IT Expenditures as a Component of Patient Treatment Costs in Hospital-Based Healthcare Providers: Evidence from Public Procurement Data (2011–2021)

Streszczenie w języku polskim

The aim of this study is to examine the expenditure associated
with the computerisation of the public healthcare system, the proportion
of these costs within total treatment expenditure, the structure of such
costs, and the trends underlying their evolution. The research was conducted
using existing data derived from public sources related to the
public procurement market in Poland. A total of four million documents
published in the Public Procurement Bulletin and the Supplement to the
Official Journal of the European Union (TED) between 2011 and 2021
were collected and analysed. Using CPV codes, purchases related to computerisation
were identified and classified into appropriate procurement
categories. The findings reveal an exponential increase in IT-related
costs within the public healthcare system, as well as an exponential rise
in their share of total medical expenditure. The results also indicate
a transformation in the structure of purchases, demonstrating a growing
emphasis on specialised information systems. The marked increase in
computerisation costs in Poland’s public healthcare system suggests that
technology is assuming an increasingly significant role in healthcare delivery.
The exponential growth in the proportion of these costs within
overall expenditure implies that investments in technology may constitute
a key component of future health system development strategies.
Conversely, these changes may also stem from the disproportionate rise
in the prices of IT sector products and services relative to those of other
industries, influenced by factors such as economic conditions, geopolitical
circumstances, or market monopolisation.