This study was undertaken with the aim to develop improved measures of health service utilisation (HSU) and direct medical costs following an index injury, utilising large scale datasets linked via anonymous patient identifiers. A cohort of anonymous injury patients resident in Swansea and attending an emergency department (ED) or admitted to hospital between 01/04/2005 and 31/03/2007 were identified and tracked as they progressed through various treatment stages following their index injury, incorporating ED attendances, inpatient stay and outpatient contacts. To determine the extent of the subsequent HSU and direct medical costs associated with the index injury a unique model was developed whereby the numbers, lengths and treatment costs of health service contacts observed amongst the cohort of injured individuals during the follow-up period were compared with the equivalent figures expected in the absence of an injury. On average each index injury was found to lead to an excess of 0.12 (95% Cl 0.11, 0.13) ED attendances, 0.07 (95% Cl 0.06, 0.08) inpatient admissions, 1.00 (95% Cl 0.78, 1.23) inpatient bed days and 0.55 (95% Cl 0.52, 0.58) outpatient contacts being estimated over the follow-up period. Moreover, every index injury resulted in mean excess ED, inpatient and outpatient treatment costs of £12.05 (95% Cl £11.05, £13.05), £492.43 (95% Cl £415.66, £569.21) and £73.30 (95% Cl £68.44, £78.17), respectively, equating to a combined figure of £577.79 (95% Cl £500.32, £655.26). Across the entire injured cohort this amounts to an overall excess direct medical cost total of £17.6 million being incurred, with the equivalent figure for the whole of Wales potentially being as high as £306.4 million. Together with signifying the magnitude of the HSU and direct medical costs resulting from injury, this study has introduced and implemented improved methods for estimating these outcome measures based on the use of anonymous patient record linkage.

Esta pesquisa propõe um instrumento para avaliação de serviços hospitalares com base em critérios de assistência, infraestrutura e práticas de gestão, como forma de contribuir para o gerenciamento dos negócios em saúde no Brasil. Desta forma, identificou-se que os planos/seguros de saúde e os hospitais brasileiros não possuem um instrumento abrangente e adequado para aferir a qualidade dos serviços hospitalares multiespecializados, disponibilizados aos seus clientes, nos três aspectos fundamentais citados acima. Consequentemente, não há diferenciação, nas tabelas de remuneração contratadas entre planos/seguros de saúde e hospitais, que seja fundamentada em critérios técnicos e que estimulem a concorrência entre os prestadores de serviços nos quesitos eficiência, qualidade e custos dos serviços prestados aos clientes/pacientes. Através da revisão bibliográfica, buscou-se compreender a dinâmica econômica do setor saúde no Brasil, o relacionamento comercial entre os participantes, os métodos de classificação hospitalar disponíveis no mercado brasileiro, os critérios legais e técnicos para avaliação da assistência médicohospitalar, da infraestrutura hospitalar e das práticas de administração hospitalar. Obteve-se, ao final desta pesquisa, uma ferramenta de diagnóstico precisa, do tipo check list, para mensurar as condições técnicas dos serviços hospitalares disponibilizados aos clientes das instituições avaliadas. / This research proposes a tool for evaluation of hospital services on the basis of assistance, infrastructure and management practices as a way to contribute to the health care management in Brazil. Thus, we identified that Brazilians prepaid health plans/health insurance and hospitals do not have a comprehensive and appropriate instrument for measuring the quality of multi-specialist hospital services, available to their customers for the three aspects above mentioned of this hospital services. Consequently, there is no differentiation in price scales between contracted prepaid health plans/health insurance and hospitals that are based on technical criteria and to encourage competition among service providers regarding to efficiency, quality and cost of services to clients/patients. Through literature review we sought to understand the economic dynamics of the health care management field in Brazil, the commercial relationship between participants, the methods of hospital classification available in Brazil, legal and technical criteria for evaluation of medical assistance, the hospital infrastructure and practices of hospital administration. It was obtained at the end of this research a diagnostic tool, of the check list type, for measuring the technical conditions of hospital services provided to clients by the evaluated institutions.

Esta pesquisa propõe um instrumento para avaliação de serviços hospitalares com base em critérios de assistência, infraestrutura e práticas de gestão, como forma de contribuir para o gerenciamento dos negócios em saúde no Brasil. Desta forma, identificou-se que os planos/seguros de saúde e os hospitais brasileiros não possuem um instrumento abrangente e adequado para aferir a qualidade dos serviços hospitalares multiespecializados, disponibilizados aos seus clientes, nos três aspectos fundamentais citados acima. Consequentemente, não há diferenciação, nas tabelas de remuneração contratadas entre planos/seguros de saúde e hospitais, que seja fundamentada em critérios técnicos e que estimulem a concorrência entre os prestadores de serviços nos quesitos eficiência, qualidade e custos dos serviços prestados aos clientes/pacientes. Através da revisão bibliográfica, buscou-se compreender a dinâmica econômica do setor saúde no Brasil, o relacionamento comercial entre os participantes, os métodos de classificação hospitalar disponíveis no mercado brasileiro, os critérios legais e técnicos para avaliação da assistência médicohospitalar, da infraestrutura hospitalar e das práticas de administração hospitalar. Obteve-se, ao final desta pesquisa, uma ferramenta de diagnóstico precisa, do tipo check list, para mensurar as condições técnicas dos serviços hospitalares disponibilizados aos clientes das instituições avaliadas. / This research proposes a tool for evaluation of hospital services on the basis of assistance, infrastructure and management practices as a way to contribute to the health care management in Brazil. Thus, we identified that Brazilians prepaid health plans/health insurance and hospitals do not have a comprehensive and appropriate instrument for measuring the quality of multi-specialist hospital services, available to their customers for the three aspects above mentioned of this hospital services. Consequently, there is no differentiation in price scales between contracted prepaid health plans/health insurance and hospitals that are based on technical criteria and to encourage competition among service providers regarding to efficiency, quality and cost of services to clients/patients. Through literature review we sought to understand the economic dynamics of the health care management field in Brazil, the commercial relationship between participants, the methods of hospital classification available in Brazil, legal and technical criteria for evaluation of medical assistance, the hospital infrastructure and practices of hospital administration. It was obtained at the end of this research a diagnostic tool, of the check list type, for measuring the technical conditions of hospital services provided to clients by the evaluated institutions.

Esta pesquisa propõe um instrumento para avaliação de serviços hospitalares com base em critérios de assistência, infraestrutura e práticas de gestão, como forma de contribuir para o gerenciamento dos negócios em saúde no Brasil. Desta forma, identificou-se que os planos/seguros de saúde e os hospitais brasileiros não possuem um instrumento abrangente e adequado para aferir a qualidade dos serviços hospitalares multiespecializados, disponibilizados aos seus clientes, nos três aspectos fundamentais citados acima. Consequentemente, não há diferenciação, nas tabelas de remuneração contratadas entre planos/seguros de saúde e hospitais, que seja fundamentada em critérios técnicos e que estimulem a concorrência entre os prestadores de serviços nos quesitos eficiência, qualidade e custos dos serviços prestados aos clientes/pacientes. Através da revisão bibliográfica, buscou-se compreender a dinâmica econômica do setor saúde no Brasil, o relacionamento comercial entre os participantes, os métodos de classificação hospitalar disponíveis no mercado brasileiro, os critérios legais e técnicos para avaliação da assistência médicohospitalar, da infraestrutura hospitalar e das práticas de administração hospitalar. Obteve-se, ao final desta pesquisa, uma ferramenta de diagnóstico precisa, do tipo check list, para mensurar as condições técnicas dos serviços hospitalares disponibilizados aos clientes das instituições avaliadas. / This research proposes a tool for evaluation of hospital services on the basis of assistance, infrastructure and management practices as a way to contribute to the health care management in Brazil. Thus, we identified that Brazilians prepaid health plans/health insurance and hospitals do not have a comprehensive and appropriate instrument for measuring the quality of multi-specialist hospital services, available to their customers for the three aspects above mentioned of this hospital services. Consequently, there is no differentiation in price scales between contracted prepaid health plans/health insurance and hospitals that are based on technical criteria and to encourage competition among service providers regarding to efficiency, quality and cost of services to clients/patients. Through literature review we sought to understand the economic dynamics of the health care management field in Brazil, the commercial relationship between participants, the methods of hospital classification available in Brazil, legal and technical criteria for evaluation of medical assistance, the hospital infrastructure and practices of hospital administration. It was obtained at the end of this research a diagnostic tool, of the check list type, for measuring the technical conditions of hospital services provided to clients by the evaluated institutions.