A comparative study on children's basic medical insurance system and policies in four municipalities in China / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

Objective·To analyze the basic medical insurance policies for children in Shanghai in 2011 and 2017, and compare with those of the other three municipalities to understand the basic medical security status of children in four municipalities in China and analyze the existing problems. Methods?·?The current effective children's basic medical insurance policies and child critical illness insurance policies and related insurance systems in four municipalities were collected systematically. The types of basic medical insurance for children in various municipalities and their funding standards, their own expenses and the proportion of government subsidies, the proportion of outpatient emergency payoff lines and reimbursement at all levels of medical institutions, and the coverage and coverage of major illness insurance reimbursement were collected and compared mainly. Results?·?The basic medical insurance for children in Shanghai is a "double insurance" system, which contained children's hospitalization fund and basic medical insurance for urban and rural residents. The basic medical insurance for children in other municipalities mainly consisted of basic medical insurance for urban (rural) residents. Compared with 2011, the level of financing and the reimbursement of the basic medical insurance for urban and rural residents and of the children's hospitalization fund in Shanghai in 2017 was increased. In 2017, the level of financing of basic medical insurance for urban and rural residents in Shanghai was 1?100 yuan, which was slightly lower than that of Beijing medical insurance for urban residents and new rural cooperative medical insurance and was higher than that of basic medical insurance for urban and rural residents in Tianjin and Chongqing, and the individual payment level of Shanghai was the lowest. The hospitalization payoff lines in Shanghai were lower than those of other municipalities. Shanghai's outpatient and inpatient reimbursement levels were higher those of than other municipalities. There wasn't a capping line in Shanghai. There were capping lines in other municipalities. There was a great difference in the insurance policy of the major diseases in four municipalities. Conclusion?·?According to their own actual conditions, models for children's medical care systems that suited each municipalities’ social and economic development have been established. Shanghai children's basic medical insurance basically meets the needs of children's growth but needs improvement in terms of the type and level of medical security for major illnesses.

Patient Trust in Physicians: Empirical Evidence from Shanghai, China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Patient trust in physicians, which can be considered a collective good, is necessary for an effective health care system. However, there is a widespread concern that patient trust in physicians is declining under various threats to the physician-patient relationship worldwide. This article aimed to assess patient trust in physicians through a quantitative study in Shanghai, China, and to provide appropriate suggestions for improving the trust in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The data from a survey conducted in Zhongshan Hospital and Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, which are two tertiary public hospitals in Shanghai, were used in this study. Patient trust in physicians was the dependent variable. Furthermore, a 10-item scale was used to precisely describe the dependent variable. The demographic characteristics were independent variables of trust in physicians. Binomial logistic regression was employed to analyze the factors associated with the dependent variable, which was divided into two categories on the basis of the responses (1: Strongly agree or agree and 0: Strongly disagree, disagree, or neutral).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>This study found that 67% of patients trusted or strongly trusted physicians. The mean score of patient trust in physicians was 35.4 from a total score of 50. Furthermore, patient trust in physicians was significantly correlated with the age, education level, annual income, and health insurance coverage of the patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Patient trust in physicians in Shanghai, China is higher than previously reported. Furthermore, the most crucial reason for patient distrust in physicians is the information asymmetry between patients and physicians, which is a natural property of the physician-patient relationship, rather than the so-called for-profit characteristic of physicians or patients' excessive expectations.</p>

Current situation and countermeasures of two-way referral between wound healing department and community health system / 中华烧伤杂志

This study analyzed the current situation and problems of two-way referral between wound healing department of general hospitals and community health service centers through stipulated interview with physicians in general hospitals and community health service centers, and patients visiting these organizations from March 2011 to April. It was found that the current two-way referral process for wound repair were facing a series of problems, including hospitals-transfer difficulty, incomplete two-way referral policy and undefined practice protocol, information-sharing obstacle between general hospitals and community health service centers. The critical countermeasures for overcoming these obstacles in two-way referral of wound ailments shall include construction of further linkage mechanism among all levels of hospitals, establishment of the drug-obtaining mechanism, establishment of an explicit two-way referral process of wound repair, and establishment of a database of diagnosis and treatment information of patients that can be accessed by doctors of different levels of hospitals, etc.

Coverage and utilization of the health insurance among migrant workers in Shanghai, China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>According to the regulations of the Chinese and Shanghai governments, migrant workers employed in Shanghai should all be entitled to Shanghai Migrant Worker Hospitalization Insurance (SMWHI) without premium and the vast majority should also have the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS). This study aimed to examine the status of the coverage and utilization of health insurance among migrant workers employed in Shanghai.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed in the study. A survey of 1020 migrant workers employed in Shanghai was conducted in 2010 with a structured questionnaire. Focus group discussions were held with respondents who were unable to maintain health insurance coverage through NRCMS or SMWHI. In-depth interviews were held with village heads and employers of the migrant workers, migrant workers who were hospitalized within the last year, and various individuals employed by the insurance agencies.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The study found that 72.9% and 36.5% of migrant workers were covered by NRCMS or SMWHI, respectively, while 16.7% of them had no health insurance. The coverage by NRCMS among migrant workers correlated significantly with education level and workplace, while the coverage by SMWHI correlated significantly with the length of employment in Shanghai and workplace. The qualitative results confirmed that migrant workers were the main group who were not covered by NRCMS, and the coverage by SMWHI was completely dependent upon the employers of the migrant worker. The results also showed that health insurance utilization among migrant workers was strongly limited by hospital location.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>We observed that the status of health insurance among migrant workers was not accordant with theory, and that Chinese health insurance policy should be further reformed in order to realize full coverage and equal utilization of health insurance among migrant workers in China.</p>

Health insurance and household income associated with mammography utilization among American women, 2000 - 2008 / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) has provided free or low-cost mammograms to low-income or no health insurance women in all of the states of the United States (US) since 1997. The objective of this study was to understand whether health insurance and annual household income impacted the mammography utilization since the implementation of NBCCEDP, in order to evaluate how the implementation of NBCCEDP impacted mammography utilization among American women.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Data were from the database of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) of the CDC in US. Mammography utilization was measured by whether the American woman aged 40 to 64 years had the mammography within the last two years. The chi square test and multivariate Logistic regression were used to evaluate the associations between mammography utilization and health insurance, annual household income, and other factors for any given year.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>From 2000 to 2008, the rate of mammography utilization among participants had a steady decrease on the whole from 86.7% to 83.8%. The results showed that the mammography utilization correlated significantly with health insurance and annual household income for any given year. The results also showed that compared with participants who were uninsured, those who were insured had a greater times higher rate of mammography in 2008 than any other year from 2000 to 2008, and compared with participants whose annual household income was below $15 000, those whose annual household income was above $50 000 had a greater times higher rate of mammography in 2008 than in 2004 and 2006.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Health insurance and annual household income impacted the mammography utilization for any given year from 2000 to 2008, and the implementation of NBCCEDP has not achieved its original goal on breast cancer screening.</p>

Exploration of the financing and management model of a children's critical disease security system in China based on the implementation of Shanghai Children Hospital Care Aid / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

This study is designed to serve as a reference for the establishment of health security systems for children’s critical diseases. Through analysis of the operation of Shanghai Children Hospital Care Aid (SCHCA), this study explored the financing model and management of a children’s critical disease healthcare system and analyzed the possibility of expanding this system to other areas. It is found that a premium as low as RMB 7 per capita per year under SCHCA can provide high-level security for children’s critical diseases. With the good experience in Shanghai and based on the current basic medical insurance system for urban residents and the new rural cooperative medical scheme (NRCMS), it is necessary and feasible to build a health security system for children’s critical diseases at the national level.