Decoupling of Medical Public-Private Partnership Efficiency and Pollution to Improve Public Health: A Three-Stage DEA Analysis.

This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution of the efficiency of medical public–private partnership and the decoupling of environmental pollution to promote public health, balanced development, and environmentalism. Based on 2011–2020 data of China’s medical public–private partnerships, the results of a three-stage data envelopment analysis and decoupling model show that, first, the spatiotemporal evolution of China’s public–private partnership efficiency in healthcare has forward periodic twists and turns, and alternating peaks and valleys, which fall into two stages: extensive development, and transformation and upgrading. Second, this development is either a stable, steady increase, or surge type. Third, public–private partnership efficiency and environmental pollution show a weak decoupling state. That is, Northeast and Southwest China are in a state of increasing connection state, while Northwest China in an expanding negative decoupling state. The remaining regions are in a weak decoupling state. The study recommends the mode of ecology-oriented development to promote high-quality, integrated development of public–private partnerships in medicine and healthcare that is especially conducive to a “green economy.” There should be more coordinated development across regions in China as well.