| Size |
Hospital beds |
Organizational size |
Positive: Larger hospitals tend to attract more patients from smaller hospitals. |
| Revenue per discharged patient |
Monetary units (Euros) |
Cost absorption computed on the basis of the reimbursement claims made on the basis of the DRG system |
Positive: Patients tend to flow toward hospitals offering more sophisticated and hence expensive services; |
| Complexity |
Case Mix Index |
Capabilities and experience in dealing with complex clinical cases |
Positive: Patients tend to flow toward hospitals capable of treating more complex cases |
| Occupancy rate |
Dimensionless proportion of beds occupied |
Hospital capacity management |
Positive: Patients tend to flow toward hospitals that are better able to manage the allocation of their capacity. |
| Level of care |
Dimensionless binary indicator variable |
Level of care that partner hospitals offer (rehabilitation, secondary, tertiary) |
Negative. Patients flows are less likely to be observed between hospitals offering the same levels of care |
| Geographical distance |
Kilometers |
Distance |
Negative. The intensity of patient flows between two hospitals decrease as the distance between them increases. |
| Local Health Unit (LHU) |
Dimensionless categorical variable |
Membership in the same Local Health Unit |
Positive. Hospitals belonging to the same administrative units will find it easier to coordinate patient sharing activities. As a consequence patients flow will be more intense between hospitals in the same LHU. |
| Institutional category |
Dimensionless categorical variable |
Membership in the same broadly defined institutional category (public vs. private) |
Negative. Patients sharing activities are more likely to be observed across the private/public divide. |
