1.Building a people-centered health service system
Chinese Journal of Health Policy 2015;(10):1-4
In order to meet the health needs of people, China’s health service system needs continuous reforms and adjustments. Health needs, equity and efficiency, quality of service, and the development history and current situation of the health service system are the four main dimensions to be considered during the building process of the system. This paper argues that building a people-centered health service system is the direction, and it describes its connotation from five different aspects, including human care, interrelated interests, primary health care-oriented, continuous integration, and conditions for support. This paper proposes the strategies and paths to build a people-cen-tered health service system, including to promoting the quality of primary health care, integrating health service sys-tems, and strengthening government’s responsibility.
2.Development of health policy and systems research
Chinese Journal of Health Policy 2017;10(7):1-5
Health policy and systems research in China has rapidly developed over the past two decades, which helps evidence-based policy making and health systems strengthening.This article aims at reviewing and analyzing, and to come up with a summary of the major progress and future development trend in health policy and systems research are reviewed and analyzed.This article discusses also the current challenges and opportunities of health policy and systems research prevailing in China.
3.Summarizing the Study on the Incentives Mechanism of Supplier Payment Reform Influencing the Physician Behavior
Chinese Health Economics 2014;(2):36-38
Based on the related theories of physician behavior analysis, summarize and discuss the incentives mechanism of supplier payment on physician behavior and its inner mechanism, provide theoretical supports and political suggestions for further analysis on payment reform.
4.The Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of Resignation Probability in Township Health Centers in 5 Provinces and Cities
Chinese Health Economics 2013;(7):38-39
Objective: According to ERG ( Existence Relatedness Growth) needs theory, analyze factors influencing the resignation probability in Township Health Centers (THC). Methods: Structural equation model was used based on ERG needs theory. The sample consists of 403 stuffs in the THC. Results: The result of model fitting goes well. The satisfaction levels of the needs to survive and the needs of relationship become the major influencing factors of resignation probability in the THC. Conclusion: To reduce the resignation probability in THC, it needs to guarantee their income and benefits, improve working condition and living convenience facilities.
5.Process quality of antibacterial drugs utilization among NRCMS acute appendicitis patients in one county of Shandong Province
Chinese Journal of Health Policy 2014;(9):61-67
Objective:To explore means of process quality assessment for antibacterial drug utilization among a-cute appendicitis patients under the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme ( NCMS) through the use of the explicit method in order to provide evidence for the rationality of drug utilization in NRCMS. Methods: Data was collected from the NCMS information system of one county in Shandong Province from 2007 to 2011 and included 1 ,721 cases of acute appendicitis in county and town-level hospitals. The explicit method was employed, which adopted the ad-herence rate to represent drug process quality by comparing the actual antibacterial drug utilized with those recom-mended by quality standards. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data with Excell2007, Microsoft SQL 2005 and SPSS 17 . 0 . Results: The average overall adherence rate from 2007 to 2011 was 22 . 4% ( SD =22. 3%) at the individual level. The overall adherence rate of township health centers was very low, between 14. 6%and 19. 6%, with no significant difference among the five years. The utilization of cephalosporin drugs was relatively stable at town-level hospitals, that is, third-generation cephalosporins was used most frequently, while cephalosporin, recommended by quality standards, was the least utilized in all five years. At county-level hospitals, fourth-genera-tion drugs were gradually substituted with second and third-generation drugs. Utilization of the recommended drug metronidazole of the nitromidazoles drug group decreased over time at both the town and county-level hospitals, and the drug was gradually substituted by tinidazole and ornidazole, especially in county-level hospitals. Conclusions:From 2007 to 2011 , the rationality of drug utilization was low in the NCMS designated hospitals at both town and county-level hospitals, particularly in town-level hospitals. The underuse of recommended quality standard drugs was the main issue at hand, and this situation experienced no significant changes during the study period.
6.Correlation between quality and expenditure of medical care:a review of international studies
Chinese Journal of Health Policy 2014;(10):46-51
The health care system has always faced challenges from two competing fronts: rising costs and quality concerns. The common issue of debate confronted by various health care systems is whether or not rising medi-cal expenditure can lead to quality improvements. The key to addressing this issue is to figure out the correlation be-tween quality of care and medical expenditure. Based on Donabedian’s structure, process and outcome quality theory, this study reviews relevant international studies related to this topic in order to provide empirical evidence in a clearer way. Results show that the analysis of current studies have typically been based on the regional level, health provider level and patient level; the quality indicators used varied among studies while expenditure indicators had much in common;more studies were found to focus on the association between outcome quality and expenditure while less studies explored the link between structure or process quality and expenditure; additionally, the majority of relevant studies were located in the inpatient setting and studies from outpatient settings were found to be lacking. Overall, ac-cording to current knowledge, no inclusive conclusion could be obtained, but quality indicators, data and methods, and limitations revealed in these studies can be reviewed by future study to explore the correlation between quality and expenditure of medical care in a more objective way.
7.Evaluating the Effects of Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance on Medical Service Utilization Based on Matching DID Model
Chinese Health Economics 2013;(6):8-10
Objective: To identify the impact of Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) on medical service utilization. Methods: Based on data of China Health and Nutrition Survey, matching DID model was used to compare the changes in medical service utilization between residents participated in this system and those not participated in this system in 2009. Results:In initial stage of implementation, URBMI in a certain extent promoted medical service utilization of residents participated in the system, but the impact level was still low. The promoting effect on inpatient service utilization was significant, but very limited on outpatient service utilization. Conclusion:Promoting outpatient service utilization and increasing compensation are future priorities for improving URBMI to implement the system.
8.The Influence of Government Health Expenditure on the Technical Efficiency of Rural Medical Institutions
Chinese Health Economics 2014;(7):51-53
To discuss the influences of government health input on the efficiency of hospital operation. Methods:Taking 16 county-level hospitals in Ningxia as samples, using DEA and DEA-malmqutist indicator method to calculate the technical efficiency scores from 2000 to 2012, then analyze the compositions of technique efficiency(TE) , using Tobit regression to analyze the relationship between government budget health expenditure and medical institution efficiency. Results: The Ningxia governmental health budget expenditure is growing almost 3 times from 2000 to 2012 and the average TE is 0.82-0.94. In the 16 county-level hospitals, the TFP of 6 hospitals (37.5%) was less than 1, and the minimum was 0.82; while the TFP of 10 hospitals (62.5%) were more than 1, the max was 1.699. For the 6 hospitals of which TFP was less than 1, the reason for negative growth of TFP was contributed to the slow technique change, the pure efficiency or small scale. The regression result of TOBIT showed that the government health expenditure increases 1 000 units, the efficiency of medical institutions will increase 0.0031. Conclusion: The relationship between the governmental expenditure and medical institutions is positive, but the technical efficiency of medical institutions expenditure was the result of multiple factors.
9.The Judgment Method and Example of Hospital Return to Scale Based on Data Envelopment Analysis
Chinese Health Economics 2014;(3):80-82
Objective: To judge the return to scale of inefficient decision-making unit(DMU)on data envelopment analysis(DEA). Methods: On the basis of return to scale method of classical DEA decision-making unit. Through comparing the same input of efficient and inefficient DMU, increase the quantities of output of inefficient DMU(the inverse of efficiency value), taking this point as the area of inefficient technique unit return to scale. Results: Taking the county-level hospitals of Chinese Medicine as examples, it is found that there are no clear judgment on the return of scale of inefficient hospitals, after adjustment, there are 4 inefficient hospitals are classified into increasing return to scale stage and decreasing return to scale stage, which embody obvious characteristics of insufficient output. Conclusion: The return to scale is important information to evaluate the efficiency of medical institutions which is the reason leading to inefficiency medical institutions.
10.Survey and analysis on policy environment of non-public hospitals
Chinese Journal of Health Policy 2017;10(5):59-63
In this paper, 172 non-public hospitals have been investigated covering east, central and western regions with structured and semi-structured questionnaire and group interviews. We found that the health insurance policies were the most concerned policies by non-public hospitals, accounting for 26.5% of the total. We also found that non-public hospitals from different areas, levels profit nature have different policy expectations, for example Eastern regional institutions wanted to make a breakthrough of the planning policies, the central region wanted to change the health personnel policy, while the western region is considered to be limited by land policy. Tertiary hospitals were more concerned about research projects and land policy, and secondary hospitals were more concerned about access policy. There were 44.8% of the surveyed institutions considered that regulatory policywasmore stringent public hospitals and public hospitals, and there were no difference between profit and non-profit hospitals. According to the survey results, this paper puts forward suggestion that we should implement more targeted policies, purchasing more services from non-public hospitals and enhanced supervision. Considering the survey results research team puts forward sensitive advice as: provide preferential policies in according with different kinds of institutions reinforce purchasing service and enhance non-public hospitals supervision.