Comparison of the market share of public and private hospitals under different Medical Alliances: an interrupted time-series analysis in rural China.

BACKGROUND: China initiated the Medical Alliances (MAs) reform to enhance resource allocation efficiency and ensure equitable healthcare. In response to challenges posed by the predominance of public hospitals, the reform explores public-private partnerships within the MAs. Notably, private hospitals can now participate as either leading or member institutions. This study aims to evaluate the dynamic shifts in market share between public and private hospitals across diverse MAs models. METHODS: Data spanning April 2017 to March 2019 for Dangyang County's MA and January 2018 to December 2019 for Qianjiang County's MA were analyzed. Interrupted periods occurred in April 2018 and January 2019. Using independent sample t-tests, chi-square tests, and interrupted time series analysis (ITSA), we compared the proportion of hospital revenue, the proportion of visits for treatment, and the average hospitalization days of discharged patients between leading public hospitals and leading private hospitals, as well as between member public hospitals and member private hospitals before and after the reform. RESULTS: After the MAs reform, the revenue proportion decreased for leading public and private hospitals, while member hospitals saw an increase. However, ITSA revealed a notable rise trend in revenue proportion for leading private hospitals (p < 0.001), with a slope of 0.279% per month. Member public and private hospitals experienced decreasing revenue proportions, with outpatient visits proportions declining in member public hospitals by 0.089% per month (p < 0.05) and inpatient admissions proportions dropping in member private hospitals by 0.752% per month (p < 0.001). The average length of stay in member private hospitals increased by 0.321 days per month after the reform (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the imperative to reinforce oversight and constraints on leading hospitals, especially private leading hospitals, to curb the trend of diverting patients from member hospitals. At the same time, for private hospitals that are at a disadvantage in competition and may lead to unreasonable prolongation of hospital stay, this kind of behavior can be avoided by strengthening supervision or granting leadership.

Effects of hierarchical management based on medical alliances on patency of arteriovenous graft in hemodialysis patients / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective:To investigate the impacts of hierarchical management based on medical alliance on the patency of arteriovenous graft (AVG),and provide a basis for further exploration of optimal AVG management.Methods:In this retrospective cohort study, clinical and follow-up data of patients with AVG established in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021 were analyzed. Patients were divided into medical alliance group and non-medical alliance group according to whether they were under hierarchical management model, and the patency rate of AVGs and the incidence of clinical events were compared between the two groups.Results:A total of 328 AVGs were included in this study, which were from 151 hemodialysis centers, including 189 AVGs (57.6%) from 72 centers in medical alliance group, and 139 AVGs (42.4%) from 79 centers in non-medical alliance group. The age of the patients was (55.57±11.80) years, among whom 130 (39.6%) were males and 126 (38.4%) were diabetic. The follow-up time of AVGs in this cohort was 15.5 (9.5, 26.2) months, with 15.4 (9.8, 25.2) months in medical alliance group and 15.5 (9.2, 27.3) months in non-medical alliance group. The incidence of thrombosis or occlusion (0.328 times/patient-year), graft dissection (0.007 times/patient-year), graft infection (0.030 times/patient-year), and catheter utilization (0.043 times/patient-year) in the medical alliance group were lower than those in the non-medical alliance group (0.589 times/patient-year, 0.040 times/patient-year, 0.054 times/patient-year and 0.147 times/patient-year, respectively), and there was no significant difference in clinic follow-up rates between the two group (1.91 times/patient-year vs. 1.94 times/patient-year). The median primary patency time was 17.4 (95% CI 11.3-23.5) months, the median primary assisted patency time was 32.6 (95% CI 25.0-40.2) months, and the median secondary patency time was 47.9 (95% CI 40.0-55.8) months in the medical alliance group, compared with 12.3 (95% CI 9.4-15.2) months, 19.4 (95% CI 14.3-24.5) months, and 34.6 (95% CI 29.3-39.9) months in the non-medical alliance group, respectively. Primary patency were significantly higher in the medical alliance group (77.4%, 62.2%, 39.9%, and 26.6%) than those in the non-medical alliance group (71.1%, 50.1%, 30.6%, and 13.4%) at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months (Log-rank test, χ2=4.504, P=0.034). Primary assisted patency were significantly higher in the medical alliance group (90.9%, 84.3%, 67.1%, and 46.1%) than those in the non-medical alliance group (89.2%, 75.7%, 42.0%, and 16.6%) at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months (Log-rank test, χ2=10.655, P=0.001). Secondary patency were significantly higher in the medical alliance group (96.8%, 91.8%, 84.2%, and 74.0%) than those in the non-medical alliance group (89.9%, 85.8%, 69.3%, and 47.5%) at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months (Log-rank test, χ2=11.634, P=0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that it was a protective factor for primary patency ( HR=0.708, 95% CI 0.512-0.980, P=0.037), primary assisted patency ( HR=0.506, 95% CI 0.342-0.749, P=0.001) and secondary patency ( HR=0.432, 95% CI 0.261-0.716, P=0.001) under the medical alliance model. Conclusion:The hierarchical management based on medical alliances can improve the patency of AVGs and reduce the incidence of clinical events.

Comparison of inpatient distribution amongst different medical alliances in a county: a longitudinal study on a healthcare reform in rural China.

BACKGROUND: China has launched the medical alliances (MAs) reform to drive the development of primary medical institutions and decrease health inequality in rural areas. Three different types of MAs were built to promote township hospitals in Y County. This study aims to evaluate the actual effect of China's MAs reform in rural areas on inpatient distribution especially amongst different types of MAs. METHODS: We obtain 2008-2015 claims data from the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) in Y County, Hubei Province of China. We consider January 2008-December 2010 as the pre-reform period and January 2011-December 2015 as the post-reform period. We use independent sample t-test and single-group interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) to compare the number of inpatients per month in the three MAs, including three county and 10 township hospitals before and after the reform. We use paired t-test and multiple-group ITSA between seven township hospitals within MAs and seven township hospitals outside MAs. RESULTS: The MAs reform in Y County increased the number of inpatients in county and township hospitals within MAs. After the reform, the number of inpatients per month in county hospitals had an upward trend, with a slope of 31.01 person/month (P < 0.000). Approximately 19.99 new inpatients were admitted to township hospitals monthly after the reform (P < 0.000). Furthermore, township hospitals within MAs had a substantial increase in the number of inpatients (10.45 new inpatients monthly) compared with those outside MAs. CONCLUSION: The MAs reform in Y County significantly improved the capability of medical institutions within MAs. After the reform, township hospitals within MAs had greater development advantages than those outside MAs. However, it also caused further imbalance in the county region, which contained the new health inequality risk.

Case study of different types of telemedicine diagnostic projects / 中华医院管理杂志

Objective@#To compare the similarities and differences of four telemedicine diagnostic projects, for providing evidence-based policy-making advice for the development of telemedicine diagnostic projects in China.@*Methods@#Four projects led by the government, close medical alliances, loose medical alliances and companies were selected from November 2018 to June 2019. Through semi-structured interviews with different leaders, the authors analyzed the characteristics, problems and difficulties of different projects from three dimensions of organizational system, working conditions and operational effects.@*Results@#A total of 18 people were interviewed. Projects were different from each other in leaders, connection mechanism and effectiveness, participants and timeliness as well. The projects led by the government and close medical alliances had limited local participants with strong connection, clear but limited sources of diagnostic doctors and relatively large workload. While the projects led by loose medical alliances and companies had a wide range of participants, relatively weak connection efficiency and long response time.@*Conclusions@#Different types of telemedicine diagnostic projects have supplemented the manpower shortage of diagnosis physicians at primary medical institutions, introduced new service participants, as well as improved the medical service system.

The willingness of patients to make the first visit to primary care institutions and its influencing factors in Beijing medical alliances: a comparative study of Beijing's medical resource-rich and scarce regions.

BACKGROUND: To improve the efficiency of the use of medical resources, China has implemented medical alliances (MAs) to implement a hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system. The willingness to undertake a first visit to primary care institutions (PCIs) is an important indicator of the effect of this system. Beijing has also built MAs since 2013, but to date, there have been few studies on the first visit to PCIs in Beijing. The purpose of this study is to analyze patients' willingness to make their first visit to PCIs and its influencing factors to provide references for the realization of a hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system. METHODS: Two relatively different districts with large differences in resources in Beijing, D and F, were selected, and a self-reported questionnaire and convenience sampling method were applied. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 1221 patients of MAs. The chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of patients' willingness to undertake a first visit to a PCI. RESULTS: Fewer patients in District D received medical alliance services (44.42%) than those in District F (59.25%), but patients in District D had a higher degree of satisfaction with the services they received (72.04%) than those in District F (28.96%). Patients in District D had a higher willingness to undertake a first visit (64.00%) than those in District F (58.18%). Patients of an older age, low medical expenses, participation in urban employees' basic medical insurance, a high understanding of MAs and high satisfaction with medical services were indicators of being more willing to choose primary care institutions for their first visit. CONCLUSIONS: The different medical resources and MA constructions in the two districts have resulted in a difference between the two districts in terms of the willingness of individuals to make their first visit to PCIs. Strengthening the service capabilities of PCIs remains a priority. The government should propose solutions to solve the problems encountered in practice and actively promote the realization of MAs and hierarchical diagnosis and treatment.

Extended care for chronic wound ostomy by specialist nurses in a medical alliance / 中华医院管理杂志

Development of medical alliances can provide patients of wound ostomy with cost-effective, safe and effective continuing specialized care at their community, gradually homogenizing hospital-community specialized care. By means of establishing a nurse advice referral and specialist nurses consultation mechanism, Shenzhen Luohu Hospital Group has achieved to share specialist nursing resources between hospitals and social health centers.This practice can reduce re-hospitalization rate of these patients, reduced their economic burden, save medical resources and improve patient satisfaction as well.

Practice and exploration of a new model of extended nursing care based on regional informationization platform within a medical alliance / 中华医院管理杂志

The rapidly aging society gives rise to sizable demands for chronic disease nursing care. With IT development as backup, the hospital has developed a platform for regional collaborative nursing informationization within a medical alliance and a health management platform for home care of the elderlies. This practice can build an extended nursing care model, featuring the three main service lines of " hospital-family, hospital-medical alliance and hospital-community hospital-family". The model provides diversified, personalized, disease specific, informationization and multi-disciplinary coverage for nursing care, providing the primary level with high quality nursing resources.Medical alliances and corresponding communities share information, for a full-range, full region and full timeframe coverage of nursing health supervision and scientific guidance, thus effectively minimizing the rate of revisit to upper-level hospitals by patients and implementing the hierarchical medical system.

Exploration into the medical model of medical alliances specialized in chronic wounds / 中华医院管理杂志

This paper rounded up the resources and advantages leveraged by the hospital′s burn and plastic surgery department as a national key discipline. The department practiced medical services for chronic wounds in the regional hierarchical medical system for chronic wounds to promote the development medical alliances. IT development of the hierarchical medical network has achieved disease information sharing, namely centralized patients screening, patients referral confirmation, mutual recognition of test results, online consultation and treatment follow-up. Other achievements include standardization of medical criteria for chronic wounds by means of effective integration of resources imbalance within the network and improvement of internal medical regulations; elevation of primary level innovation capacity and services by means of high-caliber specialists working at primary institutions and mutual exchanges in between; effective medical cost control via guarantee system building, thus enhancing the public benefit nature of public hospitals. The paper also probed into problems and solutions expected in the way of promoting the chronic wound hierarchical medical system.

Continuity of medical care:a strategy to realize hierarchical medical system within the county / 中华医院管理杂志

This study analyzed the key links and main challenges in the implementation of hierarchical medical system within the county, namely such aspects as medical services, medical insurance, information and management. We took the continuity of medical care in countywide medical community as an entry point, in order to expound the concept and application of continuous service. This program covers continuous clinical pathway guiding and normalizing the inter-agency services between county and township level medical staff;the integrated payment strengthening the motivation of collaboration; the interconnected information promoting timeliness and effectiveness of technical and non-technical information transfer; and the three-dimensional and bi-directional management mode of the supporting and operating mechanisms. Local governments can propel the program gradually according to the actual situation, change the ideas and habits of each parties, and eventually achieve a long-term, and complex systematic hierarchical medical system.