Biomaterial Database

Ambulatory care centers: are they a competitive advantage? 1991

B Bigelow, and M Arndt

Graduate School of Management, Clark University, Worcester, MA.

A common assumption found in literature about hospital-sponsored ambulatory care centers is that they increase inpatient admissions and market share. However, little empirical evidence exists to substantiate these assumptions, and it is reasonable to question their accuracy given the nonemergency, routine nature of many of the visits to ambulatory care centers. This study of hospitals in four Massachusetts markets in which at least one hospital sponsored an ambulatory care center questions whether inpatient admissions and market share are affected. The findings indicate that at least in these four markets, ambulatory care centers do not have the desired effects, relative either to past performance or to competing hospitals.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008404	Massachusetts	State bounded on the north by New Hampshire and Vermont, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Connecticut and Rhode Island, and on the west by New York.
D010343	Patient Admission	The process of accepting patients. The concept includes patients accepted for medical and nursing care in a hospital or other health care institution.	Voluntary Admission,Admission, Patient,Admission, Voluntary,Admissions, Patient,Admissions, Voluntary,Patient Admissions,Voluntary Admissions
D004465	Economic Competition	The effort of two or more parties to secure the business of a third party by offering, usually under fair or equitable rules of business practice, the most favorable terms.	Competition, Economic,Competitions, Economic,Economic Competitions
D005069	Evaluation Studies as Topic	Works about studies that determine the effectiveness or value of processes, personnel, and equipment, or the material on conducting such studies.	Critique,Evaluation Indexes,Evaluation Methodology,Evaluation Report,Evaluation Research,Methodology, Evaluation,Pre-Post Tests,Qualitative Evaluation,Quantitative Evaluation,Theoretical Effectiveness,Use-Effectiveness,Critiques,Effectiveness, Theoretical,Evaluation Methodologies,Evaluation Reports,Evaluation, Qualitative,Evaluation, Quantitative,Evaluations, Qualitative,Evaluations, Quantitative,Indexes, Evaluation,Methodologies, Evaluation,Pre Post Tests,Pre-Post Test,Qualitative Evaluations,Quantitative Evaluations,Report, Evaluation,Reports, Evaluation,Research, Evaluation,Test, Pre-Post,Tests, Pre-Post,Use Effectiveness
D006302	Health Services Research	The integration of epidemiologic, sociological, economic, and other analytic sciences in the study of health services. Health services research is usually concerned with relationships between need, demand, supply, use, and outcome of health services. The aim of the research is evaluation, particularly in terms of structure, process, output, and outcome. (From Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed)	Health Care Research,Medical Care Research,Research, Health Services,Action Research,Health Services Evaluation,Healthcare Research,Research, Medical Care,Evaluation, Health Services,Evaluations, Health Services,Health Services Evaluations,Research, Action,Research, Health Care,Research, Healthcare
D006754	Hospital Restructuring	Reorganization of the hospital corporate structure.	Hospital Diversification,Hospital Reorganization,Diversification, Hospital,Reorganization, Hospital,Restructuring, Hospital,Hospital Reorganizations,Hospital Restructurings,Reorganizations, Hospital,Restructurings, Hospital
D000554	Ambulatory Care Facilities	Those facilities which administer health services to individuals who do not require hospitalization or institutionalization.	Clinics, Free-Standing,Health Centers, Ambulatory,Outpatient Clinics,Abortion Centers,Abortion Clinics,Ambulatory Care Facilities, Non Hospital,Ambulatory Care Facilities, Non-Hospital,Ambulatory Care Facilities, Nonhospital,Clinic Activities,Family Planning Centers,Outpatient Clinic,Urgent Care Centers,Urgent Care Clinics,Abortion Center,Abortion Clinic,Activities, Clinic,Activity, Clinic,Ambulatory Care Facility,Ambulatory Health Center,Ambulatory Health Centers,Care Center, Urgent,Care Centers, Urgent,Care Clinic, Urgent,Care Clinics, Urgent,Center, Abortion,Center, Ambulatory Health,Center, Family Planning,Center, Urgent Care,Centers, Abortion,Centers, Ambulatory Health,Centers, Family Planning,Centers, Urgent Care,Clinic Activity,Clinic, Abortion,Clinic, Free-Standing,Clinic, Outpatient,Clinic, Urgent Care,Clinics, Abortion,Clinics, Free Standing,Clinics, Outpatient,Clinics, Urgent Care,Facilities, Ambulatory Care,Facility, Ambulatory Care,Family Planning Center,Free-Standing Clinic,Free-Standing Clinics,Health Center, Ambulatory,Urgent Care Center,Urgent Care Clinic
D012494	Sampling Studies	Studies in which a number of subjects are selected from all subjects in a defined population. Conclusions based on sample results may be attributed only to the population sampled.	Probability Sample,Probability Samples,Sample, Probability,Samples, Probability,Sampling Study,Studies, Sampling,Study, Sampling