Abstract

Background: The health transformation plan (HTP) was implemented in April 2014 in university hospitals to provide equitable access to healthcare, improve the quality of care, and protect patients against high costs of hospitals. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate out of pocket (OOP) payment by inpatients after the health sector evolution plan (HSEP) and its effective factors in hospitals affiliated with Iran University of Medical Science. Methods: In this study, descriptive and cross-sectional research design was utilized. 277 patients at 5 hospitals affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences were selected via simple random approach. Checklists and hospital bills were used to collect data. Then the data were analyzed by SPSS 19.0. Results: The results indicated that OOP was 18.71 of the total hospitals expenditure. There was a significant relationship among insurance status, location, and OOP (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The OOP rate of hospitalized patients was not in accordance with the goal set in the HSEP. Thus, policymakers and managers should take serious measures to decrease out-of-pocket payments. © 2020, Author(s).