Title: Efficiency measurement in medical tourism: a DEA approach

Authors: Bikash Ranjan Debata; Bhaswati Patnaik; S.S. Mahapatra; Sreekumar

Addresses: Rourkela Institute of Management Studies, Rourkela 769015, India ' Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, India ' Rourkela Institute of Management Studies, Rourkela 769015, India

Abstract: The main purpose of the present study is to develop an appropriate construct to benchmark medical tourism in India for effective decision-making by minimising deficiencies and implementing possible strategies to improve the medical tourism performance. A total of 39 medical tourism service providers in India are chosen for benchmarking purpose. Data envelopment analysis (DEA), being a robust mathematical tool has been employed to evaluate the efficiency of medical tourism. The peer group and peer weights for the inefficient medical tourism service providers have been identified. The study identifies the parameters in which the inefficient decision-making units (DMUs) lack for formulating necessary strategies to improve upon them. The method being a generic one can be adopted by the managers to assess medical tourism performance and finds a suitable peer to which it should follow to improve own technical efficiency followed by in what respect it has to improve.

Keywords: medical tourism; benchmarking; data analysis; decision making units; DMUs; India; data envelopment analysis; DEA; performance measurement; technical efficiency; efficiency measurement.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPMB.2015.066000

International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking, 2015 Vol.5 No.1, pp.90 - 112

Received: 26 Dec 2013
Accepted: 27 Feb 2014
Published online: 30 Nov 2014 *

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