Mark Barbara A, Harless David W
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7460, USA.
Inquiry. 2007 Summer;44(2):167-86. doi: 10.5034/inquiryjrnl_44.2.167.
The issue of differential quality in for-profit (FP) and not-for-profit (NFP) hospitals remains a critical health policy question. With research demonstrating a relationship between nurse staffing and quality, the question arises whether the relationship differs in these hospital types. Using Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data from the period 1990-1995, we found that case mix-adjusted registered nurse (RN) staffing was significantly lower in FPs than in NFPs, and we found a superior distribution of outcomes (mortality and length of stay) obtained with a lower level of RN staffing. The differences in mortality and length of stay disappeared, however, after controlling for population and market characteristics.
营利性（FP）医院和非营利性（NFP）医院的质量差异问题仍然是一个关键的卫生政策问题。鉴于研究表明护士配备与质量之间存在关联，于是产生了这样一个问题：这种关系在这些不同类型的医院中是否有所不同。利用1990 - 1995年期间医疗成本和利用项目的数据，我们发现，经病例组合调整后的注册护士（RN）配备情况在营利性医院中显著低于非营利性医院，而且我们还发现，在较低水平的注册护士配备情况下，所获得的结果（死亡率和住院时间）分布更优。然而，在控制了人口和市场特征之后，死亡率和住院时间的差异消失了。
