Doctor Availability and Cost Bearer Influencing Patient Loyalty Mediated by Patient Experience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61132/ijems.v3i1.1168Keywords:
Cost Bearer, Doctor Availability, Healthcare Services, Patient ExperienceAbstract
Patient loyalty is an important indicator of success in healthcare services because it reflects patients’ tendency to reuse healthcare services and recommend them to others. Patient loyalty in healthcare facilities is influenced by various factors, including doctor availability, cost bearer systems, and patient experience during the service process. This study aims to analyze the effect of doctor availability and cost bearer on patient loyalty with patient experience as a mediating variable among patients at the Dental Clinic of Hermina Galaxy Hospital.This research used a quantitative approach with a survey design. Data were collected through questionnaires using a Likert scale from 150 patients at the Dental Clinic of Hermina Galaxy Hospital selected through purposive sampling. Data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the assistance of AMOS software to examine both direct and indirect relationships among the research variables.The results showed that doctor availability and cost bearer have a positive and significant effect on patient experience. Patient experience was also found to have a positive and significant effect on patient loyalty. In addition, doctor availability and cost bearer have a direct influence on patient loyalty and an indirect influence through patient experience as a mediating variable.In conclusion, improving patient loyalty can be achieved by enhancing doctor availability, managing financing systems effectively, and creating positive patient experiences. Hospital management should optimize these factors to improve service quality and maintain patient loyalty
Downloads
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Arrow, K. J. (1978). Uncertainty and the welfare economics of medical care. In Uncertainty in Economics (pp. 345-375). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-214850-7.50028-0
Arslan, T., Çandereli, Z. Ö., Kitapçi, O. C., Kitapçi, N. Ş., Kiliç Aksu, P., Köksal, L., Özdamar, E. Ö., Yay, M., Ecevit Alpar, Ş., & Mumcu, G. (2022). Do patient experiences have mediating roles on patient loyalty? Journal of Patient Experience, 9. https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735221103027
Chen, X., Zhao, W., Yuan, J., Qin, W., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2022). The relationships between patient experience with nursing care, patient satisfaction and patient loyalty: A structural equation modeling. Patient Preference and Adherence, 16, 3173-3183. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S386294
Ferreira, D. C., Vieira, I., Pedro, M. I., Caldas, P., & Varela, M. (2023). Patient satisfaction with healthcare services and the techniques used for its assessment: A systematic literature review and a bibliometric analysis. Healthcare, 11(5), 639. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11050639
Fischer, S. H., David, D., Crotty, B. H., Dierks, M., & Safran, C. (2014). Acceptance and use of health information technology by community-dwelling elders. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 83(9), 624-635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2014.06.005
Gulliford, M. C. (2002). Availability of primary care doctors and population health in England: Is there an association? Journal of Public Health, 24(4), 252-254. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/24.4.252
Harriet, N., Arthur, N., Komunda, M. B., & Mugizi, T. (2024). Service quality, customer loyalty and customer retention among private healthcare services in Mbarara City. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 12(01), 101-126. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2024.121008
Ichsan, R., & Alfiandari, A. D. (2025). Keterkaitan antara pengalaman pasien, kepuasan pasien, dan loyalitas pasien: Perspektif manajemen layanan kesehatan. Indonesian Journal of Business and Management, 7(2), 340-344. https://doi.org/10.35965/jbm.v7i2.5952
Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence consumer loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 63(Special Issue), 33-44. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429990634s105
Seif, S., Shah, J., Chandani, A., & Ali, S. K. (2025). The perception of waiting times on patient satisfaction and patient care: A cross-sectional study at a tertiary healthcare institution in Kenya. PLOS One, 20(5), e0322015. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322015
Sertan, A., Çek, K., Öniz, A., & Özgören, M. (2023). The influence of medicine approaches on patient trust, satisfaction, and loyalty. Healthcare, 11(9), 1254. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11091254
Wolf, J. A., Niederhauser, V., Marshburn, D., & LaVela, S. L. (2021). Reexamining "Defining patient experience": The human experience in healthcare. Patient Experience Journal, 8(1), 16-29. https://doi.org/10.35680/2372-0247.1594
World Health Organization (WHO). (2022, November 18). Global oral health status report: Towards universal health coverage for oral health by 2030. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240061484
Zeithaml, V. A., Bitner, M. J., & Gremler, D. D. (2018). Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm. McGraw-Hill.
Zhou, W.-J., Wan, Q.-Q., Liu, C.-Y., Feng, X.-L., & Shang, S.-M. (2017). Determinants of patient loyalty to healthcare providers: An integrative review. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 29(4), 442-449. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzx058
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Economics and Management Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
