Practice of performance appraisal for directors of Shanghai public hospitals

Objective To explore methods for performance appraisal of directors of municipal hospitals in Shanghai. Methods To assess the management performance of directors of 24 tertiary hospitals each year, measured by five dimensions of social satisfaction, management efficiency, capital operation, development sustainability and staff satisfaction, and 23 indexes. Results Implementation of the performance appraisal has witnessed constant improvement of patient satisfaction and quality of medical care, as well as rational control of medical expenses and cost. In 2014 for example, the cost of emergency/outpatients per visit at such hospitals were 312 yuan and 15 600 yuan per hospitalization respectively, with 7.6 days of stay in average. Also improved were service efficiency, clinical research output and hospital business performance in general. Conclusion Performance appraisal of directors of public hospitals proves an important means for guiding the hospitals to adhere to public welfare, consistent with the government medical institution operation target, and to strengthen internal management of such hospitals. Key words: Shanghai; Public hospitals; Public welfare; Directors; Performance appraisal