Annual epidemiological and health insurance disease burden of hip osteoarthritis in Hungary based on nationwide data.

BACKGROUND: Health services utilization related to hip osteoarthritis imposes a significant burden on society and health care systems. Our aim was to analyse the epidemiological and health insurance disease burden of hip osteoarthritis in Hungary based on nationwide data. METHODS: Data were extracted from the nationwide financial database of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA) of Hungary for the year 2018. The analysed data included annual patient numbers, prevalence, and age-standardized prevalence per 100,000 population in outpatient care, health insurance costs calculated for age groups and sexes for all types of care. Patients with hip osteoarthritis were identified using code M16 of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), 10th revision. Age-standardised prevalence rates were calculated using the European Standard Population 2013 (ESP2013). RESULTS: Based on patient numbers of outpatient care, the prevalence per 100,000 among males was 1,483.7 patients (1.5%), among females 2,905.5 (2.9%), in total 2,226.2 patients (2.2%). The age-standardised prevalence was 1,734.8 (1.7%) for males and 2,594.8 (2.6%) for females per 100,000 population, for a total of 2,237.6 (2.2%). The prevalence per 100,000 population was higher for women in all age groups. In age group 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70 + the overall prevalence was 0.2%, 0.8%, 2.7%, 5.0% and 7.7%, respectively, describing a continuously increasing trend. In 2018, the NHIFA spent 42.31 million EUR on the treatment of hip osteoarthritis. Hip osteoarthritis accounts for 1% of total nationwide health insurance expenditures. 36.8% of costs were attributed to the treatment of male patients, and 63.2% to female patients. Acute inpatient care, outpatient care and chronic and rehabilitation inpatient care were the main cost drivers, accounting for 62.7%, 14.6% and 8.2% of the total health care expenditure for men, and 51.0%, 20.0% and 11.2% for women, respectively. The average annual treatment cost per patient was 3,627 EUR for men and 4,194 EUR for women. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of hip osteoarthritis was 1.96 times higher (the age-standardised prevalence was 1.5 times higher) in women compared to men. Acute inpatient care was the major cost driver in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis. The average annual treatment cost per patient was 15.6% higher for women compared to men.

The development of a reliable and valid instrument to measure the osteoporosis-related knowledge: validation of the Hungarian version of Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT).

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is one of the most common chronic musculoskeletal diseases. Osteoporosis-related knowledge is an important contributor in to prevent osteoporosis. There is no validated reliable questionnaire to measure the knowledge in Hungary. The aim of the study was to validate the Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT) Hungarian version. METHODS: The research was a randomized validation study of a new Hungarian language instrument. The questionnaire was administered to 557 randomly selected healthy women (age between 25 and 44 years) from December 2018 to July 2019 in Baranya county, Hungary. The reliability was examined by the Flesch reading ease and McNemar's test. We examined item discrimination and item-total correlations, inter-item consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) and principal component factor analysis. RESULTS: Significant differences (p <  0.001) were reported between total scores and the age categories. Significant (p <  0.001) correlation (r = 0.25) was found between the education level and the knowledge. Significantly (p <  0.001) higher knowledge were found in health care profession (14.53 ± 3.58) than the non-health care profession (9.99 ± 4.04). Participants with osteoporosis or fracture in family history had better knowledge (p <  0.001). Flesch reading ease was 44, the questionnaire had a Ferguson's sigma of 0.94 and a Cronbach's alpha of 0.81. There were no negative inter-item correlations psychometric properties of the OKAT, all items had more than 70% of correlations (p <  0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The Hungarian version of the Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool is a reliable and objective questionnaire to measure women's knowledge in Hungary.

The nationwide epidemiological and health insurance disease burden of knee and lower leg injuries in Hungary / A térd- és lábszársérülések okozta országos epidemiológiai és egészségbiztosítási betegségteher Magyarországon.

Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: A térd és a lábszár sérülései jelentos terhet jelentenek az egyén és a társadalom számára. Célkituzés: Elemzésünk célja volt a térd- és lábszársérülés okozta éves epidemiológiai és egészségbiztosítási betegségteher vizsgálata Magyarországon. Adatok és módszerek: Az elemzésben felhasznált adatok a Nemzeti Egészségbiztosítási Alapkezelo (NEAK) finanszírozási adatbázisából származnak, és a 2018. évet fedik le. Vizsgáltuk az éves egészségbiztosítási kiadásokat, azok megoszlását, az éves betegszámot, valamint a 100 000 lakosra vetített prevalenciát korcsoportok és nemek szerinti bontásban. A térd és a lábszár sérülései kórképeket a Betegségek Nemzetközi Osztályozása (BNO, 10. revízió) szerinti S80-S89-es kóddal azonosítottuk. Eredmények: A legköltségesebb ellátási forma az aktívfekvobeteg-szakellátás volt, amelynek országos betegszáma összesen 18 398 fo (9868 fo férfi, 8530 fo no) volt. Az aktívfekvobeteg-szakellátás betegforgalmi adatai alapján a 100 000 fore eso prevalencia a férfiaknál 211,2 fo, a noknél 167,0 fo, együtt 188,1 fo volt. A NEAK 8,808 milliárd Ft-ot költött 2018-ban a térd- és lábszársérülések kezelésére, ami 32,59 millió USD-nak, illetve 27,62 millió EUR-nak felelt meg. Az aktívfekvobeteg-szakellátás a teljes egészségbiztosítási kiadás 61,4%-ával volt a legmeghatározóbb költségelem. A kiadások 52,0%-a férfiaknál, míg 48,0%-a noknél jelent meg. A 49. életévig a férfiak, míg az 50. életév feletti korosztályban a nok sérüléseibol származó ellátások betegszámai és költségei a magasabbak. Következtetés: Az aktívfekvobeteg-szakellátás bizonyult a fo költségtényezonek. A betegség elofordulási gyakorisága 26%-kal volt magasabb a férfiak esetében, mint a noknél. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(Suppl 1): 54-60. INTRODUCTION: Injuries to the knee and lower leg pose a great burden for the individual and society. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to determine the annual epidemiological disease burden and the health insurance treatment cost of knee and lower leg injuries in Hungary. DATA AND METHODS: Data were derived from the financial database of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA) of Hungary for the year 2018. The data analysed included annual health insurance costs and their distribution and annual patient numbers and prevalence per 100 000 population calculated for age groups and sex. Patients with knee and lower leg injuries were identified with the following code of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision: S80-S89. RESULTS: The most expensive insurance treatment category was acute inpatient care, presenting 18 398 patients in total (9868 men, 8530 women). Based on patient numbers in acute inpatient care, the prevalence in 100 000 population among men was 211.2 patients, among women 167.0 patients, in total 188.1 patients. In 2018, NHIFA spent 8.808 billion HUF on the treatment of patients with knee and lower leg injuries (32.59 million USD, 27.62 million EUR). Acute inpatient care with 61.4% of the total health insurance expenditure was the main cost driver. 52.0% of the costs was spent on the treatment of male, while 48.0% on female patients. Until the age of 49, the number of patients and their costs were higher for men, while those over the age of 50 were higher for women. CONCLUSION: Acute inpatient care was the major cost driver. The prevalence of the disease was by 26% higher in men compared to women. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(Suppl 1): 54-60.

[Utilization indicators of balneotherapy in Hungary]. / A gyógyfürdoellátások igénybevételi mutatói Magyarországon.

INTRODUCTION: The role of spa therapy is well defined and its importance has significantly increased in the healthcare but the utilization indicators of the implemented treatments are less known. AIM: The objective of our study was to analyze the utilization and the social insurance indicators of the healthcare publicly financed by health insurance in spa institutions. DATA AND METHODS: The data used for the analysis were derived from the funding database of the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary. The period examined covered the years between 2009 and 2016. The spa treatment counts, social insurance expenses, the territorial inequalities in utilization, sex and age distribution of the treatments were examined. RESULTS: The treatment counts were the highest (7 349 587) in 2009 and they gradually decreased with 6 558  204 treatments by 2012. 'Spa pool of medicinal water' treatment was the most common care in each year which incidence showed a downward trend during the past years: 2 544  617 treatments were performed in 2009 but 2016 showed only 1 898  338 treatments. We found the highest health insurance expenditures in 2016: 4.261 billion HUF or 13.8 EUR. In the previous years, there was a lower health insurance expenditure: in 2010 3.928 billion HUF (14.3 million EUR), in 2011 3.921 billion HUF (14.0 million EUR) and in 2012 3.875 billion HUF (13.4 million EUR). The utilization made the highest incidence of treatments in Csongrád county with 13 174/10 000 inhabitants and 8160 thousand HUF/10 000 inhabitants of social security subsidy in 2016. The lowest utilization counts for treatments were found in Nógrád county with 3233/10 000 inhabitants and 2192 thousand HUF/10 000 inhabitants of social security subsidy. The highest utilization indicators were found in the age group between 60 and 69 in the distribution of population and genders. CONCLUSION: In the utilization of spa therapy funded by health insurance fund, no significant change has occurred during the past years but territorial discrepancies can be seen in sex, age, and county breakdown. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(Suppl 1): 22-28.

[Health policy indicators of neuromusculosceletal rehabilitation in Hungary]. / A neuromusculoskeletalis rehabilitáció szakmapolitikai indikátorai Magyarországon.

INTRODUCTION: With the increasing number of the incidence of neuromusculoskeletal and brain circulation disorders, there is a higher demand for neuromusculoskeletal rehabilitation care. AIMS: The aim of our study is to analyse the performance indicators of neuromusculoskeletal rehabilitation care in Hungary financed by the statutory public health insurance system. METHODS: Data were derived from the financial database of the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary. We analysed the period between 2014 and 2017. We investigated the distribution of neuromusculoskeletal rehabilitation hospital beds, the patient turnover and patients' pathways. We analysed the regional inequalities in the access to (hospital beds) and utilization (number of patients) of rehabilitation care. RESULTS: In 2017, there were 6798 publicly financed neuromusculoskeletal rehabilitation hospital beds in Hungary (6.94 beds/10 000 population). We observed the lowest number of hospital bed in Komárom-Esztergom (1.5 beds/10 000 population), Somogy (2.0) and Pest (2.7) counties. We found the highest number of hospital beds in Zala (12.6), Gyor-Moson-Sopron (12.2) and Baranya (11.5) counties. The more than 2-fold difference in the utilization (Komárom-Esztergom: 52.3 patients/10 000 population; Gyor-Moson-Sopron: 136 patients/10 000 population) confirms regional inequalities. Between 2014 and 2017, the annual number of patients showed an increasing tendency, while the average length of stay varied between 21.8 and 22.4 days/patient. The correlation coefficient between hospitals beds and the number of patients was very high (0.798). CONCLUSION: We found significant regional inequalities in the access to and utilization of neuromusculoskeletal rehabilitation. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(Suppl 1): 13-21.

[Analysis of health insurance data on home nursing care in Hungary]. / Az otthoni szakápolás egészségbiztosítási vonatkozásainak elemzése Magyarországon.

INTRODUCTION: Home nursing care was introduced in Hungary in 1996. AIM: The aim of this study was to analyse health insurance data and utilization indicators of the Hungarian home nursing care. METHOD: Data derived from the database of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration (2001-2012). The number of patients and visits, and the ratio of special nursing and special therapy (physiotherapy, speech therapy) were analysed. RESULTS: The number of patients increased by 41.3% from 36.560 (2001) to 51.647 (2012). The number of visits also increased by 41.9% from 841.715 (2011) to 1.194.670 (2012). Significant geographical inequalities were found in the ratio of special nursing and special therapy as well as nursing needs. The ratio of reimbursement for special nursing was the highest in county Nógrád (80.4%), Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg (79.7%) and Komárom-Esztergom (74.6%), while the lowest in county Zala (53.0%), Csongrád (52.7%) and Budapest (47.9%). CONCLUSIONS: There are significant inequalities in the home nursing care in Hungary. In order to decrease these inequalities, specific guidelines should be developed for home nursing care.

The effect of performance-volume limit on the DRG based acute care hospital financing in Hungary.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our paper is to analyse the effect of the so-called performance volume limit (PVL) financing method on acute hospital care. DATA AND METHODS: The data were derived from the nationwide administrative dataset of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration (OEP) covering the period 2003-2008. We analysed the trends in the DRG cost-weights, number of cases, case-mix, and average length of stay. We calculated the average annual reimbursement rate per DRG cost-weight with and without the application of PVL degression according to the hospital type and medical professions. RESULTS: Our results showed that although the national case mix (i.e., the sum of all of the DRG cost-weights produced in one year) did not change between 2003-2006, the trend of the annual number of cases increased, and the average length of stay decreased. During 2007-2008, a significant decline was found in each indicator. The introduction of the PVL resulted in a health insurance budget saving of 1.9% in 2004, 2.6% in 2005, 3.4% in 2006, 5.6% in 2007, and 3.2% in 2008. We found the lowest reimbursement rate per DRG cost-weight at the university medical schools (HUF 138,200 or € 550) and children's hospitals (HUF 132,547 or € 528), whereas the highest was at the county hospitals (HUF 143,451 or € 571) and city hospitals (HUF 142, 082 or € 565). CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of the PVL reduced the acute care hospital activity and reimbursement. The effect of the PVL was different on the different types of hospitals, and it had a serious disadvantageous effect on the university medical schools and children's hospitals.