Quantifying and decomposing changes in outpatient utilization at medical institutions with different tiers in Taiwan, 2005–2015

摘要

In Taiwan, higher-tier hospitals such as medical centers and regional hospitals have been increasing in number, while the number of lower-tier medical institutions is decreasing. However, to our knowledge, no studies or statistics have quantified the effect of this phenomenon on national health insurance (NHI) spending over the previous decade or decomposed this effect. Quantifying and decomposing this potential association is essential for effective policy design.