The effects of upcoding, cream skimming and readmissions on the Italian hospitals efficiency: a population–based investigation

In this paper we analyze the effects of some distortions induced by prospective payment system, i.e. Upcoding, Cream Skimming and Readmissions, on hospitals’ technical efficiency. We estimate a production function using a population–based dataset composed by all active hospitals in an Italian region during the period 1998–2007. We show that cream skimming and upcoding have a negative impact on hospitals’ technical efficiency, while readmissions have a positive effect. Moreover, we find that private hospitals are more engaged in cream skimming than public and not–for–profit ones, while we observe no ownership differences regarding upcoding. Not–for–profit hospitals have the highest readmission index. Last, not–for–profit and public hospitals have the same efficiency levels, while private hospitals have the lowest technical efficiency.Upcoding, Cream Skimming, Readmission, Hospital Technical Efficiency, Ownership.

Precision measurements of jet and photon production at the ATLAS experiment

The production of jets and prompt isolated photons at hadron colliders provides stringent tests of perturbative QCD. We present the latest measurements of photon+jets and diphoton production using proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are compared to state-of-the-art NLO and NNLO predictions.Comment: Conference proceedings for a poster presented at the 51st edition of the International Symposium on Multiparticle Dynamics (ISMD2022). 3 page

Occupations at risk and organizational well-being: an empirical test of a Job Insecurity Integrated Model

One of the more visible effects of the societal changes is the increased feelings of uncertainty in the workforce. In fact, job insecurity represents a crucial occupational risk factor and a major job stressor that has negative consequences on both organizational well-being and individual health. Many studies have focused on the consequences about the fear and the perception of losing the job as a whole (called quantitative job insecurity), while more recently research has begun to examine more extensively the worries and the perceptions of losing valued job features (called qualitative job insecurity). The vast majority of the studies, however, have investigated the effects of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity separately. In this paper, we proposed the Job Insecurity Integrated Model aimed to examine the effects of quantitative job insecurity and qualitative job insecurity on their short-term and long-term outcomes. This model was empirically tested in two independent studies, hypothesizing that qualitative job insecurity mediated the effects of quantitative job insecurity on different outcomes, such as work engagement and organizational identification (Study 1), and job satisfaction, commitment, psychological stress and turnover intention (Study 2). Study 1 was conducted on 329 employees in private firms, while Study 2 on 278 employees in both public sector and private firms. Results robustly showed that qualitative job insecurity totally mediated the effects of quantitative on all the considered outcomes. By showing that the effects of quantitative job insecurity on its outcomes passed through qualitative job insecurity, the Job Insecurity Integrated Model contributes to clarifying previous findings in job insecurity research and puts forward a framework that could profitably produce new investigations with important theoretical and practical implications

A possible use for polarizers in imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes

Cherenkov radiation produced in Extensive Air Showers shows a net polarization. This article discusses its properties and physical origin, and proposes an arrangement of polarizers potentially useful for Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes.Comment: 30 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physic

Brand influence in children's economic choices

La investigación tiene como objetivo verificar si la elección de los consumidores jóvenes depende de la marca de los productos. En particular, estudiamos las preferencias de los niños en lo que se refiere a cuatro tipos de productos (nombres de marca y no de marca): juguetes, artículos escolares, aperitivos y ropa. Nuestra hipótesis es que los niños optan por productos de marca y, en especial, que prefieren juegos y ropa, mientras muestran menos interés hacia los artículos escolares y refrigerios. Hemos llevado a cabo un estudio sobre una muestra de 106 niños de entre 6 y 11 años de edad; el cuestionario fue diseñado para entender las opciones y preferencias económicas de los niños. Se analizaron los datos a través del método de Thurstone de comparación por parejas (Pedon, 2005), que permitió la creación de una escala de intervalo en un continuo que representa el grado de preferencia de los estímulos dados. Los resultados confirman que los jóvenes consumidores prefieren productos de marca y, en especial, eligieron juegos. La investigación demuestra la utilidad del método que nos ha permitido describir con precisión el nivel de preferencia hacia los diferentes estímulos. Aunque muchos estudios ya habían demostrado que los jóvenes consumidores prefieren productos de marca, los resultados de éste mostraron que algunos productos, como los juegos y ropa, se eligen entre otros sin importar la marca.The research aims to verify if the choice of young consumers depends on the brand of products. In particular, we studied the children’s preferences referred to four kinds of products (brand and non-brand names): toys, school items, snacks and clothing. Our hypothesis is that children choose brand-name products and, they especially prefer games and clothes while they show less interest in school items and snacks. We carried out a study on a sample of 106 children between 6 and 11 years of age; the questionnaire was designed to understand the children’s economic choices and prefer- ences. We analysed the data through Thurstone’s method of paired comparison (Pedon, 2005) that allowed the creation of an interval scale on a continuum which represents the degree of preference of the given stimuli. The results confirm that young consumers prefer brand-name products and, in particular, they chose games. The research demonstrates the usefulness of the method that has allowed us to describe accurately the level of preference of the various stimuli. Although many studies had already shown that young consumers prefer branded products, the results of this study showed that some products, like games and clothes, are chosen over other regardless of brand.peerReviewe

Dimensionality, reliability and validity of a multidimensional job insecurity questionnaire. preliminary findings in the italian context

Job insecurity is considered one of the major work stressors in the contemporary working life. Despite a long tradition of research, to date many questions about job insecurity are still open, including those regarding its measurement model. The present study aimed to introduce a Multidimensional Job Insecurity Questionnaire (MJIQ) and provide support for its psychometric properties. The MJIQ was composed by 20 items and is aimed at offering a complete and balanced assessment of job insecurity in its major dimensions (i.e. quantitative and qualitative) and narrow facets (affective and cognitive). Participants were employees from private and public Italian organizations (N=405). Results of Exploratory Factor Analysis supported the emergence of two major dimensions, namely quantitative and qualitative job insecurity. The invariance of the measurement model tested via Multi-group Confirmative Factor Analysis showed that the MJIQ parameters were invariant across gender. The two major dimensions of job insecurity evidenced good reliability and strong concurrent validity with wellknown job insecurity outcomes. Overall, these preliminary results show that MJIQ is a reliable and valid measure to tap the complexity of the job insecurity construct

Promoting individual and organizational ocbs: the mediating role of work engagement

In today's dynamic organizational environment, employees with a tendency to display discretional behaviors beyond their prescribed formal job duties represent a plus. Underpinned by the theories of social exchange and conservation of resources, these behaviors can be influenced by their level of job satisfaction (JS), defined as the extent to which employees like their work, and work engagement (WE), defined as a positive work-related state of mind. The present study investigates the mediating mechanism of WE in the relationship between JS and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), which refer to discretionary behaviors that could benefit an organization (OCBs-O) and/or its members (OCBs-I). The mediational hypothesis is examined using structural equation modeling (SEM) among 719 Italian private and public sector employees. The significance of total, direct, and indirect effects was tested via bootstrapping. The results showed that JS was positively related to WE, which, in turn, was positively related to both OCBs-I and OCBs-O. The SEM results supported the hypotheses: WE fully mediated the relationship between JS and OCBs-I, and it partially mediated the relationship between JS and OCBs-O. This study sheds new light on this mechanism. Consequently, it is useful for HRM policy. It also helps us to better understand how satisfied and engaged employees are willing to adopt positive organizational behaviors

Job crafting and job satisfaction in a sample of Italian teachers: the mediating role of Perceived Organizational Support

We aimed to explore the mediating role of perceived organizational support (POS) on the relationship between job crafting and job satisfaction, which is considered as an important outcome for the development of well being at work. Participants were 263 teachers from public schools in the South of Italy. Results indicated that POS fully mediated the relationship between job crafting and job satisfaction. Implications for management educational practice and limitations of the study are discussed

MEDICAL DEVICES DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

Medical devices (MDs) have distinctive features, such as incremental innovation, dynamic pricing, the learning curve and organisational impact, that need to be considered when they are evaluated. This paper investigates how MDs have been assessed in practice, in order to identify methodological gaps that need to be addressed to improve the decision-making process for their adoption. We used the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist supplemented by some additional categories to assess the quality of reporting and consideration of the distinctive features of MDs. Two case studies were considered: transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) representing an emerging technology and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) representing a mature technology. Economic evaluation studies published as journal articles or within Health Technology Assessment reports were identified through a systematic literature review. A total of 19 studies on TAVI and 41 studies on ICDs were analysed. Learning curve was considered in only 16% of studies on TAVI. Incremental innovation was more frequently mentioned in the studies of ICDs, but its impact was considered in only 34% of the cases. Dynamic pricing was the most recognised feature but was empirically tested in less than half of studies of TAVI and only 32% of studies on ICDs. Finally, organisational impact was considered in only one study of ICDs and in almost all studies on TAVI, but none of them estimated its impact. By their very nature, most of the distinctive features of MDs cannot be fully assessed at market entry. However, their potential impact could be modelled, based on the experience with previous MDs, in order to make a preliminary recommendation. Then, well-designed post-market studies could help in reducing uncertainties and make policymakers more confident to achieve conclusive recommendations. © 2017 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd