Hospital spending and length of hospital stay for mental disorders in Hunan, China
Yanni Xiao,
Yu Yu,
Ziqi Zhou,
Wen Liu,
Zhihong Luo,
Chuwen Tang,
Pengfei Xiao,
Shi Wu Wen,
Xianxiang Zeng,
Weijun Zhong,
Minxue Shen
Affiliations
Yanni Xiao
College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China; Brain Hospital of Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan, China
Yu Yu
Division of Prevention and Community Research, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
Ziqi Zhou
Graduate School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
Wen Liu
School of Educational Science, Hunan First Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Zhihong Luo
Brain Hospital of Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan, China; Corresponding author.
Chuwen Tang
Brain Hospital of Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan, China; Graduate School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
Pengfei Xiao
Brain Hospital of Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan, China
Shi Wu Wen
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Clinical Epidemiology Program, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; School of Epidemiology, Public Health, And Preventive Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
Xianxiang Zeng
Brain Hospital of Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan, China; Corresponding author.
Weijun Zhong
Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
Minxue Shen
Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Furong Laboratory, Changsha, Hunan, China; Corresponding author. Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Objectives: To describe hospital spending and length of stay for mental disorders in Hunan, China. Methods: We extracted hospital care data for Hunan province from the Chinese National Health Statistics Network Reporting System. Patients with mental disorders (ICD-10 codes: F00 to F99) as the principal diagnosis and hospitalized between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019 were included. We retrieved information on age, sex, number of comorbidities, diagnosis, level of hospital, hospital costs, date of admission and discharge, length of stay (LOS), and method of payment of eligible participants. Spending at the provincial level, and spending and LOS at the individual level were described. Quantile regression and linear regression were conducted to investigate factors for hospital cost and LOS for major mental disorders. Results: The 2019 annual spending on mental disorders in Hunan province was 160 million US dollars, and 71.7% was paid by insurance. The annual spending on schizophrenia was 84 million dollars, contributing to a primary burden of mental disorders. The median spending for mental disorders was $1,085 per patient, and the median hospital stay was 22 days. The study identified several significant factors associated with hospital cost and LOS, including age, sex, comorbidity, and level of the hospital. In particular, a higher level of the hospital was associated with a higher hospital spending but a shorter LOS. Women with schizophrenia had a comparable hospital spending but a significantly shorter LOS than men with schizophrenia. Conclusion: Hospitalization spending for patients with mental disorders is substantial. Schizophrenia is the major burden of hospitalization for mental disorders. While patients treated at a higher level of hospital had higher spending, they stayed shorter in these hospitals.
