Study of the Variations in the Use of Hospital Services, Based on the Case Mix, in 2008 in Romania

The healthcare system copes with economic challenges worldwide, so the healthcare reform is a topic more important than ever for social policies. What do we get for our money? Is a question that raises more and more. It has been shown that more healthcare services does not necessarily mean a better health. Many countries focus of medical practice variations or health disparities. The collection of case mix data starting with 2003 in Romania made possible several studies concerning practice variations in Romania. The present article shows how these data can be used to provide accurate comparisons in geographic profile concerning the volume of services, territorial disparities and to hypothesize about the possible causes of practice variations. Key words: Hospitals, medical practice variations, territorial disparities, case mi