scholarly journals Hospital Construction Cost Affecting Their Lifecycle: An Italian Overview

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 888
Author(s):  
Leopoldo Sdino ◽  
Andrea Brambilla ◽  
Marta Dell’Ovo ◽  
Benedetta Sdino ◽  
Stefano Capolongo
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Construction Cost ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Early Design Stage ◽  
Hospital Facility ◽  
Italian Context ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Cost Components

The need for 24/7 operation, and the increasing requests of high-quality healthcare services contribute to framing healthcare facilities as a complex topic, also due to the changing and challenging environment and huge impact on the community. Due to its complexity, it is difficult to properly estimate the construction cost in a preliminary phase where easy-to-use parameters are often necessary. Therefore, this paper aims to provide an overview of the issue with reference to the Italian context and proposes an estimation framework for analyzing hospital facilities’ construction cost. First, contributions from literature reviews and 14 case studies were analyzed to identify specific cost components. Then, a questionnaire was administered to construction companies and experts in the field to obtain data coming from practical and real cases. The results obtained from all of the contributions are an overview of the construction cost components. Starting from the data collected and analyzed, a preliminary estimation tool is proposed to identify the minimum and maximum variation in the cost when programming the construction of a hospital, starting from the feasibility phase or the early design stage. The framework involves different factors, such as the number of beds, complexity, typology, localization, technology degree and the type of maintenance and management techniques. This study explores the several elements that compose the cost of a hospital facility and highlights future developments including maintenance and management costs during hospital facilities’ lifecycle.

scholarly journals Analysis of Annual Costs of Mobile Clinics in the Southern United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 215013272098062
Author(s):  
Sharon Attipoe-Dorcoo ◽  
Rigoberto Delgado ◽  
Dejian Lai ◽  
Aditi Gupta ◽  
Stephen Linder
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Medicare Beneficiaries ◽  
Mobile Clinic ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Capital Costs ◽  
At Risk Populations ◽  
Mobile Clinics ◽  
The Cost

Introduction Mobile clinics provide an efficient manner for delivering healthcare services to at-risk populations, and there is a need to understand their economics. This study analyzes the costs of operating selected mobile clinic programs representing service categories in dental, dental/preventive, preventive care, primary care/preventive, and mammography/primary care/preventive. Methods The methodology included a self-reported survey of 96 mobile clinic programs operating in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida; these states did not expand Medicaid and have a large proportion of uninsured individuals. Data were collected over an 8-month period from November 2016 to July 2017. The cost analyses were conducted in 2018, and were analyzed from the provider perspective. The average annual estimated costs; as well the costs per patient in each mobile clinic program within different service delivery types were assessed. Costs reported in the study survey were classified into recurrent direct costs and capital costs. Results Results indicate that mean operating costs range from about $300 000 to $2.5 million with costs increasing from mammography/primary care/preventive delivery to dental/preventive. The majority of mobile clinics provided dental care followed by dental/preventive. The cost per patient visit for all mobile clinic service types ranged from $65 to $529, and appears to be considerably less than those reported in the literature for fixed clinic services. Conclusion The overall costs of all delivery types in mobile clinics were lower than the costs of providing care to Medicare beneficiaries in federally funded health centers, making mobile clinics a sound economic complement to stationary healthcare facilities.

Building back smarter—part one: the case for more modular facilities in the NHS

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Isobel Clough
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Building Maintenance ◽  
Cost Implications ◽  
The Cost

The NHS is facing an unprecedented backlog in both patient care and building maintenance, with severe implications for service delivery, finance and population wellbeing. This article is the first in a series discussing modular healthcare facilities as a potential solution to these issues, providing flexible and cost-effective spaces to allow services to increase capacity without sacrificing care quality. The first of three instalments, this paper will outline the problems facing the NHS estate, many of which have been exacerbated to critical levels by the COVID-19 pandemic, and what this means for service delivery. It will then make the case for modular infrastructure, outlining the potential benefits for healthcare services, staff and patients alike. Using modern methods of construction, this approach to creating physical space in healthcare can provide greater flexibility and a reduced impact on the environment. The next two articles in this series will go on to provide detailed case studies of successful modular implementation in NHS trusts, an analysis of the cost implications and guidance on the commissioning process and building a business case.

scholarly journals Utilization of healthcare services among Chinese migrants in Kenya: a qualitative study

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jialing Qiu ◽  
Duo Song ◽  
Juan Nie ◽  
Mengyi Su ◽  
Chun Hao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Language Translation ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Chinese Migrants ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Local Healthcare

Abstract Background The number of Chinese migrants in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is increasing, which is part of the south-south migration. The healthcare seeking challenges for Chinese migrants in Africa are different from local people and other global migrants. The aim of this study is to explore utilization of local health services and barriers to health services access among Chinese migrants in Kenya. Methods Thirteen in-depth interviews (IDIs) and six focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted among Chinese migrants (n = 32) and healthcare-related stakeholders (n = 3) in Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya. Data was collected, transcribed, translated, and analyzed for themes. Results Chinese migrants in Kenya preferred self-treatment by taking medicines from China. When ailments did not improve, they then sought care at clinics providing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) or received treatment at Kenyan private healthcare facilities. Returning to China for care was also an option depending on the perceived severity of disease. The main supply-side barriers to local healthcare utilization by Chinese migrants were language and lack of health insurance. The main demand-side barriers included ignorance of available healthcare services and distrust of local medical care. Conclusions Providing information on quality healthcare services in Kenya, which includes Chinese language translation assistance, may improve utilization of local healthcare facilities by Chinese migrants in the country.

scholarly journals Early Cost Estimation in Customized Furniture Manufacturing Using Machine Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-33
Author(s):  
O. Kurasova ◽  
◽  
V. Marcinkevičius ◽  
V. Medvedev ◽  
B. Mikulskienė
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Early Design Stage ◽  
Furniture Manufacturing ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Cost

Accurate cost estimation at the early stage of a construction project is a key factor in the success of most projects. Many difficulties arise when estimating the cost during the early design stage in customized furniture manufacturing. It is important to estimate the product cost in the earlier manufacturing phase. The cost estimation is related to the prediction of the cost, which commonly includes calculation of the materials, labor, sales, overhead, and other costs. Historical data of the previously manufactured products can be used in the cost estimation process of the new products. In this paper, we propose an early cost estimation approach, which is based on machine learning techniques. The experimental investigation based on the real customized furniture manufacturing data is performed, results are presented, and insights are given.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SYMPTOMS AND HEALTH FACILITY CHOICE IN THE CENTRAL REGION VIETNAM

2016 ◽  
pp. 52-58
Author(s):  
Minh Tam Nguyen ◽  
Shimamura Yasuharu
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Services ◽  
Contact Point ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Double Burden ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Patients often have their focus on looking for the high-quality healthcare services while minimizing costs in order to choose the healthcare facilities appropriate to their needs. Moreover, a double burden disease has led to changes in healthcare delivery model and health seeking behavior of patients. However, the relationship between such illness and the utilization of health care services has rarely been empirically assessed. Objective: To clarify how health status and symptoms associated with the healthcare facility choice. Methods: We conducted this survey in 3 provinces (Thua Thien Hue, Quang Tri, and Khanh Hoa), with 6,898 residents in 1,478 households. The International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2) was used to classify the symptoms. Results: There were 1,816 people having illness/injury during the last 3 months (26.3) and the majority of them went to CHCs when they got sick. Patients with digestive, neurological and respiratory symptoms were more likely to use CHCs as the first contact point. In contrast, people with musculoskeletal, female genital, and urological diseases were more likely to visit the higher level facilities such as provincial and central hospitals than CHCs. Key words: Healthcare sevices

Cost estimation through Monte Carlo simulation in architectural early design stage

2020 ◽  
pp. 002072092092330
Author(s):  
Nan Wu ◽  
Shen-Guan Shih
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo Simulation ◽  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Construction Cost ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Affecting Factors ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Early Design Stage

Architectural design can be considered an information-adding process, and within this process, each design decision provides information that uncovers some uncertainty regarding what is to be constructed. In early design stages, cost estimation is indispensable for subsequent decision making, but it cannot be accurate owing to the uncertainty associated with decisions that have not been made. This study proposes a Monte Carlo simulation–based method for designers to estimate potential trends in the construction cost of future design developments. The simulation reveals the probability distribution of construction cost via massive sampling over acceptable ranges of cost-affecting factors that have not yet been uncovered in the current design stage. The simulation result can serve as a part of a dashboard that provides guidance to designers for more optimally controlling construction cost.

scholarly journals The Role of Trust in the Pattern of Enrolment to a Social Health Insurance Scheme and Distribution of Healthcare Facilities in Ibadan, Southwest, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ayobami Adewole ◽  
Steve Reid ◽  
Tolu Oni
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Social Health Insurance ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Health Insurance Scheme ◽  
Skewed Distribution ◽  
Insurance Scheme ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Southwest Nigeria

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) of Nigeria established in the year 2005 aims to minimize the inequity of access to quality healthcare services in Nigeria. As of the year 2017, enrolment in NHIS-accredited facilities in the southwest region of Nigeria was significantly clustered, with more than three-quarters of NHIS enrollees registered with only 10% of the available NHIS-accredited facilities in the six states of the region. This study explored the factors associated with the skewed distribution of enrollees across facilities and the influence of stakeholders. This is a descriptive, qualitative, case study design among stakeholders of the NHIS in Ibadan, Oyo State, Southwest, Nigeria. In-depth interviews were conducted between March and June, 2019, with all selected individual stakeholders as listed earlier. Data analysis was done using an inductive thematic approach. Across the board, there was a low level of trust in government and government policies among healthcare providers and enrollees. Few healthcare providers were willing to render services under the scheme at inception. The majority of the enrollees were compelled to register with the few available healthcare providers. Among the enrollees, a few personally chose healthcare facilities and providers that were perceived to render better quality services to receive care. Priority should be given to building trust among stakeholders in the NHIS as this would facilitate cooperation and better working relationship, and reposition the scheme for better performance.

scholarly journals Development of Cost Estimation Models Based on ANN Ensembles and the SVM Method

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 48-67
Author(s):  
Michał Juszczyk
Keyword(s):  
Support Vector Machines ◽  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Predictive Performance ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Early Design Stage ◽  
Vector Machines ◽  
Structural Frames ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Cost estimation, as one of the key processes in construction projects, provides the basis for a number of project-related decisions. This paper presents some results of studies on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in cost estimation. The research developed three original models based either on ensembles of neural networks or on support vector machines for the cost prediction of the floor structural frames of buildings. According to the criteria of general metrics (RMSE, MAPE), the three models demonstrate similar predictive performance. MAPE values computed for the training and testing of the three developed models range between 5% and 6%. The accuracy of cost predictions given by the three developed models is acceptable for the cost estimates of the floor structural frames of buildings in the early design stage of the construction project. Analysis of error distribution revealed a degree of superiority for the model based on support vector machines.

Reimbursement and Telepractice

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-40
Author(s):  
Carol Dudding
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Delivery Method ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Service Delivery Models ◽  
Private Lives ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Delivery Models

Whether in our professional or private lives, we are all aware of the system wide efforts to provide quality healthcare services while containing the costs. Telemedicine as a method of service delivery has expanded as a result of changes in reimbursement and service delivery models. The growth and sustainability of telehealth within speech-language pathology and audiology, like any other service, depends on the ability to be reimbursed for services provided. Currently, reimbursement for services delivered via telehealth is variable and depends on numerous factors. An understanding of these factors and a willingness to advocate for increased reimbursement can bolster the success of practitioners interested in the telehealth as a service delivery method.

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