Institutionalization of marketing in hospitals in the Czech Republic

This paper deals with the specifics of marketing management in hospitals and the role of marketing in hospitals in the Czech Republic. Its goal is to present marketing as a tool enabling hospitals to compete in an open market. Nowadays, hospitals increasingly realise that there is a need for marketing management in health care services. The importance of marketing management is then represented by the institutionalization of marketing by means of establishing marketing departments or appointing people to deal with marketing and marketing management. This paper presents the results of a project financed by the Internal Grant Agency of FaME TBU No. IGA/FaME/2012006 - Research and application of the marketing management tools in the health care management considering reforms in the health sector.Internal Grant Agency of FaME TBU [IGA/FaME/2012006

Comparison of horizontally integrated hospitals in private and public sectors of Czech Republic

This article presents the results of the research undertaken at the Faculty of Management and Economics, Tomas Bata University in Zlin. The research focuses on the efficiency of the healthcare system. One of the goals was to compare the efficiency of private horizontally integrated hospitals and horizontally integrated hospitals owned by county, town or municipality. To evaluate the efficiency the Data Envelopment Analysis method was used, which is a benchmarking method applied to measure the efficiency of homogeneous organisational units. When undertaking such measuring it is crucial to assume that inputs are minimalised and outputs are maximised, i.e. outputs must bring a positive result while inputs must be as low as possible. Even though the research did not prove that either private horizontally integrated hospitals or horizontally integrated hospitals owned by the county, town or municipality to be more efficient than the others, the results are valuable as they point at specific options for increasing the efficiency of individual hospitals

Horizontal integration of hospitals - Does it have an impact on their effectiveness?

The aim of this paper is to discuss the effect of horizontal integration of hospitals on efficiency of hospitals. Whereas Czech hospitals use about 50% of all expenditure on healthcare, it is necessary to focus on their thriftiness and efficiency. Hospitals must work with limited economic resources and it is essential to know how to use these resources efficiently. In the last two decades we can see strong trends of hospitals integration. We now have five holdings and the last one was founded in January 2015. Annual reports were used for analysis from each hospital from 2004 to 2013, and also information from the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic. Parts of the annual reports include economic and also non-economic results. This data was statistically analyzed and examined according to whether there was a significant improvement in values after integration. For example, a linear trend was used for evaluation by using a coefficient correlation and a t-test was used for statistical significance. One of the limitations of the research was that the research was based on only two specific samples existing in the Czech Republic. Other holdings have either a very short or a very long period of being integrated and therefore it is very difficult to find specific comparable information. Other limitations of this research were the choice of appropriate financial and also non-financial indicators. Results from analysis were compared with results of other published studies in other countries. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V

Design and its impact on the financial results of enterprises (based on managers' opinions)

Design and its contribution to business competitiveness plays an essential role in economic prosperity. This paper offers a comparative analysis of the impact of design on the financial performance of intentionally selected companies. The two-part study was carried out in 2014 and 2016. The survey was aimed at managers of various enterprises. The main goal was to investigate the evolution of the opinions of managers regarding a design and its influence on the financial performance (generally, increases in revenue, sales or brand value) of the company. Furthermore, the study aimed to determine whether enterprises earmark part of the budget for design, and whether the issue of return on investment in design is addressed. The statistical analysis was performed with the Pearson's chi-squared test analysis tool. Elementary statistical software was also used for a numerical evaluation of the findings. The results demonstrate the increasing importance of design and prove that investments in design have a positive effect on financial indicators and also on enterprise competitiveness in the Czech Republic

The reducing hospital costs through horizontal integration

Background: This paper investigated the impact of hospitals' horizontal integration in the Czech Republic on the cost behavior. The aim of the research was to examined the hospitals costs in specific environment of region hospitals at NUTS 3 level (Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics) – Administrative Regions. Methods: The survey was conducted in the period from April to August 2016 in the Czech Republic. The research was divided into two parts. The first part was based on data obtained from the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic. We used Statgraphics Centurion XVII for the descriptive statistics and data visualization. Second part of the results was obtained through a survey research focused on managers of the horizontal integrated hospitals and their experiences with the cost behavior. Results: The results from statistical survey showed that up to 80 percent of the observed region hospitals at NUTS 3 level, the cost of treatment for a patient per day has decreased after integration into an association. Based on primary survey, 73% hospital managers confirm these results and see one of the advantages that it is possible to reduce costs through integration of hospitals. The largest savings, according to hospital managers, are due to central purchasing and investments, together and they have a better negotiation position with suppliers. Conclusion: We can confirm that horizontal integration of hospitals can lead to reduction of costs and higher efficiency, in the specific environment of region hospitals at NUTS 3 level. © 2019, Iranian Journal of Public Health. All rights reserved

A comparison of economic and non-economic efficiency of private and public hospitals in the Czech Republic

This article found the answer to the question whether the ownership is a factor influencing hospital effectiveness. One of the goals of the research was to compare the efficiency of private hospitals and public hospitals. The research was focused on all the 188 hospitals in the Czech Republic. There was a comparison of economic efficiency indicator (economic outcome) and comparison of non-economic efficiency indicators (bed usage in days and average duration of stay). For comparison of effectiveness of public and private hospitals, the two-sample t-test for equal means, the statistical program SPSS was used. Since the P-values are greater than the significance level (0.05), we cannot reject the null hypothesis for the following factors of effectiveness: economic outcome and bed usage in days. According to the research results, we can confirm that there are differences in effectiveness measured by indicator 'bed usage in days' between public and private hospitals. © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

Efficiency comparison of integrated and independently managed hospitals: A case study of central bohemia

This paper discusses the issues concerning the efficiency of integrated and independently managed hospitals in a selected region of Czech Republic -Central Bohemia. A DEA method was used to evaluate the efficiency for both. The subjects of the analyses are 5 hospitals which are part of one holding and 7 other hospitals in the same region, managed independently. © Petra Vrbova, Vaclav Cempirek, Jiri Alina, 2016

The key factors influencing clients' decision-making in the market of selected planned healthcare in the Czech Republic

Considering the system, the economics and competitive attitudes in the healthcare market, we can certainly apply standard market tools that are usable in any competitive environment, however, with some limitations. The legal framework for the competitive healthcare services in the Czech Republic has been brought about by the privatization of the healthcare sector and private health care in accordance with Act No. 160/1992 Coll., which enabled the establishment of private health facilities. The law has also permitted clients to choose their specific healthcare establishment and their physician. On the other hand, it is also necessary to respect market specifics. A differentiated structure of health organizations is one of the main differences. Some health care organizations work as business entities and others are not-for-profit organizations whose primary objective is not profit. The type of healthcare utilized is the second difference in this environment. We can distinguish two types of healthcare: (1) acute or emergency and necessary healthcare and (2) planned healthcare. In an acute situation, involving emergency and necessary care, a client often does not take advantage of the opportunity to choose his/ her healthcare provider, either due to pain or the need to solve the medical problem quickly. Regarding the planned care, a client has more time and options for choosing. Providers of planned healthcare services constitute part of a competitive environment and their task is to understand their clients' preferences and to customize their portfolio of healthcare services to meet those clients' specific needs. The purpose of the present article is to define the most important factors that influence the decision-making process of clients in the market of selected healthcare services (e.g. eye defects corrections, eyelid aesthetic treatment, orthopedic procedures, selected surgical procedures, planned childbirth and gynecological operations) and to identify the role and the importance of those factors in regard to the decision-making process. A partial aim is to find out whether there are differences in regard to the perception of the key factors that influence decision-making between men and women or between potential and real clients. The result of the research involves the evaluation of 786 questionnaires from clients or potential clients of healthcare services. They were evaluated using the Two-sample t-Test for equal means.Internal Grant Agency (The key factors influencing decision-making of clients in the market of health services) [IGA/FaME/2015/024]; Internal Grant Agency (Management of healthcare organizations effectiveness) [RO/2016/12

Advertising and its role in Consumer Society

Konzum je středem pozornosti již několik let. Mnoho lidí věří, že konzum je negativní věc. Tito kritikové obvykle označují za faktor růstu konzumu a konzumního způsobu života právě reklamu. Nicméně, reklama sama o sobě nevytváří konzumní společnosti, ale konzumní život, stejně jako reklamu, vytvářejí lidé. Ale reklama může také pomáhat. V důsledků růstu významu ekonomických problémů v naší společnosti, reklama může napomoci k ekologické výchově pomocí tzv. environmenální reklamy. Reklama může pomoci také při řešení sociálních, etických, rasových a jiných problémů.Consumerism has been a topic of interest for a several years. Many people believe that consumerism is a negative thing. These critics usually link the rise of consumerism to advertising. However, advertising doesn´t make consumer society, but people make consumer society and advertising. But advertising can help us, too. Because of the growing importance of environmental issues in society, advertising can help with ecological education by environmental advertising. As well, advertising can help with solving social problems, ethics problems, race problems etc.Z(MSM 265300021