Analysis on Medical Expenses of Hypertensive Inpatients in Urban Areas from 2010 to 2013-Evidence from Two Provinces in South of China

Along with the development of society and the rapid economic growth in the past decades, hypertension and other chronic diseases have become important reasons for people＇s poverty caused by illness in China. This study collected a total of 5857 people from 2010 to 2013 randomly from the database of the Medical Insurance Department （MID）, including 3229 people in Hubei province and 2628 people in Guangdong province. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the total medical expense, out-of-pocket （OOP） expense and hospital stay between variables. A multiple linear regression analysis was done to identify possible risk factors of total medical expense. The results showed that the average total medical expense per capita was 5709.89 yuan, and the medical expense per capita was 7053.58 and 4555.97 yuan in Guangdong province and Hubei province, respectively. The medical expense of hypertensive inpatients decreased from 7222.32 yuan in 2012 to 4894.66 yuan in 2013. There were no significant differences in medical expenses between different genders of hypertensive patients （P〉0.05）. People of different ages, provinces, medical insurances and medical institution levels showed significant differences in medical expenses. The government should increase the investment in chronic disease management and treatment in the central and western regions to narrow the gap with the eastern region. Medical insurance fund payment should be improved to ensure the fairness of the use of medical services in different medical insurances. And measures should be taken to encourage chronic patients to visit primary medical institutions to effectively reduce medical expenses.

A Comparative Analysis of the Control Effect of Medical Expenses between General Hospitals and Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals from 2012 to 2021

Objective To analyze the changing trend of average medical expenses and structure in general hospitals and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)hospitals and the effects and differences achieved by the two kinds of hospitals through controlling unreasonable growth of medical expenses,so as to provide reference for controlling the rapid rise of medical cost in public hospitals and optimizing the cost structure.Methods Based on the changes of related indicators of medical expense control from 2012 to 2021,the overall characteristics,changes of cost structure and trends of medical expenses in general hospitals and TCM hospitals were investigated.Results and Conclusion From 2012 to 2021,the increase of medical expenses in general hospitals and traditional Chinese medicine hospitals had slowed down,the proportion of drug revenue to medical income began to decline,and the medical service income increased.However,the proportion of inspection,test and sanitary materials income has increased instead of decreasing,but the management cost has decreased.The two kinds of hospitals have achieved certain cost control results,the structure of medical cost has changed greatly,and the technical service and labor value of medical personnel have been reflected to a certain extent.However,it is still necessary to explore a more scientific and reasonable cost control mechanism to promote the further optimization of medical cost structure.

Study on the Changes of Medical Income Structure in Governmentrun Hospitals of Traditional Chinese Medicine from 2012 to 2021

Objective To study the changing characteristics and trend of medical income structure in the government-run hospitals of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),evaluate the effects of relevant reform measures,and to put forward corresponding suggestions for further optimizing their income structure.Methods The data related to the average medical income of government-run hospitals of TCM from 2012 to 2021 were sorted out.Then,descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the changes of related indicators.Besides,structural change method was applied to investigate the changes of outpatient income and inpatient income.Results and Conclusion From 2012 to 2021,the growth of medical income in government-run hospitals of TCM tended to be stable,and the proportion of medical service income increased from 22.62%(2012)to 29.38%(2021),but the average annual growth rate was only 0.68%.The main items that caused the change of outpatient income structure were medicine revenue,laboratory tests,diagnosis and treatment,and the cumulative contribution rate was 89.15%.The main items that caused the change of inpatient income structure were medicine revenue,sanitary materials,and auxiliary examinations income,with a cumulative contribution rate of 80.04%.However,the contribution rate of registration,diagnosis,treatment,surgery and nursing income reflecting the value of medical personnel’s technical labor was relatively small.The medical income structure of government-run hospitals of TCM underwent great changes and gradually became reasonable,but the medical service income increased slowly,and not all indicators achieved the expectations.To promote the sustainable development of public hospitals of TCM and enable them to provide high-quality and efficient TCM medical and health services,it is necessary to further improve the relevant policy mechanism.

Effects of New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme on Medical Service Utilization and Medical Expense Control of Inpatients： A 3-year Empirical Study of Hainan Province in China

Background： The New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme （NCMS） has been further adjusted and optimized to reduce the financial burden of rural residents and to achieve universal coverage for them. In this study, we aimed to explore the impact of NCMS on medical service utilization and medical expense of inpatients in recent years. Methods： The research data of Hainan Province were extracted from the Chinese NCMS platform from 2012 to 2014. Detailed information included total expenditure, average inpatients costs, average out-of-pocket payments, actual reimbursement rate, and average annual growth rate of the above indicators. Descriptive analysis was used to gauge the effects of NCMS. Results： In the utilization of medical services, NCMS inpatients in tertiary hospital decreased from 25.49% in 2012 to 20.39% in 2014, inpatients in county hospitals increased from 39.49% to 55.92%, simultaneously. The total expenditure in county hospitals rose steadily from 28.46% to 46.66%, meanwhile, the total expenditure in tertiary hospitals fell from 60.44% to 44.51%.The average out-of-pocket costs of rural inpatients remained stable over the years. Furthermore, the compensation fund ofNCMS inpatients grew significantly. The actual inpatient reimbursement rate at township health centers increased from 76.93% to 84.04%. Meanwhile, the rate at county hospitals and tertiary hospitals increased slightly from 59.37% and 46.10% to 61.25% and 47.71%, respectively. Conclusions： With the improvement of the reimbursement ability, especially after the new health care reform in 2009, the NCMS have been playing a prominent role in alleviating the economic burden of farmers＇ medical treatment. Meanwhile, more patients go to primary hospitals than tertiary hospitals, and the capability of primary hospitals has been greatly improved.

Economic burden of inpatients with viral hepatitis B-related diseases and the influencing factors

Objective:The purpose of this study was to analyze the economic burden of inpatients with hepatitis B virus(HBV)-related diseases and the influencing factors so as to provide an effective basis for the development of health prevention and control strategies.Methods:The patients were selected by means of successive sampling in the period between August and December 2012 from those who were diagnosed with HBV-related diseases and hospitalized in countylevel medical institutions of Jiangsu Province.One hundred ninety-six patients were studied,including 3 patients with acute HBV,141 with chronic HBV,18 with compensatory cirrhosis,22 with decompensated cirrhosis,and 12 with liver cancer.This study adopted a questionnaire method to investigate and calculate the direct and indirect economic burden of the subjects according to disease economic burden theories and methods.Multiple linear stepwise regression was used for analysis of the influencing factors for economic burden of inpatients with HBV-related diseases.Results:The average economic burden for the 196 inpatients investigated was RMB 28,971.The direct economic burden was RMB 19,916(68.7%),including direct medical costs(RMB 19,087;95.8%)and direct non-medical costs(RMB 829;4.2%).The indirect economic burden was RMB 9055(31.3%),including patient-related expenses(RMB 6348;70.1%)and nursing expenses(RMB 2707;29.9%).According to the multiple linear stepwise regression analysis results,the hospital stay,proportion of medicine,age,and disease type affected the economic burden of the patients(P<0.05).Conclusion:Patients with HBV-related diseases undertake a heavy economic burden for hospitalization,especially the direct economic burden.Therefore,the inpatients’economic burden can be reduced by shortening the hospital stay,reducing the medical expenses reasonably,and delaying the progression of disease as far as possible according to medical standards.

Can Health Savings Accounts Reduce Health Spending?Evidence from China

Health care costs are high and continue to rise in most major economies,and the health savings account(HSA)is often viewed as an appealing way to contain health care costs because it can potentially solve the moral hazard spending caused by traditional health insurance.This study uses data from the China Household Finance Survey(CHFS)to empirically examine the effectiveness of HSAs in containing medical expenses and reducing moral hazard.The findings show that HSAs that restrict the use of funds may lead enrollees to discount the value and thus spend more on health care.In addition,the positive effect of HSAs on medical expenses is larger for the relatively healthier group,which may suggest that moral hazard exists regarding the use of HSA funds.The empirical estimates of the HSA effect on medical expenses are robust when a set of covariates are controlled,and HSA balances are instrumented using housing savings account balances.