Operational performance and budget constraints: case study in a Public Hospital specialized in Hematology

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of budget constraints of the Brazilian public sector on operational performance indicators in a hematology specialized Hospital. In order to carry out this research a case study approach was designed considering average length of stay, occupancy rate, hospital mortality rate. Data regarding results of these indicators were obtained considering two periods of time. The first period was from January 2013 to December 2014 and the second period was from January 2015 to September 2016. Expected performance reference values from these indicators were also obtained. Data were obtained from official performance reports. The starting point for budget constraints considered was January 2015. Descriptive statistics was used to present the operational performance obtained. Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the presence of significant differences (p=0.05) in operational performance for the performance indicators considered. The results point out that, despite budget constraints, the operational performance regarding occupancy rates and hospital mortality rate did not presented statistically significant differences. Average length of stay was higher in the second period.