Objective:To analyze the impact of the construction of county medical community led by a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)hospital on the service capacity of township hospitals, in order to provide empirical evidence for deepening the reform of medical communities, improving the service capacity of township hospitals, and promoting the development of TCM services.Methods:Taking the county medical community led by the TCM Hospital in Mengcheng County, Anhui Province as the research object, and using the structure-process-outcome model to analyze the organizational conditions and the key measures for improving the service capacity of township hospitals, and evaluate the changes in service capacity of township hospitals before and after the construction of the medical community. In August 2023, a semi-structured in-depth interview method was used to interview six key informants on the implementation process, mechanism, and impact of the construction of county medical community on the service capacity improvement of township hospitals. The interview data was analyzed using a thematic framework method. At the same time, based on the Service Capacity of Township Health Centers (2022 Edition), a survey questionnaire was designed and 4 township hospitals was randomly selected to investigate their service capacity in 2015 (before the construction of the county medical community) and 2022 (after the construction of the county medical community), and descriptive analysis was conducted on the questionnaire data. Results:Mengcheng County has established a leading group and council for the construction of the county medical community, which was responsible for coordinating and promoting the construction of the medical community. The county-level leading hospital has gained greater autonomy to promote the optimal allocation of medical resources. Through the analysis of interview data, five key themes for enhancing the service capabilities of township hospitals have been identified: resource allocation and unified management, service integration and path optimization, technical assistance and capacity training, institutional construction and quality control, continuous improvement and regular assessment. The average qualification rate of the service capacity of each township hospital has increased from 71.50% in 2015 to 90.50% in 2022, and the average excellence rate has increased from 46.50% to 72.50%. In 2015, the three indicators related to TCM services, including TCM medical services, TCM health management, and TCM management, did not reach level A in all township hospitals. In 2022, they all reached level A.Conclusions:Through structural optimization and process improvement in the construction of county medical communities, the service capabilities of township hospitals can be enhanced, and TCM hospitals as leading units can effectively improve the chronic disease prevention and health management capabilities of township hospitals.

Objective: To investigate the healthcare expenditures and self-payment among patients with lung cancer in Wenling City before and after implementation of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), so as to provide the evidence for controlling medical costs and relieving burdens of patients with lung cancer. Methods: The basic data and healthcare expenditures of lung cancer patients that were definitively diagnosed from 2015 to 2019 and covered by medical insurance were captured from the cancer registration database of Wenling Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the database of chronic and specific diseases in Wenling Bureau of Medical Insurance. The changes of outpatient expenditures, inpatient expenditures and self-payments were compared before (2015-2016) and after implementation of DRGs (2018-2019) among lung cancer patients. Results: Totally 4 947 lung cancer patients covered by medical insurance were enrolled in this study, including 3 052 males (61.69%) and 1 895 females (38.31%), with a mean age of (64.88±11.64) years. The annual mean healthcare expenditure was 56 675.85 Yuan per capita during the period between 2015 and 2016, in which 14.48% were outpatient expenditures and 85.52% were inpatient expenditures, and the annual mean healthcare expenditure was 38 702.94 Yuan per capita during the period between 2018 and 2019 (a 31.71% reduction as compared to that in 2015 and 2016), in which 24.49% were outpatient expenditures and 75.51% were inpatient expenditures. The proportions of outpatient expenditures, inpatient expenditures and total self-payments consisted of 25.38%, 32.49% and 29.67% of total healthcare expenditures in 2018 and 2019, which were significantly lower than those (50.84%, 50.96% and 50.95%, respectively) in 2015 and 2016 (χ2=13.741, P<0.001; χ2=7.015, P=0.008; χ2=9.340, P=0.002). Conclusions The annual mean healthcare expenditures per capita and the proportion of self-payment reduce among lung cancer patients covered by medical insurance following implementation of DRGs.

Objective: To evaluate the new compensation mechanism for primary healthcare institutions in Zhejiang province, in terms of fairness, performance, incentive mechanism and sustainability in pilot areas. Methods: Evaluation indicators were constructed based on stakeholder theory, fairness theory, expectation theory and sustainable development theory.Focus group interviews were conducted with stakeholders and quantitative data were collected through questionnaires. Meanwhile, the financial compensation, income and expenditure and work equivalent data were collected from such institutions of the four pilot areas, with quantitative data subject to descriptive analysis. Results: This study found the reform used reasonable proportion of funds allocated(the proportion of basic salary for employees was lower than 50%)and adjustment factors(1.0-1.8)of different primary healthcare institutions to guarantee the fairness of the reform; the increase of work equivalents(the per capita work equivalents of medical staff in pilot counties had increased from 38.435 million in the previous year to 42.590 million work equivalents)reflected the performance outcomes of the reform. The incentive and sustainability of the reforms were the weak parts. These were mainly due to the fact that the internal distribution system of primary healthcare institutions failed to make corresponding reforms. Conclusions The reform of the compensation mechanism based on the equivalent method has changed medical staff′s perception of the distribution of funds. The principle of" more pay for more work" and the use of information technology to capture work equivalents have improved the enthusiasm of primary medical staff and the operational efficiency of these institutions, thus, making reform generally scientific and reasonable.

The fourth affiliated hospital of Zhejiang university is responsible for training general practitioners in view of the basics of local general practitioners and the characteristics of chronic and frequently-occurring diseases in Yiwu city. This program is carried out relying on the high-quality faculty of medical alliances within Zhejiang university, and funded by the municipal government of Yiwu. The "4+6"training program is designed to elevate the competence of primary general practitioners. Such training fit the overall medical level of general practitioners, enhances people′s trust of general practitioners and the rate of diagnosis at primary level.

Objective To evaluate the effect of " elite small class" training mode in capacity building for general practitioners in Yiwu city. Methods The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine worked with Yiwu Health Bureau, and held the first training class for general practitioners from December 6th in 2018 to April 5th in 2019.The mode of " elite small-class" was adopted. Theoretical assessment was carried out for trainees before and after the training and discussion was conducted after the training. Descriptive analysis of quantitative data and thematic analysis of qualitative data were carried out. Results The trainees′theoretical performance had been significantly improved after 4 months of theoretical learning and clinical rotation.The average score of the theoretical performance was increased from 66.94 to 72.59. Conclusions It was preliminarily found that the " elite small-class" training mode was suitable for the training of general practitioners in rural areas.Government support and trainee selection are key to training outcomes.

This paper described the market reform′s influence and the healthcare reform on medical behaviors of both doctors and patients.It is held that the healthcare reform should ensure the public welfare nature of public hospitals and focus on medical quality and patient′s health,so as to promote the harmonious development of the doctor-patient relationship from the policy and practice aspect.

Analyzed in the paper is the current subsidy mechanism for public hospitals in Zhejiang province, with analysis of problems found. The authors recommended to build a mass fraction subsidy mechanism to cover up the insufficiency of government financial subsidy; to fully leverage the price compensation of medical services; to subsidize in view of the functional positioning of various medical institutions;and explore more channels for public hospitals′subsidies.

This paper described the measures taken by Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine in development of general medicine,and differential care of acute and chronic diseases. Rational allocation of medical resources and leveraging of tertiary hospital′s advantages in medicine and education effectively improved the utilization ratio of medical resources for better health of the people.

The experience of various countries proves that the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment model can lead to reasonable resources allocation and utilization, however, the waste of China''s disordered treatment model has not been estimated.Nowadays, it is very important to establish a hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system during China''s healthcare system reform.Therefore, it is necessary to estimate the benefit the reform may bring.We take Zhejiang Province as an example, and adopted the system dynamics model to build the health delivery system, to emulate the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment model and the disordered model, and to evaluate the benefit.Results showed that if first option at the primary health institutions increased 10%, it could save 0.251 billion yuan, and if increased 15%, it could save 0.39 billion yuan.If the first option at the primary health institution reached 72.35% and the treatment in county reached 90%, the outpatient in tertiary hospital could reduce by 13 million, and those in primary healthcare institutions could increase by 74 million yuan.The direct healthcare cost could reduce 3.016 billion Yuan.

In China's new healthcare reform, the pilot local governments explore the practice of establishing a new model of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system.Zhejiang Province has adopted a special policy of effectively allocating hospital resources and human resources, and efficiently improving primary healthcare institution capability and patient satisfaction(hereinafter referred to as double allocation, double improvement), focusing on the implementation of the 'Healthcare Talents Project', in order to fill a vacancy of human resources in primary healthcare institutions.This paper uses system dynamics modeling and the WISN method of WHO to estimate the gap in physician supply in primary healthcare institutions.After building the system dynamics model of 'Healthcare Talents Project', this paper simulates the influence of the policy on the vacancy of doctors in primary healthcare institutions and analyzes the sensitivity of regulatory factors.The simulation results show that, there are a big gap in physician supply of about 14,000 to build the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system.The project can gradually increase the number of primary doctors, and the policy may fill the vacancy by 2021.However, if the efficiency of the hospital doctors who give assistance to primary institutions is increased by 10%, the targeted training and recruitment 100% achieve the policy plans and objectives, the project goal may be achieved by 2020.Therefore, this project can effectively adjust the human resources structure quickly and reasonably, and it can be used as reference for the reform of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system.