Project description:BackgroundContinuity of care is essential to older patients' health outcomes, especially for those with complex needs. It is a key function of primary healthcare. Despite China's policy efforts to promote continuity of care and an integrated healthcare system, primary healthcare centres (PHCs) are generally very underused.ObjectivesTo explore the experience and perception of continuity of care in older cancer patients, and to examine how PHCs play a role in the continuity of care within the healthcare system in China.MethodsA qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted in two tertiary hospitals in Nantong city, Jiangsu province, China. A combination of deductive and inductive analysis was conducted thematically.ResultsInterviews with 29 patients highlighted three key themes: no guidance for patients in connecting with different levels of doctors, unmet patients' needs under specialist-led follow-up care, and poor coordination and communication across healthcare levels. This study clearly illustrated patients' lack of personal awareness and experience of care continuity, a key issue despite China's drive for an integrated healthcare system.ConclusionThe need for continuity of care at each stage of cancer care is largely unmeasured in the current healthcare system for older patients. PHCs offer benefits which include convenience, less burdened doctors with more time, and lower out-of-pocket payment compared to tertiary hospitals, especially for patients with long-term healthcare needs. However, addressing barriers such as the absence of integrated medical records and unclear roles of PHCs are needed to improve the crucial role of PHCs in continuity of care.
Project description:ObjectiveWe aim to estimate the total factor productivity and analyze factors related to the Chinese government's health care expenditure in each of its provinces after its implementation of new health care reform in the period after 2009.Materials and methodsWe use the Malmquist DEA model to measure efficiency and apply the Tobit regression to explore factors that influence the efficiency of government health care expenditure. Data are taken from the China statistics yearbook (2004-2020).ResultsWe find that the average TFP of China's 31 provincial health care expenditure was lower than 1 in the period 2009-2019. We note that the average TFP was much higher after new health care reform was implemented, and note this in the eastern, central and western regions. But per capita GDP, population density and new health care reform implementation are found to have a statistically significant impact on the technical efficiency of the provincial government's health care expenditure (P<0.05); meanwhile, region, education, urbanization and per capita provincial government health care expenditure are not found to have a statistically significant impact.ConclusionAlthough the implementation of the new medical reform has improved the efficiency of the government's health expenditure, it is remains low in 31 provinces in China. In addition, the government should consider per capita GDP, population density and other factors when coordinating the allocation of health care input.SignificanceThis study systematically analyzes the efficiency and influencing factors of the Chinese government's health expenditure after it introduced new health care reforms. The results show that China's new medical reform will help to improve the government's health expenditure. The Chinese government can continue to adhere to the new medical reform policy, and should pay attention to demographic and economic factors when implementing the policy.
Project description:With the deepening of health insurance reform in China, the integration of social health insurance schemes was put on the agenda. This paper aims to illustrate the achievements and the gaps in integration by demonstrating the trends in benefits available from the three social health insurance schemes, as well as the influencing factors. Data were drawn from the three waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (2009, 2011, 2015) undertaken since health reforms commenced. χ2, Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Two-Part model were employed in the analysis. The overall reimbursement rate of the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) is higher than that of Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) or the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS) (p < 0.001), but the gap has narrowed since health reform began in 2009. Both the outpatient and inpatient reimbursement amounts have increased through the URBMI and NRCMS. Illness severity, higher institutional level, and inpatient service were associated with significant increases in the amount of reimbursement received across the three survey waves. The health reform improved benefits covered by the URBMI and NRCMS, but gaps with the UEBMI still exist. The government should consider more the release of health benefits and how to lead toward healthcare equity.
Project description:BackgroundChina launched a new round of healthcare-system reform in 2009 and proposed the goal of equal and guaranteed essential medical and health services for all by 2020. We aimed to investigate the changes in China's health resources over the past ten years after the healthcare reform.MethodsData were collected from the China Statistical Yearbook and China Health Statistics Yearbook from 2009 to 2018. Four categories and ten indicators of health resources were analyzed. A descriptive analysis was used to present the overall condition. The Health Resource Density Index was applied to showcase health-resource distribution in demographic and geographic dimensions. The global and local Moran's I were used to assess the spatial autocorrelation of health resources. Concentration Index (CI) was used to quantify the equity of health-resource distribution. A Geo-Detector model and Geographic Weighted Regression (GWR) were applied to assess the association between gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and health resources.ResultsHealth resources have increased over the past ten years. The global and local Moran's I suggested spatial aggregation in the distribution of health resources. Hospital beds were concentrated in wealthier areas, but this inequity decreased yearly (from CI=0.0587 in 2009 to CI=0.0021 in 2018). Primary medical and health institutions (PMHI) and their beds were concentrated in poorer areas (CI remained negative). Healthcare employees were concentrated in wealthier areas (CI remained positive). In 2017, the q-statistics indicated that the explanatory power of GDP per capita to beds, health personnel, and health expenditure was 40.7%, 50.3%, and 42.5%, respectively. The coefficients of GWR remained positive with statistical significance, indicating the positive association between GDP per capita and health resources.ConclusionsFrom 2009 to 2018, the total amount of health resources in China has increased substantially. Spatial aggregation existed in the health-resources distribution. Health resources tended to be concentrated in wealthier areas. When allocating health resources, the governments should take economic factors into account.
Project description:BackgroundIn 2009, China started an impressive national healthcare system reform. One of the key components is to promote equity in access to essential healthcare services including chronic disease management. We assessed the changes in hypertension management and its equity before and after China's healthcare reform in 2009.MethodsWe used data from the 2008 and 2012 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The surveys were conducted in Zhejiang and Gansu provinces, containing 1,961 and 1,836 respondents aged 45 and older in 2008 and 2012 respectively. We measured the prevalence of hypertension, and proportions of respondents with hypertension aware of their conditions, receiving treatment and under effective control, separately for 2008 and 2012. We also reported these measures in provinces and rural/urban areas.ResultsFrom 2008 to 2012, the age standardized prevalence of hypertension was steady at 46.2%, but hypertension management improved substantially. Among those with hypertension, the proportion of patients aware of their conditions increased from 57.8% to 69.9%, the proportion of patients receiving treatment increased from 38.1% to 56.1%, and the proportion of patients with hypertension under effective control increased from 21.7% to 36.4%. The highest improvement was found in rural areas of the underdeveloped province, which indicated that the inequity across regions declined over time.ConclusionsAmong Chinese population aged 45 and older in Zhejiang and Gansu provinces, hypertension management improved following healthcare reform. The rate of improvement was faster in rural and underdeveloped areas, possibly related to additional governmental subsidies to these areas.
Project description:The United States continues to experiment with health care delivery and financing innovations, but relatively little attention is given to the public health system and its capacity for improving health status in the U.S. population at large. The public health system operates as a multisector enterprise in which government agencies work in conjunction with private and voluntary organizations to identify health risks in the population and to mobilize community-wide actions that prevent and contain these risks. The Affordable Care Act and related health reform initiatives are generating new interest in the question of how best to expand and integrate public health approaches into the larger U.S. health system. The research articles featured in this issue of Health Services Research cluster around two broad topics: how public health agencies can deliver services efficiently and how public health agencies can interact productively with other elements of the health system. The results suggest promising avenues for aligning medical care and public health practices.
Project description:BackgroundPolicies generate accountability in that they offer a standard against which government performance can be assessed. A central question of this study is whether ideological imprint left by policy is realized in the time following its adoption. National mental health policy expressly promotes the notion of deinstitutionalization, which mandates that individuals be cared for in the community rather than in institutional environments.MethodsWe investigate whether mental health policy adoption induced a transformation in the structure of mental health systems, namely psychiatric beds, using panel data on 193 countries between 2001 and 2011.ResultsOur striking regression results demonstrate that late-adopters of mental health policy are more likely to reduce psychiatric beds in mental hospitals and other biomedical settings than innovators, whereas they are less likely than non-adopters to reduce psychiatric beds in general hospitals.ConclusionsIt can be inferred late adopters are motivated to implement deinstitutionalization for technical efficiency rather than social legitimacy reasons.
Project description:BackgroundPolicies generate accountability in that they offer a standard against which government performance can be assessed. A central question of this study is whether ideological imprint left by policy is realized in the time following its adoption. National mental health policy expressly promotes the notion of deinstitutionalization, which mandates that individuals be cared for in the community rather than in institutional environments.MethodsWe investigate whether mental health policy adoption induced a transformation in the structure of mental health systems, namely psychiatric beds, using panel data on 193 countries between 2001 and 2011.ResultsOur striking regression results demonstrate that late-adopters of mental health policy are more likely to reduce psychiatric beds in mental hospitals and other biomedical settings than innovators, whereas they are less likely than non-adopters to reduce psychiatric beds in general hospitals.ConclusionsIt can be inferred late adopters are motivated to implement deinstitutionalization for technical efficiency rather than social legitimacy reasons.