Change in coronary heart disease hospitalization after chronic disease management: a programme policy in China

Area of Science:

• Public Health Policy
• Health Services Research
• Cardiovascular Disease Management

Background:

• Coronary heart disease (CHD) poses a significant public health challenge.
• Effective management strategies are crucial for mitigating healthcare costs and patient burden.
• China's 13th Five-Year period (2016-2020) focused on improving chronic disease care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a novel county-scale chronic disease management (CDM) program on CHD hospitalization.
• To assess changes in direct medical costs and length of stay for CHD patients post-CDM implementation.
• To determine the effectiveness of integrated care models in managing chronic conditions.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 6111 CHD inpatient records from January 2017 to December 2020.
• Utilized univariate and multivariate regression analyses to assess hospitalization costs and length of stay.
• Examined data from a secondary hospital following the March 2019 implementation of the CDM program.

Main Results:

• The CDM program implementation led to an approximate 23% reduction in direct medical costs (1956.12 Yuan mean reduction).
• Hospitalization length of stay for CHD patients decreased by approximately 11.5% (nearly 1 day mean reduction).
• A sustained decreasing trend in medical costs over time was observed, correlating with CDM.

Conclusions:

• The county-scale CDM program is an effective strategy for reducing the financial and medical burden of CHD hospitalizations.
• Integrated care involving hospitals and primary care institutes improves chronic disease management outcomes.
• CDM demonstrates potential for significant cost savings and improved resource utilization in cardiovascular care.