Julia Röttger

Patient-Level Hospital Costs and Length of Stay After Conventional Versus Minimally Invasive Total Hip Replacement: A Propensity-Matched Analysis

OBJECTIVES A current trend in total hip replacement (THR) is the use of minimally invasive surgery. Little is known, however, about the impact of minimally invasive THR on resource use and length of stay. This study analyzed the effect of minimally invasive surgery on hospital costs and length of stay in German hospitals compared with conventional treatment in THR. METHODS We used patient-level administrative hospital data from three German hospitals participating in the national cost data study. We conducted a propensity score matching to account for baseline differences between minimally invasively and conventionally treated patients. Subsequently, we estimated the treatment effect on costs and length of stay by conducting group comparisons, via paired t tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and regression analyses. RESULTS The three hospitals provided data from 2886 THR patients. The propensity score matching led to 812 matched pairs. Length of stay was significantly higher for conventionally treated patients (11.49 days vs. 10.90 days; P < 0.05), but total costs did not differ significantly (€6018 vs. €5986; P = 0.67). We found a difference in the allocation of costs, with significantly higher implant costs for minimally invasively treated patients (€1514 vs. €1375; P < 0.001) in contrast to significantly higher staff and overhead costs for conventionally treated patients. CONCLUSIONS Minimally invasive surgery was compared with conventional THR and was found to be associated with a reduced length of stay. Total hospital costs, however, did not differ between the two treatment groups, because of higher implant costs for minimally invasively treated patients.

Exploring Health System Responsiveness in Ambulatory Care and Disease Management and its Relation to Other Dimensions of Health System Performance (RAC) – Study Design and Methodology

BACKGROUND The responsiveness of a health system is considered to be an intrinsic goal of health systems and an essential aspect in performance assessment. Numerous studies have analysed health system responsiveness and related concepts, especially across different countries and health systems. However, fewer studies have applied the concept for the evaluation of specific healthcare delivery structures and thoroughly analysed its determinants within one country. The aims of this study are to assess the level of perceived health system responsiveness to patients with chronic diseases in ambulatory care in Germany and to analyse the determinants of health system responsiveness as well as its distribution across different population groups. METHODS AND ANALYSIS The target population consists of chronically ill people in Germany, with a focus on patients suffering from type 2 diabetes and/or from coronary heart disease (CHD). Data comes from two different sources: (i) cross-sectional survey data from a postal survey and (ii) claims data from a German sickness fund. Data from both sources will be linked at an individual-level. The postal survey has the purpose of measuring perceived health system responsiveness, health related quality of life, experiences with disease management programmes (DMPs) and (subjective) socioeconomic background. The claims data consists of information on (co)morbidities, service utilization, enrolment within a DMP and sociodemographic characteristics, including the type of residential area. DISCUSSION RAC is one of the first projects linking survey data on health system responsiveness at individual level with claims data. With this unique database, it will be possible to comprehensively analyse determinants of health system responsiveness and its relation to other aspects of health system performance assessment. The results of the project will allow German health system decision-makers to assess the performance of nonclinical aspects of healthcare delivery and their determinants in two important areas of health policy: in ambulatory and chronic disease care.

Informed consumer or unlucky visitor? A profile of German patients who received dental services abroad

OBJECTIVES A common characteristic of sending countries in cross-border dental care is that of high costs and/or high copayments for dental services. This study aims to provide an insight into the characteristics of German patients receiving planned and emergency (unplanned) dental care abroad and their satisfaction with received services. METHODS The Europabefragung is a postal survey carried out by Techniker Krankenkasse for patients who are treated in EU/EEA countries. This study uses data from the Europabefragung 2012. The survey was sent to 45 189 individuals; descriptive statistics for the subset of respondents who received emergency (unplanned) or planned dental treatment are presented. RESULTS There were 18 339 responses to the questionnaire, out of which 17 543 were deemed valid; 1416 respondents had received emergency (unplanned) (78%) or planned (22%) dental care and were included in the analysis. There were clear differences between unplanned and planned treatments regarding country and type of treatment as well as satisfaction with different aspects of treatment and the need for follow-up care. Overall, satisfaction with treatment was high for both groups; individuals who had received planned treatment were more satisfied on all aspects of care and reported a need for follow-up care less frequently. CONCLUSIONS While German patients who received both emergency (unplanned) and planned services abroad are mostly satisfied with their experience, some concerns arise with regard to continuity of care. Types of information provided to patients seeking care abroad and dissemination modalities should be carefully planned.

Selective enrollment in Disease Management Programs for coronary heart disease in Germany – An analysis based on cross-sectional survey and administrative claims data

BackgroundIn 2002, Disease Management Programs (DMPs) were introduced within the German healthcare system with the aim to increase the quality of chronic disease care. Due to the enrollment procedures, it can be assumed a) that only certain patients actively decide to enroll in a DMP and/or b) that only certain patients get the recommendation for DMP enrollment from their physician. How strong this assumed effect of self- and/or professional selection is, is still unclear.MethodsWe used data from a cross-sectional postal-survey linked on individual level with administrative claims data from a German sickness fund. The sample consisted of individuals suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD) who i) were either enrolled in the respective DMP or ii) fulfilled the disease related criteria for enrollment but were not enrolled. We applied multivariate logistic regression analyses to assess factors on patient level associated with DMP enrollment.ResultsWe included 7070 individuals in our analyses. Male sex, higher age and receiving old age pension, a higher Charlson Score and a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes increased the odds for DMP-CHD enrollment significantly. Individuals with a diagnosed myocardial infarction (MI) were also more likely to be enrolled in the DMP-CHD. We found a significant interaction effect for MI and sex, indicating that the association between MI and DMP enrollment is stronger for women than for men.ConclusionDMP-enrollees and non-enrollees differ in various factors. Studies analyzing the effectiveness of DMP-CHD should carefully take into account these group differences. Furthermore, the results suggest that the DMP-CHD assessed reaches men better than women.