Treatments, outcomes, and costs for AMI patients in Taiwan

摘要

This study examines the treatment-outcome and treatment-cost relationships for Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) in Taiwan, where National Health Insurance (NHI) was adopted in 1995. We assessed usage trends in technologically advanced procedural treatments for 31,226 AMI patients from 1997 to 2001, isolated the effects of changes in treatment usage on mortality and medical spending, and compared the values of estimated life-gains to their associated cost increases. Taiwan's experience suggests that by providing comprehensive coverage and by controlling provider prices, NHI was able to improve population-level health by making available technologically advanced procedural treatments while at the same time managing the inflationary pressures associated with these innovations.