האתגרים וההזדמנויות בביצוע מיקור חוץ בבתי החולים הציבוריים והפרטיים בישראל

Outsourcing is a method that enables an organization to focus on its expertise by transferring its other services to professionals who can fulfill them. In recent years, research has repeatedly shown that health services use a variety of outsourcing companies. To describe the experience acquired using outsourcing in public and private hospitals in Israel, and to present the factors, budgetary parameters, opportunities and problems affecting outsourcing. The questionnaire was sent to 36 hospitals in Israel, constituting 88.2% of all hospitals in Israel--private, public, H.M.O ("Clalit") and governmental. The response to the questionnaire reached 97.2% and revealed the following: 94% of the hospitals use outsourcing services in the following fields: security, cleaning, Laundry service, cafeterias, and I.T.; 42% of the hospitals assign 0-5% of their annual budget for outsourcing contracts. Private hospitals use more outsourcing services than public hospitals. The factors driving outsourcing are: cost restrictions (82.8%), operational flexibility (77%), and focus on the core business (74.2%). The potential advantages of outsourcing are: improvement in services 180.5%), customer satisfaction (72.2%), and cost reduction (69.4%). Difficulties affecting outsourcing are: dependence on external resources (83.3%] and internal organizational resistance (69.4%). The results of the outsourcing are lower costs, reduced number of personnel by 1-10% and high level of satisfaction. It seems that in recent years outsourcing is being used in hospitals and is central to the areas of infrastructure and logistics, as well as legal and medical services. Using outsourcing in hospitals provides opportunities for improved customer satisfaction, better focus for the hospital on its core activities and cost reduction. HospitaLs that succeed in synergetically integrating the external and the internal service providers will flourish. INNOVATION/VALUE: This research exposes, for the first time, the scope of contractual outsourcing in hospitals in Israel, and presents the dilemmas of utilizing this form of provision of services.