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Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Translated Title

全民健保部分負擔政策對醫院復健科門診醫療使用的影響

Abstract

In response to pressing financial distress as a result of escalating health care expenditures, Bureau of National Health Insurance (NHI) has adopted various deliberate policy interventions to increase the sources of incomes and meanwhile enhance cost containment. Co-payment policy is one measure often taken when focusing on demand-side mechanism, which aims to reduce the potential misuse of medical resources by the insured through cost sharing. The co-payment policy for outpatient rehabilitation services implemented since August, 1999 is one good example.The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the co-payment policy on the utilization pattern of hospital outpatient rehabilitation services. The analytical sample is composed of the detailed visit records for physical therapy from five selected hospitals. Examining the visit records before and after the co-payment policy was introduced, we have found that both the utilization rates and expenditures have decreased after the co-payment policy was initially implemented, although the rate of decrease stagnated after the first five months. In addition, a shift before treatment items of different levels of complexity was detected; cases of treatment items of simple and moderate complexity decreased while those of most sophisticated complexity were on the rise. In conclusion, a short-term effect on the control of utilization rates and expenditures due to the introduction of co-payment policy has been observed in the initial five months. Future research should focus on investigating the long-term effect of the policy by extending the length of the follow-up period.

Language

Traditional Chinese

First Page

73

Last Page

80

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