Effects of Ownership on Hospital Efficiency in Germany – a Tobit Panel Data Approach Based on DEA Efficiency Scores

Background: Numerous studies on the analysis of hospital efficiency have been published for the US and many European countries. However, there are only a few investigating the efficiency of the German hospital sector, although it has significant importance with regard to the overall health budget and employment levels. Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the relative efficiency of public, non-for-profit and private-for-profit hospitals in Germany. Based on economic theory we hypothesized that in Germany the private-for-profit hospitals are more efficient. Methods: We used data of the Federal Statist…