Addressing Care Continuity and Quality Challenges in the Management of Hypertension: Case Study of the Private Health Care Sector in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a major risk factor of cardiovascular disease and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. In Kenya, the rise of hypertension strains an already stretched health care system that has traditionally focused on the management of infectious diseases. Health care provision in this country remains fragmented, and little is known about the role of health information technology in care coordination. Furthermore, there is a dearth of literature on the experiences, challenges, and solutions for improving the management of hypertension and other noncommunicable diseases in the Kenyan private health care sector. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to assess stakeholders' perspectives on the challenges associated with the management of hypertension in the Kenyan private health care sector and to derive recommendations for the design and functionality of a digital health solution for addressing the care continuity and quality challenges in the management of hypertension. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative case study. We collected data using in-depth interviews with 18 care providers and 8 business leads, and direct observations at 18 private health care institutions in Nairobi, Kenya. We analyzed the data thematically to identify the key challenges and recommendations for technology-enabled solutions to support the management of hypertension in the Kenyan private health sector. We subsequently used the generated insights to derive and describe the design and range of functions of a digital health wallet platform for enabling care quality and continuity. RESULTS: The management of hypertension in the Kenyan private health care sector is characterized by challenges such as high cost of care, limited health care literacy, lack of self-management support, ineffective referral systems, inadequate care provider training, and inadequate regulation. Care providers lack the tools needed to understand their patients' care histories and effectively coordinate efforts to deliver high-quality hypertension care. The proposed digital health platform was designed to support hypertension care coordination and continuity through clinical workflow orchestration, decision support, and patient-mediated data sharing with privacy preservation, auditability, and trust enabled by blockchain technology. CONCLUSIONS: The Kenyan private health care sector faces key challenges that require significant policy, organizational, and infrastructural changes to ensure care quality and continuity in the management of hypertension. Digital health data interoperability solutions are needed to improve hypertension care coordination in the sector. Additional studies should investigate how patients can control the sharing of their data while ensuring that care providers have a holistic view of the patient during any encounter.

Regulating private medical institutions: a case study of China.

The expansion of privatisation in health care has been discussed extensively in most European countries and remains a hot topic nowadays. In China, privatisation results in considerable changes in its health care system, especially accelerating the ever-growing private medical institutions (PMIs). The rapid growth of PMIs raises the question of regulation for the Chinese government. Given the fact that few studies are available on the regulation of PMIs in China, I attempted to fill that gap by discussing the development of PMIs with a special focus on legal-regulatory strategies. After assessing current legal-regulatory strategies concerning PMIs, the paper identifies three major concerns regarding effective legal rules (i.e. weak coherence, inconsistency and legislative vacancy) and three difficult issues regarding government capacity (i.e. the negative effects of decentralised political structure, the low professionalism of bureaucrats and lack of reliability) that impede the well-functioning of regulatory agencies in China. As a plausible response, the paper recommends that the newly drafted basic health law should assign a separate chapter to regulate PMIs and also an independent regulatory body should be established to manage the issues of PMIs in China. Detailed recommendations are the practical implications of ICESCR General Comment No. 14.

[How did the private labs fit onto COVID-19 crisis?] / Comment les laboratoires de biologie médicale privés français se sont adaptés à la crise de la COVID-19 ?

Confronted with the COVID-19 crisis, healthcare professionals have had to tackle an epidemic crisis of a huge magnitude for which they were not prepared. Medical laboratories have been on the front line, from collecting samples to performing the analysis required to diagnose this new pathology. Responding to the needs and to the urgency of the situation, the authorities relied on the network of private laboratories. In France, private laboratory medicine represents 70% of overall activity, and with a network of more than 4,000 local laboratories, private laboratory medicine has been the cornerstone of the « screen-trace-isolate ¼ strategy. This article gives feedback from private laboratory medicine professionals, directly involved in the reorganization carried out at the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical stages, during the crisis from March to October 2020.

Private Providers' Experiences Implementing a Package of Interventions to Improve Quality of Care in Kenya: Findings From a Qualitative Evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: Quality of care is an important element in health care service delivery in low- and middle-income countries. Innovative strategies are critical to ensure that private providers implement quality of care interventions. We explored private providers' experiences implementing a package of interventions intended to improve the quality of care in small and medium-sized private health facilities in Kenya. METHODS: Data were collected as part of the qualitative evaluation of the African Health Markets for Equity (AHME) program in Kenya between June and July 2018. Private providers were purposively selected from 2 social franchise networks participating in AHME: the Amua network run by Marie Stopes Kenya and the Tunza network run by Population Services Kenya. Individual interviews (N=47) were conducted with providers to learn about their experiences with a package of interventions that included social franchising, SafeCare (a quality improvement program), National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) accreditation assistance, and business support. RESULTS: Private providers felt they benefited from trainings in clinical methods and quality improvement offered through AHME. Providers especially appreciated the mentorship and guidelines offered through programs like social franchising and SafeCare, and those who received support for NHIF accreditation felt they were able to offer higher quality services after going through this process. However, quality improvement was sometimes prohibitively expensive for private providers in smaller facilities that already realize relatively low revenue and the NHIF accreditation process was difficult to navigate without the help of the AHME partners due to complexity and a lack of transparency. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that engaging private providers in a comprehensive package of quality improvement activities is achievable and may be preferable to a simpler program. However, further research that looks at the implications for cost and return on investment is required.

From public vs. private to public/private mix in healthcare: lessons from the Israeli and the Spanish cases.

BACKGROUND: Different forms of public/private mix have become a central mode of the privatization of healthcare, in both financing and provision. The present article compares the processes of these public/private amalgams in healthcare in Spain and Israel in order to better understand current developments in the privatization of healthcare. MAIN TEXT: While in both Spain and Israel combinations between the public and the private sectors have become the main forms of privatization, the concrete institutional forms differ. In Spain, these institutional forms maintain relatively clear boundaries between the private and the public sectors. In Israel, the main forms of public/private mix have blurred such boundaries: nonprofit health funds sell private insurance; public nonprofit health funds own private for-profit hospitals; and public hospitals sell private services. CONCLUSIONS: Comparison of the processes of privatization of healthcare in Spain and Israel shows their variegated characters. It reveals the active role played by national and regional state apparatuses as initiators and supporters of healthcare reforms that have adopted different forms of public/private mix. While in Israel, until recently, these processes have been perceived as mainly technical, in Spain they have created deep political rifts within both the medical community and the public. The present article contains lessons each country can learn from the other, to be adapted in each one's local context: The failure of the Alzira model in Spain warns us of the problems of for-profit HMOs and the Israeli private private/public mix shows the risk of eroding trust in the public system, thus reinforcing market failures and inefficient medical systems.

Private health insurance coverage-related lawsuits.

OBJECTIVES: to analyze lawsuits brought by beneficiaries of health insurance operators. METHODS: this was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out in a large-capacity private health insurance operator using data collected by the company from 2012 to 2015. RESULTS: ninety-six lawsuits were brought by 86 beneficiaries regarding medical procedures (38.5%), treatments (26.1%), examinations (14.6%), medications (9.4%), home care (6.2%), and other types of hospitalization (5.2%). The procedures with the highest number of lawsuits were percutaneous rhizotomy; chemotherapy; treatment-related positron-emission tomography scans; and for medications relative to antineoplastic and Hepatitis C treatment. CONCLUSIONS: the lawsuits were filed because of the operators' refusal to comply with items not established in contracts or not regulated and authorized by the Brazilian National Regulatory Agency for Private Health Insurance and Plans, refusals considered unfounded.

Differences in the Receipt of Low-Value Services Between Publicly and Privately Insured Children.

BACKGROUND: Children frequently receive low-value services that do not improve health, but it is unknown whether the receipt of these services differs between publicly and privately insured children. METHODS: We analyzed 2013-2014 Medicaid Analytic eXtract and IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters databases. Using 20 measures of low-value care (6 diagnostic testing measures, 5 imaging measures, and 9 prescription drug measures), we compared the proportion of publicly and privately insured children in 12 states who received low-value services at least once or twice in 2014; the proportion of publicly and privately insured children who received low-value diagnostic tests, imaging tests, and prescription drugs at least once; and the proportion of publicly and privately insured children eligible for each measure who received the service at least once. RESULTS: Among 6 951 556 publicly insured children and 1 647 946 privately insured children, respectively, 11.0% and 8.9% received low-value services at least once, 3.9% and 2.8% received low-value services at least twice, 3.2% and 3.8% received low-value diagnostic tests at least once, 0.4% and 0.4% received low-value imaging tests at least once, and 8.4% and 5.5% received low-value prescription drug services at least once. Differences in the proportion of eligible children receiving each service were typically small (median difference among 20 measures, public minus private: +0.3 percentage points). CONCLUSIONS: In 2014, 1 in 9 publicly insured and 1 in 11 privately insured children received low-value services. Differences between populations were modest overall, suggesting that wasteful care is not highly associated with payer type. Efforts to reduce this care should target all populations regardless of payer mix.

The quality of care in outpatient primary care in public and private sectors in Malaysia.

In Malaysia, first-contact, primary care is provided by parallel public and private sectors, which are completely separate in organization, financing and governance. As the country considers new approaches to financing, including using public schemes to pay for private care, it is crucial to examine the quality of clinical care in the two sectors to make informed decisions on public policy. This study intends to measure and compare the quality of clinical care between public and private primary care services in Malaysia and, to the extent possible, assess quality with the developed economies that Malaysia aspires to join. We carried out a retrospective analysis of the National Medical Care Survey 2014, a nationally representative survey of doctor-patient encounters in Malaysia. We assessed clinical quality for 27 587 patient encounters using data on 66 internationally validated quality indicators. Aggregate scores were constructed, and comparisons made between the public and private sectors. Overall, patients received the recommended care just over half the time (56.5%). The public sector performed better than the private sector, especially in the treatment of acute conditions, chronic conditions and in prescribing practices. Both sectors performed poorly in the indicators that are most resource intensive, suggesting that resource constraints limit overall quality. A comparison with 2003 data from the USA, suggests that performance in Malaysia was similar to that a decade earlier in the USA for common indicators. The public sector showed better performance in clinical care than the private sector, contrary to common perceptions in Malaysia and despite providing worse consumer quality. The overall quality of outpatient clinical care in Malaysia appears comparable to other developed countries, yet there are gaps in quality, such as in the management of hypertension, which should be tackled to improve overall health outcomes.

Private health insurance coverage-related lawsuits / Acciones judiciales relacionadas con la cobertura de prestaciones en la salud complementaria / Ações judiciais relacionadas às coberturas assistenciais na saúde suplementar

ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze lawsuits brought by beneficiaries of health insurance operators. Methods: this was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out in a large-capacity private health insurance operator using data collected by the company from 2012 to 2015. Results: ninety-six lawsuits were brought by 86 beneficiaries regarding medical procedures (38.5%), treatments (26.1%), examinations (14.6%), medications (9.4%), home care (6.2%), and other types of hospitalization (5.2%). The procedures with the highest number of lawsuits were percutaneous rhizotomy; chemotherapy; treatment-related positron-emission tomography scans; and for medications relative to antineoplastic and Hepatitis C treatment. Conclusions: the lawsuits were filed because of the operators' refusal to comply with items not established in contracts or not regulated and authorized by the Brazilian National Regulatory Agency for Private Health Insurance and Plans, refusals considered unfounded.

RESUMEN Objetivos: analizar las acciones judiciales iniciadas por beneficiarios de planes de salud de prepago. Métodos: estudio descriptivo, transversal, desarrollado en importante operadora de planes de salud de prepago, utilizando datos recopilados por la empresa entre 2015 y 2015. Resultados: fueron impulsadas 96 acciones judiciales por parte de 86 beneficiarios, referentes a procedimientos médicos (38,5%), tratamientos (26,1%), estudios (14,6%), medicación (9,4%), Home Care (6,2%) y 5,2% por otros tipos de internación. La mayoría de acciones por procedimientos correspondió a rizotomía percutánea; en tratamientos, a quimioterapia; en estudios, a tomografía por emisión de positrones; en medicamentos, a antineoplásicos y para tratar la hepatitis C. Conclusiones: motivaron las acciones judiciales interpuestas la negativa de la operadora de planes de salud a cubrir prestaciones no incluidas en el alcance del plan contratado por el beneficiario, así como asuntos no reglados y autorizados por la Agencia Nacional de Salud Complementaria, considerándose, en consecuencia, improcedentes.

RESUMO Objetivos: analisar as ações judiciais demandadas por beneficiários de uma operadora de plano de saúde. Métodos: estudo descritivo de corte transversal desenvolvido em uma operadora de plano privado de saúde de grande porte, utilizando dados compilados pela empresa no período de 2012 a 2015. Resultados: foram movidas 96 ações judiciais por 86 beneficiários, referentes a procedimentos médicos (38,5%), tratamentos (26,1%), exames (14,6%), medicamentos (9,4%), Home Care (6,2%) e 5,2% a outros tipos de internações. O maior número de ações dentre os procedimentos foi rizotomia percutânea; para tratamentos, a quimioterapia; exames solicitados de tomografia por emissão de pósitrons; para medicamentos, os antineoplásicos e para tratamento de Hepatite C. Conclusões: a razão para as demandas judiciais impetradas foi a negativa da operadora em atender os itens não pertencentes ao escopo do que foi contratado pelo beneficiário ou itens não regulamentados e autorizados pela Agência Nacional de Saúde Suplementar, portanto sendo consideradas improcedentes.

[General characteristics of medical education in Mexico. A look from medical schools]. / Características generales de la educación médica en México. Una mirada desde las escuelas de medicina.

OBJECTIVE: To know the characteristics of medical education and identify its strengths and weaknesses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A transversal and quantitative study of the characteristics of medical education in 29 medical schools in Mexico was carried out, between April and September 2017. Questionnaire with Likert scale was applied to explore context, regulation, structure, process, results and impact of medical education. Bivariate analysis was performed with a Chi square test and the significance level was equal to or less than 0.05. RESULTS: The political context obtained 64%, economical context 10% and mechanisms of regulation 31%. The educational structure was 61% and the social impact was 93%. CONCLUSIONS: Public policies, regulatory mechanisms and public investment must be strengthened to improve the quality of medical education.

OBJETIVO: Conocer las características de la educación médica e identificar sus fortalezas y debilidades. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se realizó un estudio transversal y cuantitativo para conocer las características de la educación médica en 29 escuelas de medicina en México, entre abril y septiembre de 2017. Se utilizó un cuestionario con escala tipo Likert para explorar el contexto, la regulación, la estructura, el proceso, los resultados y el impacto de la educación médica. Se realizó un análisis bivariado con ji cuadrada y una significancia estadística de p igual o menor a 0.05. RESULTADOS: El contexto político obtuvo 64%, el contexto económico 10%, los mecanismos de regulación 31%, la estructura educativa 61% y el impacto social 93%. CONCLUSIONES: Se requiere fortalecer las políticas públicas, la regulación y la inversión pública, para mejorar la calidad de la educación médica.

Características generales de la educación médica en México. Una mirada desde las escuelas de medicina / General characteristics of medical education in Mexico. A look from medical schools

Resumen: Objetivo: Conocer las características de la educación médica e identificar sus fortalezas y debilidades. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal y cuantitativo para conocer las características de la educación médica en 29 escuelas de medicina en México, entre abril y septiembre de 2017. Se utilizó un cuestionario con escala tipo Likert para explorar el contexto, la regulación, la estructura, el proceso, los resultados y el impacto de la educación médica. Se realizó un análisis bivariado con ji cuadrada y una significancia estadística depigual o menor a 0.05. Resultados: El contexto político obtuvo 64%, el contexto económico 10%, los mecanismos de regulación 31%, la estructura educativa 61% y el impacto social 93%. Conclusiones: Se requiere fortalecer las políticas públicas, la regulación y la inversión pública, para mejorar la calidad de la educación médica.

Abstract: Objective: To know the characteristics of medical education and identify its strengths and weaknesses. Materials and methods: A transversal and quantitative study of the characteristics of medical education in 29 medical schools in Mexico was carried out, between April and September 2017. Questionnaire with Likert scale was applied to explore context, regulation, structure, process, results and impact of medical education. Bivariate analysis was performed with a Chi square test and the significance level was equal to or less than 0.05. Results: The political context obtained 64%, economical context 10% and mechanisms of regulation 31%. The educational structure was 61% and the social impact was 93%. Conclusions: Public policies, regulatory mechanisms and public investment must be strengthened to improve the quality of medical education.

Certificación de establecimientos de atención médica en México: análisis de los incentivos para su continuidad / Certification of medical care facilities in Mexico: analysis of the incentives for its continuity

Resumen: Objetivo: Analizar el posible efecto de los modelos de certificación y de los incentivos implementados en la participación de establecimientos de atención médica (EAM) en la certificación del Consejo de Salubridad General entre 1999-2017. Material y métodos: Se colectaron documentos oficiales, impresos y en línea, sobre la certificación de EAM y se solicitó información a diversas instancias relacionadas mediante mecanismos de transparencia. Se analizó la participación de EAM en los períodos político-administrativos entre 1999-2017. Resultados: El promedio anual de participación entre 1999-2000 fue de 259.5 EAM; entre 2013-2016, de 72.5. La participación de EAM públicos es decreciente. En 2017, los EAM certificados eran <1%. Conclusiones: No se identificaron efectos positivos ni sostenidos de ajustes al modelo, ni de los incentivos implementados. Se observa disminución de la participación en los distintos periodos político-administrativos. Debe evaluarse profundamente el Sistema Nacional de Certificación de EAM y su posible efecto en la calidad clínica.

Abstract: Objective: To analyze the possible effect of certification models and healthcare organizations' (HOs) participation incentives in the General Health Council certification process in the 1999-2017 period. Materials and methods: Official printed and online documents about HOs' certification were collected. Information from instances related to the process was requested through transparency mechanisms. Health organizations' participation in political-administrative periods between 1997-2017 was analyzed. Results: The annual average participation in the certification process during the 1999-2000 period was 259.5 HOs; during the 2013-2016 period, the average was 72.5. Public units' participation in this process has been decreasing. In 2017, certified HO were <1%. Conclusions: No positive effects of adjustments to the certification model or the incentives applied were identified. Conversely, there is decreasing participation in the different political-administrative periods. The National HO Certification System and its possible effect on clinical quality must be thoroughly evaluated.

[Certification of medical care facilities in Mexico: analysis of the incentives for its continuity.] / Certificación de establecimientos de atención médica en México: análisis de los incentivos para su continuidad.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the possible effect of certification models and healthcare organizations' (HOs) participation incentives in the General Health Council certification process in the 1999-2017 period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Official printed and online documents about HOs' certification were collected. Information from instances related to the process was requested through transparency mechanisms. Health organizations' participation in political-administrative periods between 1997-2017 was analyzed. RESULTS: The annual average participation in the certification process during the 1999-2000 period was 259.5 HOs; during the 2013-2016 period, the average was 72.5. Public units' participation in this process has been decreasing. In 2017, certified HO were <1%. CONCLUSIONS: No positive effects of adjustments to the certification model or the incentives applied were identified. Conversely, there is decreasing participation in the different political-administrative periods. The National HO Certification System and its possible effect on clinical quality must be thoroughly evaluated.

OBJECTIVE: Analizar el posible efecto de los modelos de certificación y de los incentivos implementados en la participación de establecimientos de atención médica (EAM) en la certificación del Consejo de Salubridad General entre 1999-2017. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Se colectaron documentos oficiales, impresos y en línea, sobre la certificación de EAM y se solicitó información a diversas instancias relacionadas mediante mecanismos de transparencia. Se analizó la participación de EAM en los períodos político-administrativos entre 1999-2017. RESULTS: El promedio anual de participación entre 1999-2000 fue de 259.5 EAM; entre 2013-2016, de 72.5. La participación de EAM públicos es decreciente. En 2017, los EAM certificados eran <1%. CONCLUSIONS: No se identificaron efectos positivos ni sostenidos de ajustes al modelo, ni de los incentivos implementados. Se observa disminución de la participación en los distintos periodos político-administrativos. Debe evaluarse profundamente el Sistema Nacional de Certificación de EAM y su posible efecto en la calidad clínica.

Private vs public child welfare systems: A comparative analysis of national safety outcome performance.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring the safety of American children is one of the chief mandates of the U.S. Child Welfare System. Yet system differences, including privatization remain an area of concern for whether safety of children is achieved. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effect of privatization policy on the performance of state child welfare systems in terms of achieving national safety outcome standards. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: N1 = 10 states systems (5 privatized and 5 public systems) with N2 = 118,761 foster care cases located throughout the U.S. METHOD: Using data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), safety outcome performance measures were assessed, as were child-/case factors to predict the likelihood of the system types meeting the national safety outcome standards. RESULTS: Logistic regression models of child, case, and system factors predicting the likelihood state systems met national safety outcome performance standards were statistically significant. Private systems, compared to non-private systems, were found to have lower odds of meeting the safety outcome 1 standard (OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.40-0.42), but greater odds of meeting the safety outcome 2 standard (OR = 6.79, 95% CI = 6.56-7.02). CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of privatization policy in state child welfare/foster care service delivery was found to have mixed results in terms of the national safety outcome standards.

The value and consequences of using public health technology assessments for private payer decision-making in Canada: one size does not fit all.

BACKGROUND: Both public and private insurers provide drug coverage in Canada. All payers are under pressure to contain costs. It has recently been proposed that private plans leverage the public health technology assessment (HTA) evaluation process in their decision-making. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the current study were to examine use of public health technology assessments (HTAs) for private payer decision-making in the literature, to gather the perspectives of experts from both public and private insurers on this practice, and to summarize which value parameters of public evaluations can be used for private payer decision-making. METHODS: A targeted literature review was conducted to identify publications on the use of public HTA or cost-effectiveness data for private payer decision-making on pharmaceutical reimbursement. Concurrently, a roundtable meeting was organized with invited panelists, including private payer representatives and health economic consultants (total n = 9). The findings from both were synthesized and expressed in qualitative terms using the PICO framework. RESULTS: The targeted review identified 20 studies meeting the inclusion criteria, primarily originating from the US and Canada. The panelists felt that, despite some similarities, there were substantial differences between both systems. The PICO framework highlighted the issues with transferability between the two systems. Most of the value parameters were either not applicable, needed to be added, needed to be adjusted, or their applicability to private payer systems needed to be confirmed. CONCLUSION: Some components of public HTA may be relevant for private payers, however there are reservations that still exist on whether the HTA process in Canada, designed for a public system, can address the informational needs of private payers. Private insurers need to use caution in assessing which value parameters from public HTAs can be used and which need to be confirmed, ignored, enhanced, or adjusted. One size HTA does not fit all applications.

'Secret Lists and Sanctions': The Blacklisting of the John Lewis Partnership and the Politics of Pay in 1970s Britain.

In 1977, the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) was blacklisted for breaching the Labour government's pay controls under the Social Contract. As the Callaghan administration struggled to establish economic credibility, extending its reach into the private sector emerged as a political priority. JLP became a test case of government resolve months before the Ford strike of autumn 1978 that ushered in the Winter of Discontent. This article uses JLP records to create a more nuanced picture of the tensions, contestations, and vacillations of pay policy in the late 1970s. By doing so, gaps between policy conception and implementation emerge and intersect; both the business and the government faced constraints in implementing policy, despite powerful beliefs about the integrity of their actions. The article is not primarily a case study, however, and aims to contribute to broader debates. The constitutional significance, rather than the commercial impact, of government sanctions became a keynote of critique of JLP's blacklisting, suggesting that contemporaries recognized this was a confrontation of the political moment between the state and the private sector. By looking from a business's perspective, we also gain insight into how organizations approached, negotiated with, and responded to the government. Recovering the JLP blacklisting episode further shows how business archives offer great promise as resources for political history.