Title: Choice of physician, private payment and patient satisfaction. Is there any relationship?

Authors: Dimitris Niakas, John Mylonakis

Addresses: Hellenic Open University, Riga Fereou 169 and Tsamadou, 26222, Patra, Greece. ' 10 Nikiforou str., Glyfada, 166 75 Athens, Greece

Abstract: To investigate the acceptance of privatisation of outpatient services in public hospitals during an ongoing Hellenic care reform, a patient survey was conducted. A similar questionnaire, using telephone interviews addressed to a sample of 700 patients who visited the outpatient department of a hospital, where medical services are provided free of charge in the morning and for cash in the afternoon. Finally, 570 patients accepted to participate in our study (response rate 81.4%). Results show that patients with a higher income visit private outpatient departments more frequently and express more satisfaction with the services provided. The same percentages, which reach almost 98%, recommend these services to their friends or relatives as with the monetary value bestowed for this purpose.

Keywords: physician choice; health system privatisation; patient satisfaction; patient survey; public–private healthcare; outpatient services; Greece; private outpatient departments.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2005.006536

International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, 2005 Vol.6 No.3, pp.288 - 295

Published online: 20 Mar 2005 *

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