Optimal pricing decisions for multichannel healthcare service with differing consemers’ knowledge levels

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Yang ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Xiabing Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Consumer Surplus ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Pricing Strategy ◽  
Optimal Pricing ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Levels ◽  
Offline Channels

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish a stylized model to solve the pricing strategy, resource allocation and consumer surplus problems of multichannel healthcare services. Design/methodology/approach This paper considers a two-stage decision model with different levels of consumers’ knowledge. Faced with physical problems, knowledgeable consumers can solve their problems by seeking online healthcare channels, while unknowledgeable consumers need to make a two-stage decision to try to solve their problems. Findings The effective diagnosis rate and the proportion of knowledgeable consumers positively impact the optimal pricing in online and offline channels. In addition, a higher proportion of knowledgeable consumers does not result in higher demand in the online and offline channels. Moreover, if service providers lower their prices a small amount, they will lose some profit, but the consumer surplus will be higher, which will encourage more consumers to access healthcare services. Research limitations/implications Knowledge levels are simplified into two categories. Also, the authors assume the resources of online and offline healthcare services are comparable. Originality/value This paper incorporates the knowledge level and misdiagnosis rate into the model framework to study the most effective pricing strategy for multichannel healthcare services.

Modelling online user behavior for medical knowledge learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 889-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daifeng Li ◽  
Andrew Madden ◽  
Chaochun Liu ◽  
Ying Ding ◽  
Liwei Qian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Learning ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
Factor Graph ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Accurate Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Medical Domain

Purpose Internet technology allows millions of people to find high quality medical resources online, with the result that personal healthcare and medical services have become one of the fastest growing markets in China. Data relating to healthcare search behavior may provide insights that could lead to better provision of healthcare services. However, discrepancies often arise between terminologies derived from professional medical domain knowledge and the more colloquial terms that users adopt when searching for information about ailments. This can make it difficult to match healthcare queries with doctors’ keywords in online medical searches. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach To help address this problem, the authors propose a transfer learning using latent factor graph (TLLFG), which can learn the descriptions of ailments used in internet searches and match them to the most appropriate formal medical keywords. Findings Experiments show that the TLLFG outperforms competing algorithms in incorporating both medical domain knowledge and patient-doctor Q&A data from online services into a unified latent layer capable of bridging the gap between lay enquiries and professionally expressed information sources, and make more accurate analysis of online users’ symptom descriptions. The authors conclude with a brief discussion of some of the ways in which the model may support online applications and connect offline medical services. Practical implications The authors used an online medical searching application to verify the proposed model. The model can bridge users’ long-tailed description with doctors’ formal medical keywords. Online experiments show that TLLFG can significantly improve the searching experience of both users and medical service providers compared with traditional machine learning methods. The research provides a helpful example of the use of domain knowledge to optimize searching or recommendation experiences. Originality/value The authors use transfer learning to map online users’ long-tail queries onto medical domain knowledge, significantly improving the relevance of queries and keywords in a search system reliant on sponsored links.

Operational efficiency and service delivery performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 893-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddhant Masson ◽  
Rachit Jain ◽  
Narendra Mani Ganesh ◽  
Sajeev Abraham George
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Operational Efficiency ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dea Model ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Telecom Service ◽  
Study Support

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate performance of Indian telecom service providers through a benchmarking study of their operational efficiency and service delivery effectiveness. The paper also carries out a peer-to-peer comparison and identifies-specific areas of improvement for different service providers to attain sustainable growth and profitability. Design/methodology/approach – A two stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model was used to compare the performances of the service providers. The first stage represents how efficiently a unit is able to use its infrastructure and resources to generate better quality services. The second stage captures how well the company is able to communicate and deliver these services to the customer. Findings – The results of the study support the applicability of the two stage DEA for comparing the performances of the telecom service providers as they are in line with the financial performance indicators and brand ranking. It is observed that those companies which score high on both operational efficiency and service delivery effectiveness have achieved superior profitability. Research limitations/implications – This study has been carried out at a pan-India level and hence does not take into account circle level or local performance which varies significantly for most service providers. Besides, this the analysis was constrained by limited data in the public domain, which necessitated estimations and extrapolations for some variables of few service providers. Practical implications – The study has helped to provide inputs for the Indian telecom companies for potential performance improvements by providing a comparative analysis of their operational efficiency and service delivery effectiveness. It has enabled to derive deeper insights on potential target areas for managerial attention that could be translated into implementable actions. The benchmarking analysis has also helped to understand whether the current performance of the service provider is sustainable, unprofitable or ephemeral. Originality/value – This paper goes beyond the traditional benchmarking studies of Indian telecom service providers introducing a two stage DEA model to understand the operational efficiency as well as the service delivery effectiveness. The study has helped to derive valuable academic and practical insights on the issue of performance measurement of the Indian telecom service providers.

Optimal pricing strategies for delivery alliance in online retailing platform

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-464
Author(s):  
Yufei Yan ◽  
Zuoliang Ye ◽  
Miao Sun
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Optimization Problems ◽  
Pricing Strategy ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Optimal Pricing ◽  
Pricing Strategies ◽  
Online Retailing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Basic Model

Purpose Nowadays, some online retailing platforms emerge to integrate transport capacity to provide standard distribution service for sellers. Such an integrated form of service is defined as delivery alliance (DA). To have a better understanding of how to price the service, this study aims to fixate on the seller’s problems and builds a series of profit maximization models in accordance with the two-sided market pricing theory within a platform business model. Design/methodology/approach In the present study, some optimization models are built in the two-sided market type and the optimal solutions are found in a three-dimensional decision space. By using the basic model as the benchmark, some optimization problems of DA in realistic situations are discussed. Particularly, a power-law-distribution model is established to deal with the uncertainty in forecasting. Also, a price-sensitive model and a loss-aversion model are presented to describe the various reactions of sellers to charging modes. Finally, some combined situations are discussed and the strategies are compared under the mentioned models. Findings By selecting the basic model as the benchmark, the specific pricing strategies are found for each context to yield the optimal profits. The flexibility of pricing strategy in the basic model and rigid pricing strategies in extended models, are discussed. As a result, the guidelines for the online retailing platforms are developed on designing and pricing the DA service. Research limitations/implications First, it would be interesting to expand the pricing plan of the platform. For instance, menu pricing and quantity discount have not been considered, which are common in practice. The time discounting has also been ignored. If the time value were calculated, the contract fees would be more critical due to the earliest of collecting money. Finally, those joiners who have huge order sizes are crucial for the ecosystem indeed, but arouse no attention. While in reality, they may have more power to bargain with the platform. Thus, how the platform competition affects the pricing strategies needs future research. Originality/value The optimal pricing strategies under these models are analytically found out, and it is shown that the presented models result in the same scale of joiners and profits in optimization. This suggests that DA works well in various behavioral contexts. This also suggests that DA is a significant controller in service quality improvement. Then, the optimal pricing strategies are compared among all the models. During this, it is discovered that the realistic contexts might reduce the profit, whereas an appropriate pricing strategy can pull this back without loss of service quality.

scholarly journals The impact of auditing strategies on insurers’ profitability

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-79
Author(s):  
Katja Müller ◽  
Hato Schmeiser ◽  
Joël Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Common Belief ◽  
Insurance Company ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Costly State Verification ◽  
Industry Practice ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper paper is to study effective measures in dealing with the phenomenon of insurance claims’ fraud. In fact, fraud is one of the major industry concerns. It occurs in all classes of insurance and accounts for a substantial portion of indemnity payments each year. Design/methodology/approach – This paper develops a model framework based on a costly state verification setting in which – while policyholders observe the amount of loss privately – the insurance company can decide to audit incoming claims at some cost. The aim is to derive optimal auditing strategies from the insurance company’s perspective while maintaining contract attractiveness to policyholders willing to adhere to the insurance relationship. The possibility for each stakeholder to adapt its behavioral strategy over the course of several periods is taken into account. Using a numerical approach based on Monte Carlo simulations, the impact of different parameterizations on the optimal auditing range by means of a sensitivity analysis is illustrated and analyzed. Findings – The central outcome of the model is an auditing range which selects those claims which should be subject to verification. Practical implications – This paper comes to the conclusion that, given some constant cost per audit, it is optimal to verify the accuracy of claims from the mid-value segment. Furthermore, it can be shown that while the option to adapt one’s strategy might be favorable from the insurance company perspective, it has a negative impact on the policyholders’ position. This disproves the common belief that adapting the defrauding strategy with the help of signals from service providers would be advantageous. Originality/value – This paper extends the stand of literature on costly state verification and gives indications for optimal auditing strategies in industry practice.

Factors influencing early stage healthcare-academia partnerships

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-40
Author(s):  
Håkan Uvhagen ◽  
Mia von Knorring ◽  
Henna Hasson ◽  
John Øvretveit ◽  
Johan Hansson
Keyword(s):  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Early Implementation ◽  
Intermediate Outcomes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore factors influencing early implementation and intermediate outcomes of a healthcare-academia partnership in a primary healthcare setting. Design/methodology/approach The Academic Primary Healthcare Network (APHN) initiative was launched in 2011 in Stockholm County, Sweden and included 201 primary healthcare centres. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2013-2014 with all coordinating managers (n=8) and coordinators (n=4). A strategic change model framework was used to collect and analyse data. Findings Several factors were identified to aid early implementation: assignment and guidelines that allowed flexibility; supportive management; dedicated staff; facilities that enabled APHN actions to be integrated into healthcare practice; and positive experiences from research and educational activities. Implementation was hindered by: discrepancies between objectives and resources; underspecified guidelines that trigger passivity; limited research and educational activities; a conflicting non-supportive reimbursement system; limited planning; and organisational fragmentation. Intermediate outcomes revealed that various actions, informed by the APHN assignment, were launched in all APHNs. Practical implications The findings can be rendered applicable by preparing stakeholders in healthcare services to optimise early implementation of healthcare-academia partnerships. Originality/value This study increases understanding of interactions between factors that influence early stage partnerships between healthcare services and academia in primary healthcare settings.

Impact of hospital atmosphere on perceived health care outcome

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritu Narang ◽  
Pia Polsa ◽  
Alabi Soneye ◽  
Wei Fuxiang
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Healthcare Quality ◽  
Clinical Effectiveness ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The People ◽  
Developed Nations

Purpose – Healthcare service quality studies primarily examine the relationships between patients ' perceived quality and satisfaction with healthcare services, clinical effectiveness, service use, recommendations and value for money. These studies suggest that patient-independent quality dimensions (structure, process and outcome) are antecedents to quality. The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative by looking at the relationship between hospital atmosphere and healthcare quality with perceived outcome. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from Finland, India, Nigeria and the People ' s Republic of China. Regression analysis used perceived outcome as the dependent variable and atmosphere and healthcare service quality as independent variables. Findings – Results showed that atmosphere and healthcare service quality have a statistically significant relationship with patient perceived outcomes. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was small and the sampling units were selected on convenience; thus, caution must be exercised in generalizing the findings. Practical implications – The study determined that service quality and atmosphere are considered significant for developing and developed nations. This result could have significant implications for policy makers and service providers developing healthcare quality and hospital atmosphere. Originality/value – Studies concentrate on healthcare outcome primarily regarding population health status, mortality, morbidity, customer satisfaction, loyalty, quality of life, customer behavior and consumption. However, the study exposes how patients perceive their health after treatment. Furthermore, the authors develop the healthcare service literature by considering atmosphere and perceived outcome.

Optimal pricing model for non-instantaneous deterioration items with price and freshness sensitive demand under the e-commerce environment in China

Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Weihua Xu ◽  
Ketong Zhao ◽  
Yixuan Shi ◽  
Sun Bingzhen
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Pricing ◽  
Decision Problems ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Pricing Strategy ◽  
Optimal Pricing ◽  
Managerial Decision ◽  
Pricing Policy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Demand Rate ◽  
Total Profit

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on determining the optimal sales price for non-instantaneous deterioration items according to consideration of freshness and demand. Design/methodology/approach In this model, the authors have described the demand function which is dependent on price as well time. The products that the deterioration is considered as non-instantaneous have a determinate shelf life, and their demand rate will decrease over time after the beginning of the selling period. This paper depicts that the total profit of non-instantaneous deterioration items using the dynamic pricing strategy is higher than that using fixed pricing strategy. Findings Finally, to illustrate and validate the model, the authors have used some numerical examples. A new freshness function and the model to study pricing policy are developed as well applied to solve managerial decision problems. Originality/value This paper complements the lack of the existing theoretical research of pricing for non-instantaneous deterioration items under an e-commerce environment. A new freshness function and the model to study pricing policy are developed as well applied to solve managerial decision problems.

Optimal pricing strategy in uncertain dual distribution channel with retail services

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saied Farham-Nia ◽  
Alireza Ghaffari-Hadigheh
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Uncertainty Theory ◽  
Distribution Channel ◽  
Pricing Strategy ◽  
Optimal Pricing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dual Distribution ◽  
Retail Services

Purpose The aim of this paper is to study the optimal pricing decision in a supply chain with a dual distribution channel in a centralized and decentralized decision-making systems and investigate the economic impact of retail services on pricing behaviors with respect to the power structures. Design/methodology/approach To reach the equilibrium behavior of decision-makers, two-stage optimization, the Stackelberg game and the Bertrand–Nash game have been used. Also, to explore the effect of environmental uncertainty on the behavior of decision-maker, demand functions are characterized as an uncertain price dependent, service dependent and channel dependent. Decision parameters are based on experts’ belief degree, in the sense of uncertainty theory initiated by Liu (2007). Findings Obtained results reveal that the retail services have a strategic role in the centralized supply chain and the decentralized supply chain with dominant manufacturer, while both the supply chain and the consumer suffer from higher environmental indeterminacy. Research limitations/implications This study is based on possible scenarios of dual distribution system only. Further research is recommended to investigate the applicability of the authors framework in different distribution systems. Practical implications The study findings are believed to be valuable for supply chains and organizations about to make a strategic decision on price of their good/service. Originality/value The paper contributes to the scarce literature on Uncertainty Theory initiated by Liu (2007), and combination of it with Game Theory for pricing in distribution system of supply chains. The study also contributes by investigating impact of non-price competitive factor (level of service) on pricing strategy.

Pricing policies of a dynamic green supply chain with strategies of retail service

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Chen ◽  
Fuli Zhou ◽  
Jiafu Su ◽  
Longxiao Li ◽  
Biyu Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Pricing Strategy ◽  
Green Supply Chain ◽  
Optimal Pricing ◽  
Green Product ◽  
Equilibrium Solutions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Decentralized Supply Chain ◽  
Pricing Policies ◽  
Retail Service

PurposeThe paper investigates firms' optimal pricing policies and green strategies in a dynamic green supply chain with consideration of different retail service strategies. The purpose of the paper is to address the following research questions: (1) What are the optimal pricing policies and green strategies of the dynamic decentralized supply chain with the competitive or supportive retail service? (2) How does the dynamic consumer's perception of green product affect these equilibrium solutions?Design/methodology/approachThe paper establishes the dynamic game models and then derives a firm's instantaneous and steady-state feedback equilibrium solutions in three scenarios as follows: (1) the integrated supply chain; (2) the decentralized supply chain with competitive retail service and (3) the decentralized supply chain with supportive retail service. Finally, we conduct numerical analyses to compare the firm's instantaneous and steady-state equilibrium solutions and profit in the three scenarios.FindingsThe theoretical and numerical analysis results suggest that the supportive retail service is less inefficient than the competitive retail service in the decentralized supply chain and that the types of retail service have no influence on the green strategy. Moreover, a firm's myopia leads to lowering the greenness degree, retail service level and severe price competition, resulting in economic losses. Consumers’ initial perception of greenness degree determines whether the retailer should adopt the skimming pricing strategy or penetration pricing strategy. Furthermore, only when consumers’ perception of greenness degree is higher than a threshold, will the manufacturer produce green product with positive greenness degree.Originality/valueThis is one of few studies on the effect of different types of retail service on horizontal competition in green supply chain. The extension of the static study by adopting differential game approaches provides researchers with a deeper understanding of the application of retail service in green supply chain.

Inexorable transformation in healthcare-seeking behaviour: a paradigm of choice

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-212
Author(s):  
K.R. Pillai ◽  
Soundarya Nallavalli ◽  
Christina Immaculate
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Healthcare Seeking ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Undue Advantage

Purpose Healthcare is traditionally considered an indispensable service in both personal and social points of views. In this regard, healthcare-seeking behaviour is driven by utilitarian orientation, given its existential value. But this trend is changing, as the propensity to avail (un)necessary healthcare services is burgeoning with changing lifestyle and practices. From the supply point of view, the market appears to be relentless in enforcing propensity to seek healthcare. The service providers, generally, create unnecessary needs and aspirations, taking undue advantage of the prospects’ over-conscious health concerns and overzealous longing for wellness. This study aims to find whether utilitarianism or hedonism is the prominent paradigm of healthcare-seeking behaviour in the onset of changing preferences and lifestyles and supply-driven market forces. Design/methodology/approach The study followed an empirical approach to accomplish the aim of research. Subjects for the study constitute sample respondents in the age of 18-60 years, who were identified on inspection. A structured questionnaire, drawn upon literature, was used to elicit information. Findings The study offered new insight into the basic psychological motive for healthcare-seeking. The results have empirically validated the pre-eminence of a hedonic attribute of consumer behaviour in healthcare-seeking. Practical implications The outcome of the study has implications for healthcare providers to tailor-make their future products and services and for governing bodies to design suitable policy guidelines. Originality/value The study explores the emerging trends in health-seeking behaviour.

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