捷克中医药发展现状与分析

捷克作为欧洲内陆的议会共和制国家,实施强制保险模式以保障民众健康。导致人口死亡的主要疾病为缺血性心脏病、脑卒中和肺癌,而糖尿病、AD及COPD近年来发病率显著增加。捷克的传统医学包括巴赫花疗法、特异性免疫调节自我疗法、法国耳针治疗等。中医药在捷克具有一定的接受度,尤其是针灸已在神经性疾病中得到广泛应用。但中草药在捷克的使用受到限制,且中医药执业尚未合法化。建议深化多层次、多领域交流合作,并通过加强高水平中医药学位教育,加大中药与非药物疗法宣传和普及力度,推动中医药在捷克的发展。     

多源流理论在公共卫生政策制定过程中的应用

《上海市基本医疗保险监督管理办法》的出台是多种因素共同作用下的结果。运用约翰·金登的多源流理论分析框架,对《上海市基本医疗保险监督管理办法》的出台作政策学意义上的分析,对其问题源流、政策源流和政治源流进行简单梳理。《上海市基本医疗保险监督管理办法》的出台遵循＂政策之窗＂理论的基本原理和过程,其问题源流为上海市基本医疗保险的现状及存在的问题;政策源流为专项监督机构的成立、条例文件的法制化和规范化、管理的完善及专家的意见;政治源流为国民情绪和政府的执政理念。这三大源流汇集在一起,在＂2·1＂收购医保卡非法牟利团伙案的推动下,政策之窗开启,从而使《上海市基本医疗保险监督管理办法》出台的过程很好地展现了多源流理论在公共卫生政策领域中的应用,为我国医改背景下公共卫生政策的理论和实践提供借鉴依据。     

城镇居民基本医疗保险未成年人缴费测算方法与理论研究

未成年人的医疗保障是我国当前城镇居民基本医疗保险中的重要内容之一,但当前关于未成年人医疗保险缴费标准和筹资水平的研究还较少。本文通过比较与分析未成年人基本医疗消费支出、医疗保险基金补偿支出、医疗保险支付意愿等,对未成年人基本医疗保险缴费的相关理论进行归纳总结,为提高城镇居民医疗保险中的未成年人的保障提供参考和借鉴。     

Effect of the Affordable Care Act on healthcare utilization for Veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders

Context/Objective: Provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) potentially increase insurance options for Veterans with disabilities. We examined Veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) to assess whether the ACA was associated with changes in healthcare utilization from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare facilities.Design: Using national VA data, we investigated impacts on VA healthcare utilization pre- (2012/13) and post-ACA (2014/15) implementation with negative binomial regression models.Setting: VA healthcare facilities.Participants: 8,591 VA users with SCI/D. Veterans with acute myelitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, multiple sclerosis, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were excluded as were patients who died during the study period.Interventions: We assessed VA healthcare utilization before and after ACA implementation.Outcome Measures: Total numbers of VA visits for SCI/D care, diagnostic care, primary care, specialty care, and mental health care, and VA admissions.Results: The number of VA admissions was 7% higher in the post than pre-ACA implementation period (P < 0.01). The number of VA visits post-implementation increased for SCI/D care (8%; P < 0.01) and specialty care (12%; P < 0.001). Conversely, the number of mental health visits was 17% lower in the post-ACA period (P < 0.001). Veterans with SCI/D who live <5 miles from their nearest VA facility received VA care more frequently than those ≥40 miles from VA (P < 0.001).Conclusion: Counter to expectations, results suggest that Veterans with SCI/D sought more frequent VA care after ACA implementation, indicating Veterans with SCI/D continue to utilize the lifelong, comprehensive care provided at VA.     

The Impact of Patient Access to Their Electronic Health Record on Medication Management Safety: A Narrative Review

IntroductionAs the American’s Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) stated that patients should be allowed to review their medical records, and as information technology is ever more widely used by healthcare professionals and patients, providing patients with online access to their own medical records through a patient portal is becoming increasingly popular. Previous research has been done regarding the impact on the quality and safety of patients’ care, rather than explicitly on medication safety, when providing those patients with access to their electronic health records (EHRs).AimThis narrative review aims to summarise the results from previous studies on the impact on medication management safety concepts of adult patients accessing information contained in their own EHRs.ResultA total of 24 studies were included in this review. The most two commonly studied measures of safety in medication management were: (a) medication adherence and (b) patient-reported experience. Other measures, such as: discrepancies, medication errors, appropriateness and Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) were the least studied.ConclusionThe results suggest that providing patients with access to their EHRs can improve medication management safety. Patients pointed out improvements to the safety of their medications and perceived stronger medication control. The data from these studies lay the foundation for future research.     

Real-world cost-effectiveness of drug-eluting stents vs. bare-metal stents for coronary heart disease—A five-year follow-up study

Objective

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using drugeluting stents (DES) compared to bare-metal stents (BMS) for coronary heart disease (CHD).

Traumatic spinal cord injury in West Virginia: Disparities by insurance and discharge disposition from an acute care hospital

Context: Medicaid has been linked to worse outcomes in a variety of diagnoses such as lung cancer, uterine cancer, and cardiac valve procedures. It has furthermore been linked to the reduced health-related quality of life outcomes after traumatic injuries when compared to other insurance groups. In spinal cord injury (SCI), the care provided in the subacute setting may vary based upon payor status, which may have implications on outcomes and cost of care.

Design: A retrospective review utilizing the institutional trauma databank was performed for all adult patients with spinal cord injury since 2009. Pediatric patients were excluded. Insurance type, race, length of stay, discharge status (alive/dead), discharge disposition, injury severity score (ISS), and hospital charges billed were recorded.

Results: Two hundred patients were identified. Overall 27.5% of patients with SCI during the period of our review were Medicaid beneficiaries. ISS was similar between Medicaid and non-Medicaid patients, but the Medicaid beneficiaries were younger (37 vs 50 years of age; P?<?.001). Medicaid beneficiaries had a significantly longer length of stay (20.9 days; P?<?.001) when compared to all other patients. They furthermore were more likely to be discharged home or to a skilled nursing facility rather than an acute rehabilitation center. Inpatient charges billed for Medicaid beneficiaries were significantly higher than those of non-Medicaid patients (203,264 USD vs 140,114 USD; P?=?.015), likely reflecting the increased length of stay while awaiting appropriate disposition.

Conclusion: Medicaid patients with SCI in West Virginia had a longer hospital stay, higher charges billed, and were more likely to be discharged home or to a skilled nursing facility rather than an acute rehabilitation center, when compared to non-Medicaid patients. The lack of availability of rehabilitation facilities for Medicaid beneficiaries likely explains this difference.