Objective To explore the medical insurance quota payment of dialysis treatment for outpatients with end-stage renal disease in Chengdu from following aspects, evaluation indexes and reasonable amount, so as to provide scientific basis for the payment of single disease. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect the cost information of patients, and to formulate the assignment of evaluation indexes according to the therapeutic principles and statistical results; Delphi method was adopted to determine the assignment and the standard of quota payment. Results A total of 17 dialysis organizations approved by Chengdu municipal medical insurance were involved in this study. Of 700 questionnaires distributed, 686 were retrieved. After excluding 26 questionnaires for incomplete filling and incorrect treatment information, a total of 660 questionnaires were included actually, accounted for 94.28% of all informants. The results of survey showed that, the hemodialysis treatment rate accounted for 84% (555/660) of all informants, while the peritoneal dialysis treatment rate accounted for 16% (105/660). By assessing the project assignment of outpatient dialysis treatment, the minimum annual payment of hemodialysis was RMB 118 242.75 yuan, while that of peritoneal dialysis was RMB 96 498.00 yuan. Conclusion The quota payment of outpatient dialysis shows b evidence after adopting the treatment project assignment. The grading quota payment of outpatient dialysis enables the medical insurance fund to be more reasonably used.
Objective To investigate the variation of total hospitalization cost for single-diagnosed disease of different types of acute appendicitis in a three-A hospital, so as to provide evidence for the reimbursement amount of social medical insurance. Methods All patients with acute appendicitis who had surgery treatment during January-April 2011 (before implementing the fee system for single-diagnosed disease) and January-April 2012 (after implementing the fee system for single-diagnosed disease) were collected in this study for analysis. According to the types of acute appendicitis, the patients were stratified into the low risk group (simple, suppurative and gangrenous) and the high risk group (perforative, abscess-formed and pregnancy-combined). The correlation between total hospitalization cost and types of acute appendicitis, as well as the changes of total hospitalization cost after implementing the fee system for single-diagnosed disease were analyzed. Results A total of 90 eligible patients were included. The disease types were positively correlated with hospital stays and total hospitalization cost. All three types in the low risk group could control the average total hospitalization cost within RMB 10 000 yuan. The results of sensitivity analysis showed that, before implementing the fee system for single-diagnosed disease, the total hospitalization cost up to RMB 6 000 yuan could be positively correlated with the above risk stratification (r=0.442, P=0.003). After implementing the fee system for single-diagnosed disease from January to April 2012, the constituent ratio of hospital stays, compared with that in the same period of 2011, had no significant difference (P=0.108) between the two groups; but the ratio of hospital stays (less than 5 days) increased from 45% to 64%, and the ratio of hospital stays (greater than or equal to 10 days) decreased from 17% to 4%, indicating a tendency of shortening hospital stays. Also, the constituent ratio of total hospitalization cost had no significant difference (P=0.114) between the two groups; but the ratio of total hospitalization cost (greater than or equal to RMB 9 000 yuan) decreased from 32% to 13%, indicating a tendency of lowering total hospitalization cost. Conclusion The low risk group of acute appendicitis, RMB 6 000 yuan should be rated as the rational reimbursement amount of social medical insurance. The total hospitalization cost for the high risk group is quite various, so the further studies are needed to investigate the feasibility of the fee system for single-diagnosed disease as well as the rating amount of total hospitalization cost. The implementation of the fee system for single-diagnosed disease is helpful to shorten hospital stays and reduce total hospitalization cost.
Health insurance system has been proved to be an effective way to promote the quality of health service in many countries. However, how to control health expenditure under health insurance system remains a problem to be resolved. Some developed countries like UK, Canada and Sweden linked their health technology assessment results with decision making and health insurance management, and made prominent achievements in both expenditure control and quality improvement. China is carrying out its health system reform and running a new health insurance project. Using the experiences of other countries is undoubtedly of great importance in developing and managing our health insurance system.
Objective To systematically review the effects of cost sharing in health insurance schemes, so as to provide evidence for better designing cost sharing ratio in health insurance scheme. Methods The search terms were discussed, tested and then chosen by subject matter experts and search coordinators. The total 20 databases including comprehensive scope, health, economics, sociology, and grey literatures were searched to retrieve all the description or evaluation studies on the effects of cost sharing, such as health services utilization, financial burden or moral hazard. The information from the included studies was extracted into a pre-designed data extraction form, and then it was analyzed and summarized. Results A total of 73 studies were included, covering 17 countries like Australia, Canada, and China, etc. The results of statistical analyses showed that, a) Cost sharing methods were applied to every kind of health insurance scheme. The target population included general population, the elder, the poor, those with chronic disease and children, etc. The services covered clinic, hospitalization, mental health, prevention and drug; and b) The effects brought from cost sharing included: From full fee to cost sharing scheme, the enrollee in developing countries increased their health care utilization, and decreased their financial burden. From full coverage to cost sharing, the utilization of health services decreased in developed countries, but the cost of health insurance could not be reduced, and some undesirable effects were brought due to the decrease of both essential health service utilization and essential drugs compliance.
Objective To assess the effectiveness of outreach strategies for expanding insurance coverage of children who are eligible for health insurance schemes. Methods We searched The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 2), PubMed (1951 to 2010), EMBASE (1966 to 2009), PsycINFO (1967 to 2009) and other relevant databases and websites. In addition, we searched the reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews, and carried out a citation search for included studies to find more potentially relevant studies. Randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before-after studies and interrupted time series which evaluated the effects of outreach strategies on increasing health insurance coverage for children. The included strategies were increasing awareness of schemes, modifying enrolment, improving management and organization of insurance schemes, and mixed strategies. Two review authors independently screened literatures, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. We narratively summarized the data. Results We included two studies, both from the United States. One randomized controlled trial study with a low risk of bias showed that community-based case managers who provided health insurance information, application support were effective in enrolling Latino American children into health insurance schemes (RR=1.68, 95%CI 1.44 to 1.96, n=257). The second quasi-randomized controlled trial, with an unclear risk of bias, indicated that handing out insurance application materials in hospital emergency departments can increase enrolment of children into health insurance (RR=1.50, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.18, n=223). Conclusion The two studies included in this review provide evidence that providing health insurance information and application assistance and handing out application materials in hospital emergency departments can probably both improve insurance coverage of children. But the application of the interventions to other countries beyond the US still depends on contextual factors of health medical systems. Further studies evaluating the effectiveness of different outreach strategies for expanding health insurance coverage of children in different countries are needed, with careful attention given to study design.
Through reviewing the regulations on the right of emergency treatment of hospitals, we analyzed reasons of emergency treatment of hospitals, including uninformed patients and informed patients without consent in emergency situations, as well as the risk of emergency rescue of hospitals. We put forward how to consider the judgment of emergency situations, justification of emergency treatment of hospitals, and risk attribution. We suggested improving the related legislation and regulations, developing compulsory medical insurance and a medical rescue system on emergency treatment.
Objective To compare the national essential medicines list (EML) and national essential insurance medicine list (EIML) of China with that of the WHO, so as to provide reasonable evidence for the adjustment of new EML and EIML of China. Methods The similarities and differences in the selection, updating, categories, subcategories and the amounts of medicines in the EML and EIML of China and the WHO EML were compared and analyzed. Results There are some differences among the three lists in selecting principles, updating of medicines .The latest version of WHO EML (version in 2007) has 27 categories, including 340 medicines; China EML (version in 2004) has 23 categories and 773 western medicines, containing 23 categories and 225 (66.17%) similar medicines of WHO EML, which accounts for 29.11% of EML of China. China EIML (version in 2005) has 23 categories and 1 031 western medicines, containing 22 categories and 227 (66.76%) of WHO EML, which accounts for 22.02% of EIML of China. China EIML was developed based on China EML. There is little difference in selecting, updating, categories of medicines. Conclusion The difference was obviously found in medicine selection, updating and categories between China EML, EIML and WHO EML. We suggested that our national EML and EIML should be more reasonably selected and updated base on the principals of WHO EML.
Objective To identify the chief factors influencing the hospitalization expenses in fracture patients with health insurance so as to provide information for the control of irrational increase in medical expenses and reform in the mode of medical insurance payment. Methods A total of 113 fracture patients with medical insurance in a hospital of a certain city from September 2006 to April 2007 were included and statistical analysis was performed by using multinomial linear regression analysis. Results The major factors influencing the hospitalization expenses in fracture patients with health insurance included the proportion of material fees and drug fees, length of stay, performance of operations and blood transfusion and etc. Conclusion Lowering the proportion of material fees and drug fees reasonably, reducing the length of hospital stay and avoiding operations and blood transfusion were the key to the control of hospitalization expenses for fracture. It is imperative to speed up and deepen the reform in medical insurance system, formulate scientific diagnostic and treatment routines and clinical pathways as well as expense standards, and try out the payment on certain single disease such as fracture.