THE TRANSFORMATION OF HOSPITALS BY THE CHANGE OF THEIR LEGAL FORM -- CASES FROM CZECH REPUBLIC.

This paper aims to describe and analyse the process of transforming hospitals by changing their legal status. The paper analyses a sample of approximately 80 hospitals operating in the Czech Republic which have gone through the transformation process. Empirical research has been carried out by the evaluation of secondary economic data and internal materials of hospitals providing health care services in different regions of the country. Particular emphasis is put on the process of changing the legal status from public hospitals to private limited companies and the assessment of the causality of this process. It further describes the reasons for the transformation and its practical implications in hospital management using a legal business entity, focusing on the clarification of the administrative aspects of hospital management/ownership. This study is based on the comparison of the hospitals' activities provided by the hospital management, both during the pre-transitional and post-transitional phases. The research outcomes evaluate the effect of governance and management of new legal entities in selected areas within the field of healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]