An empirical analysis on the substitution effect of outpatient services on inpatient services
10.3969/j.issn.1671-167X.2015.03.017
- VernacularTitle:门诊服务对住院服务替代效应的实证分析
- Author:
Weiyan JIAN
;
Hai FANG
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Outpatient services;
Inpatient services;
Insurance;
Reimbursement policy;
New coopera-tive medical scheme
- From:
Journal of Peking University(Health Sciences)
2015;(3):459-463
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To study the substitution effect of outpatient services on inpatient services and provide suggestions on designing outpatient policies. Methods:The data were from 13 districts/counties in one area of eastern China from 2007 to 2013 for the new cooperative medical scheme. This study em-ployed a fixed effects model to analyze the impacts of outpatient visit times, expenditure amounts and re-imbursements on inpatient services. Results: One outpatient visit reduced the total amount of inpatient services by 20 Yuan. An increase of 10 000 Yuan outpatient reimbursements saved 9 700 Yuan inpatient expenses. An increase of 10 000 Yuan outpatient expenses led to a decrease of 3 000 Yuan inpatient re-imbursements. The outpatient services did not increase the inpatient hospitalization times significantly. In particular, the effects of the outpatient services were mainly on the inpatient services at the district/coun-ty levels, and no significant impacts on the outpatient services at the city levels. Conclusion:There is a substitution effect of outpatient services on inpatient services. The health insurance departments should take this substitution effect into account and shift more funds on outpatient series, when they design out-patient and inpatient reimbursement policies.
