities must be considered in long-term period.

Keywords:

Purchasing , Contracting , Outsourcing , Efficiency , MRI , خرید خدمت , عقد قرارداد , برون سپاری , کارایی , MRI