How provider payment methods affect health expenditure of depressive patients? Empirical study from national claims data in China from 2013 to 2017.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the associations between provider payment methods and expenditure of depressive patients, stratified by service types and hospital levels.

Methods: We used a 5 % random sample of urban claims data in China (2013-2017), collected by China Health Insurance Research Association. Provider payment methods (fee-for-services, global budget, capitation, case-based and per-diem payments) were the explanatory variables.

Differences in medical costs between TCM users and TCM nonusers in inpatients with thalassemia.

Background: Thalassemia has brought serious health threats and economic burdens to patients worldwide. There is no sovereign remedy for thalassemia, both conventional and Traditional Medicine (TM) methods have certain effects on this disease. As typical of TM, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been widely used in the treatment of thalassemia.

Costs of traditional Chinese medicine treatment for inpatients with lung cancer in China: a national study.

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long been a widely recognized medical approach and has been covered by China's basic medical insurance schemes to treat lung cancer. But there was a lack of nationwide research to illustrate the impact of the use of TCM on lung cancer patients' economic burden in mainland China. Therefore, we conduct a nationwide study to reveal whether the use of TCM could increase or decrease the medical expenditure of lung cancer inpatients in mainland China.