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Measuring Cost–Revenue Technical Efficiency in Fragmented Outpatient Care: A Comparative DEA and SFA Analysis.

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Title: Measuring Cost–Revenue Technical Efficiency in Fragmented Outpatient Care: A Comparative DEA and SFA Analysis.
Authors: Vrabková, Iveta1 (AUTHOR) iveta.vrabkova@vsb.cz, Bauer, Dominik1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Inquiry (00469580). 4/21/2026, Vol. 63, p1-11. 11p.
Subject Terms: *Cost benefit analysis, *Financial management, *Comparative studies, Evaluation of organizational effectiveness, Dental clinics, Pearson correlation (Statistics), Labor productivity, Research funding, Medical quality control, Outpatient medical care, Value-based healthcare, Kruskal-Wallis Test, Scientific observation, Descriptive statistics, One-way analysis of variance, Data analysis software, Medical care costs
Geographic Terms: Czech Republic
Abstract: Fragmented outpatient care systems dominated by small providers require reliable efficiency measurement tools to inform benchmarking and reimbursement design. However, it remains unclear to what extent efficiency estimates depend on methodological choice, particularly when cost-based data are used. This study evaluates cost–revenue technical efficiency of 344 dental practices observed between 2017 and 2020 using input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) under constant and variable returns to scale and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA). Inputs include labor and material costs; output is annual revenue, standardized per employee. Correlation, robustness testing, and temporal analysis were performed. Average technical efficiency ranged from 0.50 (SFA) to 0.61 (DEA_VRS), indicating substantial unused production potential. Strong correlation was observed between DEA variants (r =.763), while correlations between DEA and SFA were weak (r <.30), suggesting that the methods capture distinct dimensions of inefficiency. Efficiency increased modestly over time but dispersion across providers widened. The 2020 results may partially reflect pandemic-related service disruptions. Efficiency estimates in fragmented outpatient care are highly sensitive to methodological specification. The results reflect financial production efficiency rather than clinical or value-based performance. A combined DEA–SFA framework provides complementary insights for benchmarking and policy design, but operational implementation requires explicit decision rules and contextual adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Inquiry (00469580) is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Measuring Cost–Revenue Technical Efficiency in Fragmented Outpatient Care: A Comparative DEA and SFA Analysis.
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– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Fragmented outpatient care systems dominated by small providers require reliable efficiency measurement tools to inform benchmarking and reimbursement design. However, it remains unclear to what extent efficiency estimates depend on methodological choice, particularly when cost-based data are used. This study evaluates cost–revenue technical efficiency of 344 dental practices observed between 2017 and 2020 using input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) under constant and variable returns to scale and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA). Inputs include labor and material costs; output is annual revenue, standardized per employee. Correlation, robustness testing, and temporal analysis were performed. Average technical efficiency ranged from 0.50 (SFA) to 0.61 (DEA_VRS), indicating substantial unused production potential. Strong correlation was observed between DEA variants (r =.763), while correlations between DEA and SFA were weak (r &lt;.30), suggesting that the methods capture distinct dimensions of inefficiency. Efficiency increased modestly over time but dispersion across providers widened. The 2020 results may partially reflect pandemic-related service disruptions. Efficiency estimates in fragmented outpatient care are highly sensitive to methodological specification. The results reflect financial production efficiency rather than clinical or value-based performance. A combined DEA–SFA framework provides complementary insights for benchmarking and policy design, but operational implementation requires explicit decision rules and contextual adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: &lt;i&gt;Copyright of Inquiry (00469580) is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder&#39;s express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.&lt;/i&gt; (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=193226625
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1177/00469580261437001
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Cost benefit analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Financial management
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Comparative studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Evaluation of organizational effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Dental clinics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pearson correlation (Statistics)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Labor productivity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research funding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medical quality control
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Outpatient medical care
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Value-based healthcare
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Kruskal-Wallis Test
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Scientific observation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: One-way analysis of variance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Data analysis software
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medical care costs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Czech Republic
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Measuring Cost–Revenue Technical Efficiency in Fragmented Outpatient Care: A Comparative DEA and SFA Analysis.
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            NameFull: Vrabková, Iveta
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            NameFull: Bauer, Dominik
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            – D: 21
              M: 04
              Text: 4/21/2026
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              Y: 2026
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