Transparência, accountability e governance: revisão sistemática da literatura nos hospitais públicos / Transparencia, rendición de cuentas y gobernanza: una revisión de la literatura en el contexto de los hospitales públicos / Transparency, accountability, and governance: a literature review in the context of public hospitals

Resumo Neste estudo busca-se desenvolver uma revisão da literatura baseada na análise bibliométrica sobre o tema da transparência e da accountability no contexto da governance dos hospitais públicos, procurando identificar linhas de investigação, teoria, método de investigação e lacunas existentes por intermédio da análise das publicações científicas datadas até 2020. A investigação seguiu o referencial teórico da transparência e da accountability no setor público com o intuito de compreender o seu enquadramento no contexto da governance dos hospitais. Com recurso ao software Bibliometrix e terminado o processo de consulta dos artigos nas bases de dados Scopus e WoS, foram selecionados 118 artigos para este estudo. Constatou-se que, no período entre 2017-2020, cerca de 85% das publicações são de base qualitativa e há uma tendência crescente no estudo da transparência e da accountability na governança dos hospitais públicos. A transparência surge frequentemente interligada à responsabilização dos agentes (accountability), às políticas de comunicação externa (relatórios públicos) e interna, assim como à sua compreensibilidade. Verificou-se a ainda predominância das publicações de origem norte-americana e chinesa. O estudo identifica também a escassez de investigação baseada em modelos quantitativos que explorem relações de dependência entre as dimensões estudadas, limitando a compreensão da interdependência entre as práticas de transparência e os atributos internos e externos das organizações. O estudo contribui para o conhecimento sobre interações entre transparência, accountability e prestação de contas na governança dos hospitais públicos.

Resumen El objetivo de este estudio es desarrollar una revisión bibliográfica basada en el análisis bibliométrico sobre el tema de la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas en el ámbito de la gobernanza de los hospitales públicos, buscando identificar líneas de investigación, teorías, métodos de investigación y lagunas existentes a través del análisis de las publicaciones científicas fechadas hasta 2020. La investigación siguió el referencial teórico de la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas en el sector público para comprender su marco en el ámbito de la gobernanza de los hospitales. Recurriendo al software Bibliometrix, y tras el proceso de consulta de los artículos en las bases de datos Scopus y WoS, se seleccionaron 118 artículos de interés para este estudio. Se constató que, en el periodo comprendido entre 2017 y 2020, aproximadamente el 85% de las publicaciones son de base cualitativa y existe una tendencia creciente en el estudio de la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas en el ámbito de la gobernanza de los hospitales públicos. La transparencia aparece a menudo interconectada con la responsabilidad de los agentes (rendición de cuentas), las políticas de comunicación externa (informes públicos) e interna, así como su comprensibilidad. También se observó el predominio de publicaciones de origen norteamericano y chino. El estudio también identifica la escasez de investigaciones que utilicen modelos cuantitativos que exploren las relaciones de dependencia entre las dimensiones estudiadas, lo que limita la comprensión de la interdependencia entre las prácticas de transparencia y los atributos internos y externos de las organizaciones. El estudio contribuye al conocimiento de las interacciones entre transparencia, rendición de cuentas y reporte en el ámbito de la gobernanza de los hospitales públicos.

Abstract This study develops a literature review based on bibliometric analysis on the theme of transparency and accountability within the scope of governance of public hospitals, seeking to identify research lines, theories, research methods, and existing gaps through the analysis of scientific publications until 2020. The investigation followed the theoretical lens of transparency and accountability in the public sector to understand its framework within the scope of the governance of hospitals. Using the Bibliometrix software, and after the consultation process of the articles published in the Scopus and WoS databases, a sample with 118 articles was selected. It was found that, in the period between 2017-2020, approximately 85% of the publications were qualitative, and there is a growing trend in the study of transparency and accountability within the scope of governance of public hospitals. Transparency often appears interconnected with the accountability of agents (accountability), external communication policies (public reports), internal communication policies, and their comprehensibility. The predominance of publications of North American and Chinese origin was also noted. The study also identifies the scarcity of research using quantitative models that explore dependency relationships between the dimensions studied, limiting the comprehensibility of the interdependence between transparency practices and organizations' internal and external attributes. The study contributes to the knowledge about the interactions between transparency, accountability, and reporting within the scope of governance of public hospitals.

Understanding the most commonly billed diagnoses in primary care: Urinary tract infections.

This article, one of 12 in a series on most commonly billed diagnoses in primary care, provides a comprehensive overview of the pathophysiologic processes related to urinary tract infections (UTIs). The clinical manifestations, diagnostic tests, treatments, and billing codes associated with UTIs will be described.

Understanding the most commonly billed diagnoses in primary care: Headache disorders.

This article, part of a series about the most commonly billed diagnoses in primary care, describes the pathophysiologic processes of the three most common types of headache disorders as well as how the clinical manifestations and treatments are linked to the pathogenesis of the disorders.

Using Behavioral Analytics to Predict Customer Invoice Payment.

Experiences from various industries show that companies may have problems collecting customer invoice payments. Studies report that almost half of the small- and medium-sized enterprise and business-to-business invoices in the United States and United Kingdom are paid late. In this study, our aim is to understand customer behavior regarding invoice payments, and propose an analytical approach to learning and predicting payment behavior. Our logic can then be embedded into a decision support system where decision makers can make predictions regarding future payments, and take actions as necessary toward the collection of potentially unpaid debt, or adjust their financial plans based on the expected invoice-to-cash amount. In our analysis, we utilize a large data set with more than 1.6 million customers and their invoice and payment history, as well as various actions (e.g., e-mail, short message service, phone call) performed by the invoice-issuing company toward customers to encourage payment. We use supervised and unsupervised learning techniques to help predict whether a customer will pay the invoice or outstanding balance by the next due date based on the actions generated by the company and the customer's response. We propose a novel behavioral scoring model used as an input variable to our predictive models. Among the three machine learning approaches tested, we report the results of logistic regression that provides up to 97% accuracy with or without preclustering of customers. Such a model has a high potential to help decision makers in generating actions that contribute to the financial stability of the company in terms of cash flow management and avoiding unnecessary corporate lines of credit.

Understanding the most commonly billed diagnoses in primary care: Hypothyroidism.

ABSTRACT: This next article in the Most Commonly Billed Diagnoses series focuses on hypothyroidism and the significant role NPs play in identifying and managing patients with this condition and its associated comorbidities. Pathophysiology, systemic manifestations, screening, and treatment are discussed.

Physician derived versus administrative data in identifying surgical complications. Fact versus Fiction.

BACKGROUND: Administrative data are widely used as determinants of surgical quality. We compared surgical complications identified in a structured surgical review to coding and billing data of over a 19-month period. METHODS: A retrospective review of monthly morbidity and mortality conference reports was compared to a report over the same time period generated from hospital coding and billing data. RESULTS: 807 sequential operative procedures were included. Physician derived data compared to administrative data identified a complication of any severity in 205 (25.4%) versus 111 (13.8%) cases (r = 0.39), and major complications in 68 (8.4%) versus 46 (5.7%) cases (r = 0.36). Review of the administrative data regarding major complications identified 80 false negatives, 52 false positives, and 38 true positive designations. Overall sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy for administrative data in identifying major complications was 0.32, 0.99, 0.42, 0.99, and 0.99. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between physician determined and administrative data with regard to identifying surgical complications is poor. Administrative data are insensitive and lack positive predictive value.

Third Party Billing for Medical Care Provided Under Special Treatment Authorities. Final rule.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its medical regulations to clarify that VA will not bill third party payers for care and services provided by VA under certain statutory provisions, which we refer to as "special treatment authorities." These special treatment authorities direct VA to provide care and services to veterans based upon discrete exposures or experiences that occurred during active military, naval, or air service. VA is authorized, but not required by law, to recover or collect charges for care and services provided to veterans for non-service-connected disabilities. This rule establishes that VA will not exercise its authority to recover or collect reasonable charges from third party payers for care and services provided under the special treatment authorities.

Documentation, coding, and billing: what abdominal radiologists need to know.

This article reviews basic concepts of report documentation for abdominal imaging examinations, focusing on practical elements for ensuring appropriate physician reimbursement. Nuances of abdominal radiography, CT, MRI, and ultrasonography codes are highlighted. Special considerations for the coding of 3D-rendering and contrast administration are also described. Greater abdominal radiologist awareness of these codes and their reporting requirements can help ensure proper documentation within radiology reports, thereby optimizing legitimate reimbursement.

Balance Billing by Health Care Providers: Assessing Consumer Protections Across States.

ISSUE: Privately insured consumers expect that if they pay premiums and use in-network providers, their insurer will cover the cost of medically necessary care beyond their cost-sharing. However, when obtaining care at emergency departments and in-network hospitals, patients treated by an out-of-network provider may receive an unexpected "balance bill" for an amount beyond what the insurer paid. With no explicit federal protections against balance billing, some states have stepped in to protect consumers from this costly and confusing practice. GOAL: To better understand the scope of state laws to protect consumers from balance billing. METHODS: Analysis of laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and interviews with officials in eight states. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: Most states do not have laws that directly protect consumers from balance billing by an out-of-network provider for care delivered in an emergency department or in-network hospital. Of the 21 states offering protections, only six have a comprehensive approach to safeguarding consumers in both settings, and gaps remain even in these states. Because a federal policy solution might prove difficult, states may be better positioned in the short term to protect consumers.

Eight Characteristics of an Efficient Finance Department.

Assessing the finance department's strengths and weaknesses can help achieve solvency.