A case study on evaluation of hospital "know-how" using contingent valuation method / 第二军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore a new evaluation method for hospital intangible assets through a case study on evaluation of hospital "Know-how". Methods: Using the contingent valuation method(CVM) we designed a questionnaire to survey the willingness of patients to pay for hospital "Know-how". The data was analyzed by econometrics methods and a model was established for evaluating the "Know-how" in hospitals. Results: Under three scenarios, the effect of "Know-how" increased gradually; the percentages of patients who were willing to pay were 58.48%, 65.50% and 98.54%, respectively. The mean maximal payments were 4,5,and 5 folds that of the basal level. The annual family income was the most important factors influencing the patients' willingness to pay. According to the model established,the value of the hospital "Know-how" was between 85.014 95 million to 252.229 million RMB in 2006. Conclusion: CVM may serve as a new method to evaluate hospital "Know-how" and should be further studied in the future.