Effect of health insurance on direct hospitalisation costs for in-patients with ischaemic stroke in China.

Objectives The aim of the present study was to determine the direct medical costs of hospitalisations for ischaemic stroke (IS) in-patients with different types of health insurance in China and to analyse the demographic characteristics of hospitalised patients, based on data supplied by the China Health Insurance Research Association (CHIRA). Methods A nationwide and cross-sectional sample of IS in-patients with International Classifications of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) Code I63 who were ensured under either the Basic Medical Insurance Scheme for Employees (BMISE) or the Basic Medical Insurance Scheme for Urban Residents (BMISUR) was extracted from the CHIRA claims database. A retrospective analysis was used with regard to patient demographics, total hospital charges and costs.

Equity in access to healthcare among the urban elderly in China: does health insurance matter?

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine if inequity in healthcare among the urban elderly in China has been improved through the implementation of Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI).METHODS AND DATA SOURCE: We used the data from a nationwide household health survey conducted between December 2011 and February 2012 to compare the needs, uses, and non-uses of health services of the 7618 urban Chinese elderly 60 years and older covered by two different health insurance schemes. Frequency and percentages were used to examine the data.

The impact of medical insurance policies on the hospitalization services utilization of people with schizophrenia: A case study in Changsha, China.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of two medical insurers' policies on the hospitalization of people with schizophrenia and the economic burden they faced during a period of rapid health services reform in China.

Methodology: A comparative analysis was made of Urban Employee-Basic Medical Insurance (UE-BMI) and Urban Residents-Basic Medical Insurance (UR-BMI) policies on the medical management of schizophrenics, and was compared with hospitalization expenses, insurer reimbursement data and other information collected from the HMO (health maintenance organization) and social insurance agencies on the care of people with schizophrenia in Changsha in 2010. In-depth interviews were also conducted with relevant managers.

A comparison of outpatient healthcare expenditures between public and private medical institutions in urban China: an instrumental variable approach.

The growth of healthcare expenditure provokes constant comments and discussions, as countries battle the issues on cost containment and cost effectiveness. Prior to 1978, medical institutions in China were either state-owned or were collective public hospitals. Since 1978, China has been trying to rebuild its healthcare system, which was destroyed during the 'cultural revolution', allowing private medical institutions to deliver healthcare services.

Socioeconomic factors influencing antipsychotic prescription for schizophrenia inpatients in China: a cross-sectional study.

Medication is critical in schizophrenia therapy, and prescription patterns have changed considerably over the past 20 years in China. This study attempts to evaluate the prescription patterns of antipsychotics for inpatients with schizophrenia in China and to identify factors influencing these patterns. Claims data of inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2010 were derived from the reimbursement database of Wuhan and Wuxi.

[An international comparison of physician control systems].

This study compares physicians' regulations set by the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Germany which have typical healthcare systems. Physicians' regulations are defined in this study as four aspects: physicians' training and qualifications, career pathways, payment methods and behavior regulations. Strict access rules, practicing with freedom, different training models between general and special practitioners, health services priced by negotiations and regulations by professional organizations are the common features of physicians' regulations in these four western countries.