Financial health and customer satisfaction in private health care providers in Brazil Desempenho financeiro e satisfação do consumidor das operadoras de saúde suplementar no Brasil
Tipo
Artigo
Data de publicação
2011
Periódico
Cadernos de Saude Publica
Citações (Scopus)
1
Autores
Schiozer R.F.
Saito C.C.
Saito R.
Saito C.C.
Saito R.
Orientador
Título da Revista
ISSN da Revista
Título de Volume
Membros da banca
Programa
Resumo
This paper analyzes the relationship between the financial health and organizational form of private health care providers in Brazil. It also examines the major determinants of customer satisfaction associated with the provider's organizational form. An adjusted Altman's z-score is used as an indicator of financial health. A proxy variable based on customer complaints filed at the Brazilian National Agency for Supplementary Health is used as an indicator for customer satisfaction. The study uses a sample of 270 private health care providers and their operations over the period 2003-2005. Panel data analysis includes control variables related to market, operations, and management. Principal results indicate that: (1) private health care providers benefit from economies of scale; (2) self-funded health plans have better financial health; (3) spending on marketing does not have a significant impact on customer satisfaction in Brazil; (4) weak empirical evidence exists showing that good financial performance enhances customer's satisfaction.