Analyzing Financial Efficiency of Public-Private Partnerships Hospitals in Taiwan.

This study evaluates the management capacity ability and profitable capacity of eight public-private partnership hospitals in Taiwan from 2015 to 2020. By conducting various ratio analyses of the financial statement, this study found these hospitals have achieved a balance between management efficiency and profitability, thereby confirming the viability of the PPP model for hospital management. In addition, the subject hospitals play a vital role as isolation hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond offering medical assistance to infected individuals, these hospitals contribute to the integrity of Taiwan's medical network, mitigating the impact of the pandemic. Overall, establishing and managing hospitals with PPP partnership is a feasible solution as it alleviates governmental financial burdens related to medical welfare and achieves profitability.

Overview of drug treatment for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in Taiwan emergency departments: Adenosine using trend from 2000 to 2012.

BACKGROUND: Before 2010, guidelines recommended adenosine 6, 12, and a repeat dose of 12 mg for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). After 2010, these doses were reduced to two. This study aims to outline adenosine using trend from 2000 to 2012 in Taiwan emergency departments (EDs). METHODS: This was an ecological study. PSVT were drawn from one million individuals of the National Health Insurance Database. The χ2 test was used to determine an association between different adenosine doses and other antiarrhythmic drugs (OADs), including verapamil, diltiazem, amiodarone, digoxin, and labetalol. RESULTS: There were 3361 PSVT visits from 2000 to 2012; 834 (24.8%) did not receive an antiarrhythmic drug, and 2527 (75.2%) did, either adenosine with/without OADs or OADs alone. The use of an OAD was significantly different between the adenosine 6-18 mg and 19 + mg groups. CONCLUSIONS: Most PSVT episodes converted with adenosine within 18 mg, and the success conversion rate was 62.2%. It could be up to 65.2% if they received more. Of the patients who did not have their PSVT reverted with< 18 mg, 37.8% could have been successfully treated with more doses. The necessity of using the 3rd dose of adenosine is needed to be further explored.

A direct connection promotes time efficiency for transfer of ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients.

INTRODUCTION: Reducing the delay in time to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome patients in the non-urban emergency department (ED) is of critical importance. Conventionally, physicians in a non-PCI-capable, non-urban local emergency department (LED) require approval from a tertiary university hospital emergency department (TUH-ED) prior to transferring eligible STEMI patients for PCI procedures. To reduce the ED delay time, this study developed a direct connection between the LED and the cardiac catheterisation laboratory in the TUH (TUH cath lab). METHODS: ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients' medical records for 2014 to 2017, from a non-PCI regional hospital located in one of the rural counties in central Taiwan and a TUH-ED in a metropolitan area in the centre of Taiwan, were retrospectively collected and classified into two categories: the LED referral (group A) and the TUH-non-referral (group B). This study compared the ED delay time between TUH non-referral patients in the TUH and LED referral patients in the LED, to determine whether a direct connection reduces current LED delay time. RESULTS: A total of 214 patients (group A, n=62; group B, n=152) who underwent PCI procedures at the TUH were enrolled in the study. ED delay times in the LED were significantly less than the TUH-ED (45.0 v 66.0 min, p<0.01.) Conclusion: The direct connection between the LED and the TUH cath lab effectively shortened the ED delay time in the LED, allowing for earlier primary PCI procedures for the transferred STEMI patients.

Influence of the time interval from diagnosis to treatment on survival for early-stage liver cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in men and the ninth most common cancer in women, and the WHO expects that there will be 1,341,344 cases in 2034 worldwide. Liver cancer also has the second-highest cancer death rate, accounting for 7% of all cancers. The study is going to explore the relationship between time interval from diagnosis to treatment and survival status of early-stage liver cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study using the national database from Taiwan. The datasets include the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database (TCR), the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), and the National Registry of Deaths. The target population for the study was patients newly diagnosed with stage I and stage II liver cancer between the years 2004 and 2010. Total of 26,038 cases were included in the study. Except descriptive analysis, the relationship between patient characteristics and the time interval from diagnosis to treatment was examined by chi-square tests. In addition, modified Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze the hazard ratio of patient death with various treatment delay durations. RESULTS: There were 20,430 patients (78.46%) who received treatment less than 30 days after diagnosis, while 2,674 patients (10.27%) received treatment between 31 and 60 days after diagnosis, and 2,068 patients (7.94%) received treatment between 61 and 180 days after diagnosis, and 866 patients (3.33%) who received treatment 181 days after diagnosis. Those treated more than 181 days and 61-180 days after diagnosis had a 1.68-fold increased risk of death (95% confidence interval: 1.50-1.88) and a 1.39-fold increased risk of death (95% confidence interval: 1.31-1.17), respectively. Being male, being elderly, having a higher CCI level, and being treated in a hospital with a low service volume were factors associated with a poorer prognosis. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study utilized a national cohort to conclude that for early-stage liver cancer patients, a longer the time interval from diagnosis to treatment results in a lower survival rate.

Incidence of second hip fractures and associated mortality in Taiwan: A nationwide population-based study of 95,484 patients during 2006-2010.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is was to determine the incidence and mortality of second hip fracture using a nationwide database. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A nationwide epidemiological study was conducted using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2001 to 2011. Patients older than 50 years with hip fractures from 2006 to 2011 were included in the study. A total of 95,484 hip fractures were identified, with subsequent second hip fracture occurred in 4102 of them. RESULTS: The incidence rate ratio of second hip fracture showed a 7.13 fold of risk of further hip fracture in 3 months, 5.21 fold in one year, and remained more than 2 fold in the end of 6th year when compared with the general population. The 6-year cumulative incidence of a second hip fracture was higher in female (8.0%) than in male (6.2%). A significantly higher 1-year mortality rate was seen after a second hip fracture (18.8%) compared to the first hip fracture (14.1%) (p < 0.05). Men had higher 1- and 5-year mortality rates after second hip fractures (12.1% and 41.2%, respectively) than women (17.4% and 47.3%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with hip fractures would have a 2-7 fold of risk of a second fracture within 6 years. Women were more prone to a second hip fracture than men but men had a higher mortality rate.

Efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine compared with a macrolide in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to examine the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) without nasal polyps. METHODS: Patients with CRS without nasal polyps were enrolled in the study. Before treatment, they were evaluated by the Taiwanese version of the 20-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (TWSNOT-20), nasal endoscopy, saccharin test, and bacterial culture. Then, they were randomized to take CHM (Tsang-Erh-San extract granules and Houttuynia extract powder) or erythromycin for 8 weeks. After treatment, they were evaluated again by the TWSNOT-20, nasal endoscopy, saccharin test, and bacterial culture. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients completed the study with 26 in the CHM group and 27 in the erythromycin group. In both the CHM and the erythromycin groups, TWSNOT-20 scores significantly decreased after treatment, but the decrease was not significantly different between the two groups. However, the saccharin transit times were shortened in more patients in the CHM group than in patients in the erythromycin group. CONCLUSION: Our results showed CHM had an efficacy similar to that of macrolides in the treatment of CRS without nasal polyps. However, a placebo effect remained possible in both treatment groups.

Determining factors for utilization of preventive health services among adults with disabilities in Taiwan.

Taiwan has provided free health checks for adults since 1995. However, very little previous research has explored the use of preventive health services by physically and mentally disabled adults. The present study aimed to understand this use of preventive health services and the factors that influence it. Research participants included disabled people registered in a Ministry of the Interior database in 2008 (a total of 785,746 adults who met the conditions for being physically or mentally disabled and using preventive health services). These data were merged with the Bureau of Health Promotion's 2006-2008 dataset on preventive health and the 2006-2008 health insurance database published by the National Health Research Institutes. In addition to descriptive and bivariate analysis, the study used logistic regression analysis to investigate the factors that influence the use of adult preventive health services. The results showed that 15.81% of physically and mentally disabled adults used preventive health services. The rate of use among females was significantly higher than the rate among males, and rates were higher among residents of relatively less urbanized areas. Usage rates were also universally higher among sufferers of chronic diseases. However, more serious disabilities had lower usage rates. From the logistic regression analysis, we ascertained that the factors that influenced the use of preventive health services were gender, age, level of urbanization, monthly salary, low-income household status, aboriginal status, catastrophic disease/injury status, chronic diseases, type of disability, and severity of the disability. The study's main conclusion is that although Taiwan's Department of Health has provided free preventive health services for more than 15 years, the usage rate of this care among the disabled remains low. Demographic features, health status, and type of disability are the main factors influencing the use of preventive healthcare services.

The influence of health behaviors on survival in lung cancer patients in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that patients' health risk behavior will affect the survival outcome of diseases. Smoking alone is a significant health risk behavior that affects the survival outcome of lung cancers; other health risk behaviors remained unknown. Therefore, this study discusses the effects of health risk behaviors on the survival outcome in lung cancer patients. METHODS: The study sample consists of 1410 newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed lung cancer patients from a medical center hospital in central Taiwan. The patient medical records were collected from 1 January 1998 to May 2004. Besides descriptive statistical analyses, t-test and analysis of variance were used to analyze the relationship between patient characteristics, patient health risk behavior and survival. Chi-square tests were used to analyze the relationship between patient characteristics, patient health risk behavior and stage of disease. Cox's proportional hazards regression was computed for the risk of survival by patient characteristics and patient health risk behavior. RESULTS: The results showed that there is a significant difference between smoking (P < 0.001), alcohol consumption (P = 0.027), routine physical check-ups (out-of-pocket) (P < 0.001) and survival time. Patients with betel-nut consumption did not have a significant effect upon survival than non-betel-nut consumption patients. When holding constants all the variables in Cox's proportional hazards model, smoking (P = 0.02), routine physical check-ups (out-of-pocket) (P = 0.017) and stage at diagnosis of lung cancer (P < 0.001) will affect lung cancer patients' survival. CONCLUSIONS: This study presented evidence showing that smoking, alcohol consumption behavior, routine physical check-ups and stage at diagnosis play an important role in determining the survival of lung cancer patients.

Effects of pay-for-performance system on tuberculosis default cases control and treatment in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVES: In order to make tuberculosis (TB) treatment more effective and to lower the default rate of the disease, the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) in Taiwan implemented the "pay-for-performance on Tuberculosis" program (P4P on TB) in 2004. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the P4P system in terms of default rate. METHODS: This is a retrospective study. National Health Insurance Research Datasets in Taiwan from 2002 to 2005 has been used for the study. The study compared the differences of TB default rate before and after the implementation of P4P program, between participating and non-participating hospitals, and between P4P hospitals with and without case managers. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the related factors influencing TB patients default treatment after TB detected. RESULTS: The treatment default rate after "P4P on TB" was 11.37% compared with the 15.56% before "P4P on TB" implementation. The treatment default rate in P4P hospitals was 10.67% compared to 12.7% in non-P4P hospitals. In addition, the default rate was 10.4% in hospitals with case managers compared with 12.68% in hospitals without case managers. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that "P4P on TB" program improved the treatment default rate for TB patients. In addition, case managers improved the treatment outcome in controlling patients' default rate.

The effects of pay-for-performance on tuberculosis treatment in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVES: In order to make tuberculosis (TB) treatment more effective and to lower the transmission rate of the disease, the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) in Taiwan implemented the 'Pay-for-Performance on Tuberculosis' programme (P4P on TB) in 2004. This study investigates the effectiveness of the P4P system in terms of cure rate and length of treatment. METHODS: This retrospective study obtained information on all TB cases in the national data sets of Taiwan for the years 2002 to 2005. The number of cases in pre-P4P years (2002 and 2003) was 25 754, compared with 33 536 in the post-P4P implementation years (2004 and 2005). The effectiveness of the programme was evaluated by comparing the TB cure rate and length of treatment before and after the implementation of the P4P programme, and between participating and non-participating hospitals. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the factors affecting TB patients' cure rate within a 12-month treatment period. FINDINGS: The cure rate and the average length of treatment before the implementation of P4P were 46.9% and 256.24 days, respectively, compared with 63.0% and 249.74 days after implementation of P4P. The cure rate and length of treatment in P4P hospitals were 68.1% and 249.13 days, respectively, compared with 42.4% and 53.71 days in non-P4P hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that both the cure rate and average length of treatment for cured cases improved significantly after the implementation of the P4P on TB programme in Taiwan. Compared with non-P4P hospitals, P4P hospitals had significantly better treatment outcomes. Patients' age, income level, the physician density of a patient's place of residence, and whether the hospital has joined the P4P on TB programme are factors affecting the treatment outcomes of TB patients in Taiwan.

Role of pollen allergy in Taiwanese patients with allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Pollen allergy is believed to be less common in East Asia, Latin America, and tropical areas. The purpose of this study was to understand the role of pollen allergy in Taiwan. METHODS: Patients with clinically diagnosed allergic rhinitis were enrolled. All subjects received a 30-item skin test panel that included perennial allergens (house dust mix, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, dog epithelium, cat hairs, cockroach mix, and Candida albicans) and pollen allergens (acacia, pine mix, eucalyptus, beefwood, juniper mix, willow, mulberry mix, pepper tree, cedar, Johnson grass, Bermuda grass, ragweed mix, Timothy grass, spiny pigweed, cocklebur, sage mix, sheep sorrel, dog fennel, pigweed mix, English plantain, castor bean, alfalfa, and dandelion). RESULTS: A total of 419 patients were recruited. A total of 313 (74.7%) had a positive skin test. A total of 288 patients (68.7%) were sensitive to perennial allergens, and 11 8 patients (28.2%) were sensitive to pollen allergens. However, 93 pollen-sensitive patients were also sensitive to perennial allergens, and only 25 were sensitive to pollen allergens alone. The most common allergens were D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae, house dust mix, and cockroach, but the most common pollen allergens were spiny pigweed, Johnson grass, and sheep sorrel. All nasal symptoms tended to be more severe in patients who were sensitive to perennial allergens than in those who were sensitive to pollen allergens alone. CONCLUSION: Most patients with allergic rhinitis in Taiwan are sensitive to perennial allergens, and pollens are a less common allergen.

Chronic kidney-disease screening service quality: questionnaire survey research evidence from Taichung City.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious public health problem in Taiwan and the world. The most effective, affordable treatments involve early prevention/detection/intervention, requiring screening. Successfully implementing CKD programs requires good patient participation, affected by patient perceptions of screening service quality. Service quality improvements can help make such programs more successful. Thus, good tools for assessing service quality perceptions are important. AIM: to investigate using a modified SERVQUAL questionnaire in assessing patient expectations, perceptions, and loyalty towards kidney disease screening service quality. METHOD: 1595 kidney disease screening program patients in Taichung City were requested to complete and return a modified kidney disease screening SERVQUAL questionnaire. 1187 returned them. Incomplete ones (102) were culled and 1085 were chosen as effective for use. Paired t-tests, correlation tests, ANOVA, LSD test, and factor analysis identified the characteristics and factors of service quality. The paired t-test tested expectation score and perception score gaps. A structural equation modeling system examined satisfaction-based components' relationships. RESULTS: The effective response rate was 91.4%. Several methods verified validity. Cronbach's alpha on internal reliability was above 0.902. On patient satisfaction, expectation scores are high: 6.50 (0.82), but perception scores are significantly lower 6.14 (1.02). Older patients' perception scores are lower than younger patients'. Expectation and perception scores for patients with different types of jobs are significantly different. Patients higher on education have lower scores for expectation (r = -0.09) and perception (r = -0.26). Factor analysis identified three factors in the 22 item SERVQUAL form, which account for 80.8% of the total variance for the expectation scores and 86.9% of the total variance for the satisfaction scores. Expectation and perception score gaps in all 22 items are significant. The goodness-of-fit summary of the SEM results indicates that expectations and perceptions are positively correlated, perceptions and loyalty are positively correlated, but expectations and loyalty are not positively correlated. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this research suggest that the SERVQUAL instrument is a useful measurement tool in assessing and monitoring service quality in kidney disease screening services, enabling the staff to identify where service improvements are needed from the patients' perspectives.