Efficiency Analysis of Regional Health Care Resources using Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract

Healthcare is becoming more important as people live longer due to advances in medical technology. However, due to population density and migration differences, the number of healthcare organizations in different regions varies, resulting in interregional differences between hospitals, medical facilities, and healthcare support levels, which result in disparities in hospital access and equality of healthcare resource utilization. To investigate interregional disparities between hospital access and healthcare resource utilization, relative efficiencies were analyzed using data envelopment analysis (DEA). When data from 2017 to 2020 were analyzed, including the number of beds and stops as input variables, the efficiency of healthcare resources in Seoul decreased to '1.00->0.92' and in Busan to '1.00->0.8'. In addition, healthcare efficiency in Incheon decreased to '1.00->0.95', in Gwangju to '1.00->0.88', and in Daegu to '1.00->0.75'. This study reveals public service disparities between regions and, in particular, shows that accessibility importantly contributes to healthcare resource efficiency. In addition, it demonstrates the need to consider healthcare accessibility in future urban development plans to promote the efficiency of healthcare resources.