The effect of Health System Evolution Plan on the performance indices in public hospitals in Iran

Background and Objectives: The Health System Evolution Plan was developed to improve quality and accessibility of health care services and reduce the costs to protect people from catastrophic out of pocket payments. The aim of current study is investigatation of Health System Evolution Plan effects on performance indices of governmental hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, in Iran. Methods: This was a descriptive analytic study with retrospective approach based on extracted data from 16 hospitals of Iran University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Specific indices comprising income and expenses, paraclinical evaluations, bed performance indices and reform instructional indices were collected in 5 categories before (April , 2013) and after(May ,2014 to March, 2016 ) implementation of Health System Evolution Plan. Data were analyzed with SPSS software version 22, using paired t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: After implementation of Health System Evolution Plan, indices of bed turnover rate, bed occupancy percentage, average active bed, number of emergency patients, the average length of stay of the patient, percentage of normal delivery, cash income, cost of consumables and equipment, percentage of armed forces insurance deductibles and percentage of social security insurance deductibles increased. Conclusion:    The Health System Evolution Plan imposed high economic burden on insurance companies due to increased  tariffs with no plan to control them; however, it has improved utilization and accessibility of services. It is necessary to supply consistant financial resources and apply effective supervising on continous performance of project to meet the objectives.