The Application of Data Envelopment Analysis for Evaluation of Efficiency of Healthcare Delivery for CVD Patients

The focus placed on the efficiency of the healthcare system can vary across the countries. This paper aims to analyse and compare the technical efficiency of medical care for CVD patients across selected OECD countries using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method according to two models. The first model (TE) incorporates the quantitative outputs that are connected with the quantity of the hospital outcomes (the number of surgical operations and procedures related to disease of the circulatory system per 100,000 inhabitants; hospital discharge rates for in-patients with diseases of the circulatory system). The second model (QE) includes the quality outputs that are connected with the health outcomes (survival rates of patients with diseases of the circulatory system). A number of cardiologists and angiography equipment per 100,000 inhabitants and total healthcare costs of CVD patients per 100,000 inhabitants were considered as inputs in both models. Secondly, we analyse whether endogenous (institutional arrangements) and exogenous (population behaviour, economic determinants) factors are associated with the efficiency of medical care. We utilise Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to calculate the efficiency of medical care for CVD patients in selected OECD countries and establish healthcare systems’ rankings according to TE and efficient healthcare delivery for CVD patients. The study found that the technically efficient countries were not as far efficient when the quality measure was used to calculation of efficiency. On the other hand, some of the technically inefficient countries were performing well concerning efficiency based on a quality measure.