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| Research article summary (published 30 Jul 2002): |
Fee-paying systems and service patterns in a Hong Kong dental clinic.
Full Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to describe and compare patients' consumption of dental services and dentists' productivity in a university campus clinic before and after changing from a time-based to an item-based fee-paying system.
METHOD:
Data were collected from the University of Hong Kong dental clinic which serves all university students and staff. A time-based fee-paying system had been in use up to February 1999 when it was switched to an item-based system. Computerised records of all patients in two 1-year periods starting from February 1996 and February 1999 were analysed.
RESULTS:
The percentages of eligible users who attended the University dental clinic were similar in the two study periods (30% in 96/97 vs 29% in 99/00). However, on average, patients consumed more dental service items in a year after the switch in fee-paying system (3.2 vs 4.1). There was also an increase in the mean number of dental service items provided by a dentist per working week after the change in fee-paying system (71.5 vs 99.4).
CONCLUSION:
On switching from a time-based to an item-based fee-paying system, dentists in the UHS dental clinic became more productive and the consumption of dental services per patient also increased.
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Author information
Author/s: Lo, Edward C M (EC); Yeung, Jasmine C Y Y (JC); Chu, C H (CH);
Affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article
Journal: International dental journal (Int Dent J), published in England. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2002-Aug; vol 52 (issue 4) : pp 261-7
Dates: Created 2002/09/05; Completed 2002/11/20; Revised 2006/11/15;
PMID: 12212813, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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