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Biomedical subjects

E R Becker

Publications and source records attributed to E R Becker.

66 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Structural determinants of union activity in hospitals.

This study uses national data from the American Hospital Association and the National Labor Relations Board in a multivariate framework to assess the impact of various structural factors on union activity in hospitals. The theoretical framework includes both management and union perspectives in evaluating (1) whether the hospital had a signed collective-bargaining contract in 1980; (2) whether a union election had been held; and (3) whether the union won the election. The results indicate that certain structural characteristics (hospital size, ownership, teaching status, and location) have had a significant impact on union activity in hospitals, while other characteristics (third-party reimbursement and area factors) have not. The results also show that prospective reimbursement has a positive impact on union activity.

American Hospital Association↗
PubMed1983

Utilization of hospital services: the roles of teaching, case mix, and reimbursement.

This study examined the role of hospital teaching affiliation, third-party payer mix, physician compensation, and case mix on the utilization of inpatient services. Using multivariate analysis with five different utilization measures, we found that: 1) the level of teaching activity and commitment to teaching had no significant effect on the scope of inpatient service utilization; 2) self-pay patients were low utilizers whereas Medicaid patients were high utilizers; 3) inpatient utilization appeared to be lower when physicians were compensated on a salaried basis; and 4) case mix had a significant impact on inpatient utilization.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗
PubMed1982

Union activity in hospitals: past, present, and future.

Between 1970 and 1980, the percentage of hospitals with one or more collective bargaining contracts increased from 15.7 percent to 27.4 percent. A substantial amount of variation exists in the extent of unionism on the basis of hospital ownership, bed size, and location. Employees are more likely to organize when hospitals in the State are regulated by a mandatory rate-setting program. Unions raise hospital employee's wages--a modal estimate for RNs is about 6 percent; the corresponding figure for nonprofessional employees is about 10 percent. Growth of union activity in hospitals has generally not been a major contributor to hospital wage inflation, and less than 10 percent of the increase in real (relative to the Consumer Price Index) spending for hospital care that occurred during the 1970s can be attributed to union growth. We project that between 45 and 50 percent of all hospitals will have at least one union by 1990.

Collective Bargaining↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Using physician work relative value units to profile surgical packages: methods and results for kidney transplant surgery.

BACKGROUND: This investigation outlines an approach for using the physician work relative value units (RVUs) in the Medicare Fee Schedule (MFS) to profile physician clinical activities. These techniques were then used to profile the physician services associated with kidney transplant patients at Emory University System of Health Care. METHODS: All physician services associated with 179 patients who had kidney transplant surgery in 1993 were studied. By using billing data, physician work RVUs were assigned to each service and the results were analyzed by type of service and the hospital department providing the service for physician work RVUs and physician charges. RESULTS: A mean of 130.4 physician work RVUs were involved in the 179 episodes of care. Surgical services represented 48.7% of the physician work activity in the kidney transplant. Visit and consultative services make up the next highest share with 25.5% of the physician work RVUs, whereas anesthesia makes up 13.3% of physician work RVUs. Physician charges totaled $16,249 for kidney transplants in 1993 dollars. Surgical services accounted for 54.2% of physician charges connected with kidney transplants, whereas visits and consultative services represented 20.6% of physician charges. CONCLUSIONS: Physician work RVUs in the MFS offer a unique and much needed perspective on physician clinical activities. Physician work RVUs are an important new tool for healthcare and researchers and their use needs to be more fully explored and benchmarks developed for all major medical and surgical services.

Fee Schedules↗