BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- China will boost performance assessment for its public hospitals in order to promote better efficiency and income distribution, according to China Daily on Tuesday.

　　A guideline, issued by the General Office of the State Council and published on Jan. 30, aims to encourage public hospitals to emphasize quality and efficiency rather than expansion, said the newspaper.

　　The performance assessment of public hospitals will start this year, establishing an evaluation system. It will be further refined by 2020, so that the management of hospitals can be further standardized and the efficiency of medical services can be improved, according to the guideline.

　　The performance assessment consists of 55 indicators, in categories including medical standards, operational efficiency, sustainable development, and customer satisfaction, China Daily reported.

　　China has a three-tier system to grade its public hospitals, which offer the largest number of beds and provide comprehensive medical services.