A Regional Hospital’s Market Segmentation Strategies for its Outpatients: A Contribution Margin Approach

• Main Authors: Pei-Yeh Lin, 林佩燁
• Other Authors: Ching-Wen Chien
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2002
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/55451107613344364340

碩士 === 國立陽明大學 === 醫務管理研究所 === 90 === In the past, hospitals in Taiwan used to expand their scales under Fee-for-service payment. As their scales expand, their fixed cost have increased. Therefore, these hospitals head more patients to cover their large fixed cost. However, under the forthcoming Global budget system, patients volume does not guarantee profit anymore. The hospitals need to concentrate their attention on contribution margin, so that they can breakeven without huge volume of patients. 297,629 outpaitents of a regional hospital at the year 2001 were studied, and patients from outsourcing departments were excluded. After applying CART by using paitents characteristic as predictors and contribution margin as criterion, 21 market segments were created. The following are high contribution margin market segments : 1. Outpaitents of psychiatry, general practice, and neurosurgery . (However some conditions were excluded) 2. Outpaitents of ophthalmology , age over 48. 3. Outpaitents of general medicine, age over 48 and with 4 times experience prior to this outpatients visit. Low contribution margin market segments include: 1. Outpaitents of family practice, pediatric, gynecologic,and plastic surgical. 2. Outpaitents of general medicine, surgical, orthopedic, urologic, and ophthalmology, age under 36. 3. Outpaitents of neurology, age under 58. Results of this study suggest that resoures allocation plans and marketing strategies should be developed to increasing hospitals’ contribution margin which can cover fixed costs quickly.