3.2. LOS-relevant cost-containment policies
Fig. 3 illustrates the results of the qualitative analysis of the cost-containment policies As regards our assumption that there was no LOS-related policy targeting hospitals of any particular type of ownership, two policies were found targeting (1) the national government and (14) medical corporations. The former policy consists of the reorganisation plan of national hospitals in 1986, its revision in
1999, and the subsequent transformation of national hos- pitals into independent agencies in 2004. The purpose of this reorganisation was to compress the national hos- pital network and improve its efficiency. Although the objective of reducing LOS was not specified in the reorganisation plans, emphasis was placed on shifting from a service-mix to acute care, thus implying shorter LOS