Characterizing Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations of High-Cost Patients in Rural China

Frontiers in Public Health

article

Shan Lu¹  Yan Zhang¹  Liang Zhang¹  Niek S. Klazinga⁴  Dionne S. Kringos⁴ 

[1] School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology;Research Centre for Rural Health Service, Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hubei Provincial Department of Education;School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University;Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers

关键词: high-cost patients;    potentially preventable hospitalization;    ambulatory care sensitive conditions;    preventable inpatient cost;    rural China;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2022.804734

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Introduction High-cost patients are characterized by repeated hospitalizations, and inpatient cost accounts for a large proportion of their total health care spending. This study aimed to assess the occurrence and costs of potentially preventable hospitalizations and explore contributing factors among high-cost patients in rural China. Methods We examined a population-based sample of patients using the 2016 New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme in Dangyang city, China. Eighteen thousand forty-three high-cost patients were identified. A validated tool and logistic regression analysis were used to determine preventable hospitalizations and their patient-level and supply-side factors. Results High-cost patients were older (average age of 54 years) than non-high-cost patients (50 years) and more likely to come from poverty-stricken families. The occurrence of preventable hospitalization was 21.65% among high-cost patients. The proportion of preventable inpatient cost in total inpatient and outpatient expenditure among high-cost patients (5.81%) was lower than that of non-high-cost patients (7.88%) but accounted for 75.87% of the overall preventable inpatient cost. High-cost patients with more hospitalizations were more likely to experience preventable hospitalization, and those with heart failure, COPD, diabetes and mixed conditions were at a higher risk of preventable hospitalization, while those with more outpatient visits were less likely to show preventable hospitalization. Conclusions The occurrence of preventable hospitalization among high-cost patients in rural China was sizeable. The preventable inpatient cost of the overall population was concentrated among high-cost patients. Interventions such as improving preventive care and disease management targeting high-cost patients within counties may improve patients' health outcomes and quality of life and reduce overall preventable inpatient cost.

【 授权许可】

CC BY