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Peer reviewed ; Updated version (Dec. 2004) The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between satisfaction with waiting times in a Public Primary Health Care Service and a host of individual variables as well as market determinants. Since waiting time is imposing an opportunity cost on individuals, we model how agents derive different levels of utility and thus report degrees of satisfaction accounting for differences on opportunity cost components. The empirical research draws upon data from the 2002 Survey for Improving Patient Satisfaction with the Health Care Service in Andalucía. Ordered probit models are used to estimate different indirect utility functions specifications for the whole sample, as well as for men and women sub-samples and different age categories. Results suggest that there is evidence to support the existence of different behavior within both sex and age groups and that provided healthcare characteristics also shape utility and satisfaction. Funding from the Department of Health of the Andalucian Regional Government to undertake the 'Survey for Improving Patient Satisfaction with the Health Care Service in Andalucía' is acknowledged.

Background. User´s satisfaction is an important tool to evaluate the performance of healthcare services. Measures of satisfaction are important tools for research, administration and planning.-- Objectives. (i) Study patient satisfaction as a multidimensional concept including organizational issues, professional competence, human characteristics, and status of facilities as dimensions determining the relation between patients and healthcare providers; and (ii) Investigate the contribution of each dimension to overall patient satisfaction, their determinants so as to examine individual and market characteristics which affect overall patient satisfaction, and their mechanisms of operation.-- Design. Our dataset is based on results from a survey undertaken in health centres to patients visiting their physician. We use information on: (i) Individual variables -demographic, socioeconomic and psychological-; (ii) Market variables –scheduling, centre type, habitat-. The four dimensions included are: organizational issues, professional competence, human characteristics and status of facilities.-- Main Measures. Patient overall satisfaction is measured as recommendation of the service (dichotomous variable which allows focus on patient's discontent). Satisfaction defined over the four dimensions are measured as ordinal variables (5-point Likert's scale).-- Results. Although individual and market characteristics affect satisfaction with each dimension and overall satisfaction, they operate differently. The characteristics of the provided service determine dramatically, but not only, satisfaction with organisational issues. Since the later is the relatively more important component of overall quality assessment, policy-makers should keep track of these control variables.-- Conclusions. We have provided a tool for health policy management to be aimed towards ameliorating patient's discontent, since we have identified patients' "value chain".

Updated version (Dec. 2004) ; The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between satisfaction with waiting times in a Public Primary Health Care Service and a host of individual variables as well as market determinants. Since waiting time is imposing an opportunity cost on individuals, we model how agents derive different levels of utility and thus report degrees of satisfaction accounting for differences on opportunity cost components. The empirical research draws upon data from the 2002 Survey for Improving Patient Satisfaction with the Health Care Service in Andalucía. Ordered probit models are used to estimate different indirect utility functions specifications for the whole sample, as well as for men and women sub-samples and different age categories. Results suggest that there is evidence to support the existence of different behavior within both sex and age groups and that provided healthcare characteristics also shape utility and satisfaction. ; Funding from the Department of Health of the Andalucian Regional Government to undertake the 'Survey for Improving Patient Satisfaction with the Health Care Service in Andalucía' is acknowledged. ; Peer reviewed