Text Analysis of Financial Compensation Policies for Public Hospitals in China from the Perspectives of Policy Tools and Regional Differences
Objective It analyzes the financial compensation policies for public hospitals in China from 2009 to 2023,aiming to reveal the characteristics of policy issuance,explore the issues in the use of policy tools across different regions,and provide suggestions for policy optimization.Methods Based on the theory of policy tools,a three-dimensional analytical framework combining policy tools,policy objectives and economic regions was constructed.Content analysis was used to conduct quantitative analysis of the 223 policy texts included,resulting in 3142 valid codes.Results The number of policy documents released over time generally showed a"double-peak"pattern.In terms of the policy tool dimension,the supply-oriented,environment-oriented,and demand-oriented policy tools accounted for 50%,39.21%,and 10.79% respectively.Within the policy objective dimension,the improvement of relevant systems accounts for the highest proportion (33.16%),while subsidies for public health services are the least utilized (8.50%).In the economic regions,the eastern region has the highest number of policy documents (94),while the northeastern region has the lowest (12).The four major regional policy tools are mainly supply-oriented,and there are differences in the use of financial support,government purchase and other tools.Conclusion Relevant departments should strengthen their attention and actively innovate local policies.There is a need to optimize the internal and external structures of the three major policy tools to enhance balanced utilization. Furthermore,increased attention should be paid to the objective of compensation for public health services within policies.Financial investment in central and western regions should be further intensified.
public hospitalfinancial compensationpolicy toolspolicy objectives