Cost containment in small hospitals: targeting strategies beyond this decade.

This study identifies the contributors to cost containment in small size, full-service hospitals (100-199 beds). A conceptual model has proposed and tested on data from 316 executives representing both for-profit and not-for-profit hospitals. The data suggest that the for-profit sector is more effective in managing its costs than its not-for-profit counterpart. However, the findings raise the issue of whether cost management leads to cost containment. The assumption of this study is that cost containment is a strategic concern, while cost management is operational.