Health Providers' Perceptions and Experiences of Using mHealth for Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases: Qualitative Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Mobile health (mHealth) technology has great potential for addressing the epidemic of chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) by assisting health providers (HPs) with managing these diseases. However, there is currently limited evidence regarding the acceptance of mHealth among HPs, which is a key prerequisite for harnessing this potential. OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to investigate the perceptions and experiences of HPs regarding the barriers to and facilitators of mHealth use for CNCDs. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library (via Ovid) for studies that assessed the perceptions and experiences of HPs regarding the barriers to and facilitators of mHealth use for CNCDs. Qualitative studies and mixed methods studies involving qualitative methods published in English were included. Data synthesis and interpretation were performed using a thematic synthesis approach. RESULTS: A total of 18,242 studies were identified, of which 24 (0.13%) met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 6 themes related to facilitators were identified, namely empowering patient self-management, increasing efficiency, improving access to care, increasing the quality of care, improving satisfaction, and improving the usability of the internet and mobile software. Furthermore, 8 themes related to barriers were identified, namely limitation due to digital literacy, personal habits, or health problems; concern about additional burden; uncertainty around the value of mHealth technology; fear of medicolegal risks; lack of comfortable design and experience; lack of resources and incentives; lack of policy guidance and regulation; and worrisome side effects resulting from the use of mHealth. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the understanding of the beneficial factors of and obstacles to mHealth adoption by HPs for CNCDs. The findings of this study may provide significant insights for health care workers and policy makers who seek ways to improve the adoption of mHealth by HPs for CNCDs.

Associations of Chinese diagnosis-related group systems with inpatient expenditures for older people with hip fracture.

BACKGROUND: Hip fracture is frequent in older people and represents a major public health issue worldwide. The increasing incidence of hip fracture and the associated hospitalization costs place a significant economic burden on older patients and their families. On January 1, 2018, the Chinese diagnosis-related group (C-DRG) payment system, which aims to reduce financial barriers, was implemented in Sanming City, southern China. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of C-DRG system with inpatient expenditures for older people with hip fracture. METHODS: An uncontrolled before-and-after study employed data of all the patients with hip fracture aged 60 years or older from all the public hospitals enrolled in the Sanming Basic Health Insurance Scheme from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018. The 'pre C-DRG sample' included patients from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. The 'post C-DRG sample' included patients from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. A propensity score matching analysis was used to adjust the difference in baseline characteristic parameters between the pre and post samples. Data were analyzed using generalized linear models adjusted for the demographic, clinical, and institutional factors. Robust tests were performed by accounting for time trend, the fixed effects of the year and hospitals, and clustering effect within hospitals. RESULTS: After propensity score matching, we obtained two homogeneous groups of 1123 patients each, and the characteristic variables of the two matched groups were similar. We found that C-DRG reform was associated with a 19.51% decrease in out-of-pocket (OOP) payments (p < 0.001) and a 99.93% decrease in OOP payments as a share of total inpatient expenditure (p < 0.001); whereas total inpatient expenditure was not significantly associated with the C-DRG reform. All the sensitivity analyses did not change the results significantly. CONCLUSION: The implementation of C-DRG payment system reduced both the absolute amount of OOP payments and OOP payments as a share of total inpatient expenditure for older patients with hip fracture, without affecting total inpatient expenditure. These results may provide significant insights for policymakers in reducing the financial burden on older patients with hip fracture in other countries.

Economic Implications of Chinese Diagnosis-Related Group-Based Payment Systems for Critically Ill Patients in ICUs.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the economic implications of payments based on Chinese diagnosis-related groups for critically ill patients in ICUs in terms of total hospital expenditure, out-of-pocket payments, and length of stay. DESIGN: A pre-post comparison of patient cohorts admitted to ICUs 1 year before and 1 year after Chinese diagnosis-related group reform was undertaken. Demographic characteristics, clinical data, and medical expenditures were collated from a health insurance database. SETTING: Twenty-two public hospitals in Sanming, Southern China. PATIENTS: All patients admitted to ICUs from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018. INTERVENTION: The implementation of Chinese diagnosis-related group-based payments on January 1, 2018. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Economic variables (total expenditures, out-of-pocket payments, and length of stay) were calculated for each patient from the day of hospital admission to the day of hospital discharge. Adjusted mean out-of-pocket payment estimates were 29.46% (p < 0.001) lower following reform. Adjusted mean out-of-pocket payments fell by 41.32% for patients in neonatal ICU, whereas there were no significant decreases in out-of-pocket payments for patients in PICU and adult ICU. Furthermore, adjusted mean out-of-pocket payments decreased by 55.74% in secondary hospitals, but there was no significant change in tertiary hospitals after Chinese diagnosis-related group reform. No significant changes were found in total expenditures and length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese diagnosis-related group policy provided an opportunity for critically ill patients in ICUs to achieve at least short-term financial benefits in reducing out-of-pocket payments, without affecting the total expenditures and length of stay. Chinese diagnosis-related group-based payment significantly relieved financial burdens for patients with lower illness severities, such as patients in neonatal ICU. The results of this study can offer significant insights for policymakers in reducing the financial burden on critically ill patients, both in China and in other countries with similar systems.

Cesarean delivery rates, costs and readmission of childbirth in the new cooperative medical scheme after implementation of an episode-based bundled payment (EBP) policy.

BACKGROUND: In the past decade, the rate of cesarean delivery increased dramatically in rural China under the fee-for-service (FFS) system. In September 2011, the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) agency in Yong'an county in Fujian province of China adopted a policy of reforming payment for childbirth by transforming the FFS payment into episode-based bundled payment (EBP), which made the cesarean deliveries less profitable. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the effect of EBP policy on reducing cesarean use and controlling delivery costs for rural patients in the NCMS. METHODS: Data from the inpatient information database of the NCMS agency from January 2010 to March 2013 was collected, in which Yong'an county was employed as a reform county and 2 other counties as controls. We investigated the effects of EBP on cesarean delivery rate, costs of childbirth and readmission for rural patients in the NCMS using a natural experiment design and difference in differences (DID) analysis method. RESULTS: The EBP reform was associated with 33.97% (p<0.01) decrease in the probability of cesarean delivery. The EBP reform, on average, reduced the total spending per admission, government reimbursement expenses per admission, and out-of-pocket (OOP) payments per admission by ¥ 649.61, ¥ 575.01, and ¥ 74.59, respectively. The OOP payments had a net decrease of 14.24% (p<0.01); whereas the OOP payments as a share of total spending had a net increase of 8.72% (p<0.01). There was no evidence of increase in readmission rates. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the EBP policy has achieved at least a short-term success in lowering the increase of cesarean delivery rate and costs of childbirth. Considering both the cesarean rate and the OOP payments as a share of total spending after the reform were still high, China still has a long way to go to achieve the ideal level of cesarean rate and improve the benefits of deliveries for rural population.

Effect of a typical systemic hospital reform on inpatient expenditure for rural population: the Sanming model in China.

BACKGROUND: Considering catastrophic health expenses in rural households with hospitalised members were unproportionally high, in 2013, China developed a model of systemic reform in Sanming by adjusting payment method, pharmaceutical system, and medical services price. The reform was expected to control the excessive growth of hospital expenditures by reducing inefficiency and waste in health system or shortening the length of stay. This study analyzed the systemic reform's impact on the financial burden and length of stay for the rural population in Sanming. METHODS: A total of 1,113,615 inpatient records for the rural population were extracted from the rural new cooperative medical scheme (NCMS) database in Sanming from 2007 to 2012 (before the reform) and from 2013 to 2016 (after the reform). We calculated the average growth rate of total inpatient expenditures and costs of different medical service categories (medications, diagnostic testing, physician services and therapeutic services) in these two periods. Generalized linear models (GLM) were employed to examine the effect of reform on out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures and length of stay, controlling for some covariates. Furthermore, we controlled the fixed effects of the year and hospitals, and included cluster standard errors by hospital to assess the robustness of the findings in the GLM analysis. RESULTS: The typical systemic reform decreased the average growth rate of total inpatient expenditures by 1.34%, compared with the period before the reform. The OOP expenditures as a share of total expenditures showed a downward trend after the reform (42.34% in 2013). Holding all else constant, individuals after the reform spent ¥308.42 less on OOP expenditures (p < 0.001) than they did before the reform. Moreover, length of stay had a decrease of 0.67 days after the reform (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that the typical systemic hospital reform of the Sanming model had some positive effects on cost control and reducing financial burden for the rural population. Considering the OOP expenditures as a share of total expenditures was still high, China still has a long way to go to improve the benefits rural people have enjoyed from the NCMS.

Impact of sociodemographic and diabetes-related factors on the presence and severity of depression in immigrant chinese Australian people with diabetes.

The coexistence of depression with diabetes significantly increases the likelihood of developing complications. This study aimed to describe the presence and severity of depression in immigrant Chinese Australian people with diabetes and explore its relationship to sociodemographic and diabetes-related factors. This study found that approximately one-fifth of immigrant Chinese Australian people with diabetes had symptoms consistent with moderate to severe depression and that individuals who are socially isolated and have more complex treatment and complications of diabetes are particularly at risk.

Identifying and comparing low-value care recommendations for coronary heart disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in the US and China.

BACKGROUND: Low-value care provides little or no benefit, causes harm and incurs unnecessary costs. Low-value care for coronary heart disease (CHD) is particularly prevalent in the US and China. Identifying low-value care services is the first step in reducing these services. There is currently limited data on identifying a comprehensive CHD low-value care list in the US and China. We aimed to identify and compare low-value care recommendations for CHD prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in the US and China. METHODS: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) related to CHD in the US and China were screened for do-not-do recommendations stating that specific services should be avoided. The similarities and discrepancies of low-value care recommendations for CHD between the two countries were then compared. RESULTS: We found a total of 38 low-value care recommendations in 6 Chinese CPGs and 98 recommendations in 11 US CPGs. In the US, the most common types of low-value care recommendations were therapeutic medications (44, 44.9%), followed by therapeutic procedures (27, 27.6%), diagnostic imaging (16, 16.3%), diagnostic testing (9, 9.2%) and primary prevention (2, 2.0%). In China, the most common types were therapeutic medications (18, 47.4%), followed by therapeutic procedures (13, 34.2%), diagnostic testing (4, 10.5%), and diagnostic imaging (3, 7.9%). CONCLUSION: In this study, a comprehensive list of low-value care for CHD in the US and China was established and potentially become the important targets for de-implementation for both countries. The findings may have important implications for other countries, especially low-and middle-income countries, to reduce low-value care for CHD.

Unbalanced Treatment Costs of Breast Cancer in China: Implications From the Direct Costs of Inpatient and Outpatient Care in Liaoning Province.

BACKGROUND: The increasing incidence of breast cancer and its financial burden highlights the need for controlling treatment costs. This study aimed to assess the direct costs of inpatient and outpatient care for breast cancer patients in Liaoning Province to provide a policy reference for cost containment. METHODS: Based on the System of Health Accounts 2011 (SHA 2011), systematic data collection was conducted via multistage stratified cluster random sampling. A total of 1160 health institutions, including 83 hospitals, 16 public health institutions, 120 primary health institutions, and 941 outpatient institutions were enrolled in 2017. A database was established containing 20 035 patient-level medical records from the information system of these institutions. Curative care expenditure (CCE)was calculated, and generalized linear modeling was performed to determine cost-related factors. RESULTS: In 2017, the CCE for breast cancer was approximately CNY 830.19 million (US$122.96 million) in Liaoning province (0.7% of the total health expenditure and 9.9% of cancer-related healthcare costs). Inpatient care costs were estimated to be CNY 617.27 million (US$91.42 million), accounting for 74.4% of the CCE for breast cancer, almost three times as large as outpatient costs (25.6%). The average inpatient and outpatient costs for breast cancer were estimated to be CNY 12 108 (US$1793) and CNY 829 (US$123) per visit. Medication cost was the main cost driver, which comprised 84.0% of the average outpatient cost and 37.2% of the mean inpatient cost. CONCLUSION: Breast cancer imposes a large economic burden on patients and the social health insurance system. Results show an irrational cost pattern of inpatient and outpatient services, with patients relying excessively on inpatient services for treatment. Promoting outpatient care whenever relevant is conducive to cost containment and rational utilization of resources.

Hospitalization Expenditures and Out-Of-Pocket Expenses in Patients With Stroke in Northeast China, 2015-2017: A Pooled Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Stroke is the second most common cause of mortality worldwide and the leading cause of death in China. It imposes a heavy financial burden on patients, especially for some social groups that are vulnerable to economic risks. Objective: This study aimed to comprehensively assess the magnitude of hospital and out-of-pocket (OOP) costs associated with stroke in Northeast China. Methods: Patients were selected via a multistage stratified cluster random sampling approach. We reviewed all patients' records from 39 hospitals across six cities in Liaoning Province between 2015 and 2017. Cost characteristics of four major stroke types were analyzed. Multivariate linear regression analyses were employed to examine the determinants of hospitalization costs and OOP expenses. Results: A total of 138,757 patients were assessed for the medical costs. The mean hospitalization costs were $1,627, while the mean OOP expenses were $691, accounting for 42.5% of the total expenditures. Medication expenses were the largest contributor to hospitalization costs. The regression analysis suggested that age, length of stay (LOS), social identity, type of stroke, surgery, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, hospital level and hospital type were significantly correlated with hospitalization costs and OOP expenses. Conclusion: Stroke imposes a heavy financial burden on both patients and society in Liaoning Province, Northeast China. Results showed that there are some differences in the individual and social economic burden among different types of stroke. In addition, stroke patients share a high proportion of costs through OOP expenses, especially for poor social-economic status patients. Targeted intervention measures and specific policies are needed to reduce the individual and social economic burden of stroke as well as improve equity in health care among different social groups.

The effects of DRGs-based payment compared with cost-based payment on inpatient healthcare utilization: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Diagnosis related groups (DRGs)-based payment is increasingly used worldwide to control hospital costs instead of pre-existing cost-based payment, but the results of evaluations vary. A systematic analysis of the effects of DRGs-based payment is needed. This study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the effects of DRGs-based payment and cost-based payment on inpatient health utilization in terms of length of stay (LOS), total inpatient spending per admission and readmission rates. We included studies undertaken with designs approved by the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care that reported associations between DRGs-based payment and one or more inpatient healthcare utilization outcomes. After a systematic search of eight electronic databases through October 2018, 18 studies were identified and included in the review. We extracted data and conducted quality assessment, systematic synthesis and meta-analyses on the included studies. Random-effects models were used to handle substantial heterogeneity between studies. Meta-analysis showed that DRGs-based payment was associated with lower LOS (pooled effect: -8.07 % [95 %CI -13.05 to -3.10], p = 0.001), and higher readmission rates (pooled effect: 1.36 % [95 %CI 0.45-2.27], p = 0.003). This meta-analysis revealed that DRGs-based payment may have cost-saving implications by lowering LOS, whereas hardly reduce the readmission rates. Policy-makers considering adopting DRGs-based payment should pay more attention to the hospital readmission rates compared with cost-based payment.

Management status of type 2 diabetes mellitus in tertiary hospitals in Beijing: gap between guideline and reality.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes has become one of the most common chronic diseases and the third leading cause of death in China. Many programs have been initiated at national and local levels to address the illness. However, the effect of these programs in daily outpatient clinics is still unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the management status of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and factors associated with it in diabetes clinics of tertiary hospitals in Beijing. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in six tertiary hospitals in Beijing. Control criteria were defined based on 2007 China guideline for type 2 diabetes (CGT2D). RESULTS: A sample of 1151 patients, age (60.8 ± 9.2) years, and with a median disease duration of 7.3 years was included. The hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) mean level was (7.15 ± 1.50)%, the percentage of patients achieving the targets for HbA1c was 37.8%, blood pressure 65.6%, triglyceride (TG) 48.8%, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) 59.2%, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) 34.0%, and total cholesterol (TC) 42.0%. The factors independently associated with glycemic control were diabetes duration (odds ratio (OR) = 0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.919 - 0.982, P < 0.01), body mass index (BMI) (OR = 0.914, 95%CI: 0.854 - 0.979, P = 0.01) and smoking (OR = 0.391, 95%CI: 0.197 - 0.778, P < 0.01). The factors independently associated with blood pressure control were BMI (OR = 0.915, 95%CI: 0.872 - 0.960, P < 0.01) and male gender (OR = 0.624, 95%CI: 0.457 - 0.852, P < 0.01). The factor independently associated with LDL control was education level (OR = 1.429, 95%CI: 1.078 - 1.896, P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The management status of T2DM patients in tertiary hospitals in Beijing has improved remarkably. However, there is still room for further improvement to reach the guideline target. Long diabetes duration, high BMI, smoking, male gender and low education level were independently associated with poor metabolic control.