scholarly journals Private surgery clinics in an open medical market: Barcelona, 1880s-1936

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-113
Author(s):  
Alfons Zarzoso
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Medical Technology ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Medical Specialization ◽  
Working Classes ◽  
Medical Market ◽  
Health Insurance Companies ◽  
City State

The main purpose of this article is to examine how a new medical technology – the operating room- resulted in the establishment of a model of private clinics in late 19th – century Barcelona. This research explains that this kind of private medical care happened in an open medical market and successfully met a growing demand. Since its origins in the 1880s, private surgery clinics rose to more than 50 in just half-a-century. Here, several business strategies put at work by those surgeons-entrepreneurs are considered, especially those related to publicity and the search of patients/customers. Several aspects played a paramount role in that success: medical technology, domestic comfort, and surgical efficacy. In a context where medical care delivered at hospital was provided by the city-state or the local bourgeoisie as a part of the medieval model of charity, a potential customer for the private surgery clinics was formed by the urban, popular and working classes through the model of mutual aid societies and health insurance companies. Moreover, private clinics also showed how the process of medical specialization was configured and what kind of relationships surgeons-entrepreneurs established with general practitioners to attract their patients. Here, medical directories and medical journals reveal as a useful source of information.

Online Patient Consultation

2020 ◽  
Vol 158 (04) ◽  
pp. 345-350
Author(s):  
Christian Juhra ◽  
Jörg Ansorg ◽  
David Alexander Back ◽  
Dominik John ◽  
Andrea Kuckuck-Winkelmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Phone Call ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Personal Contact ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Patient Consent ◽  
Health Insurance Companies ◽  
Patient Consultation ◽  
Certified Software

AbstractNew communication technologies allow patients to communicate with their physicians from anywhere using computer or smartphone. Adding video to the mere phone call optimizes the personal contact between patient and physicians regardless of distance. Legal and reimbursements requirements must be taken into account, especially only certified software products must be used. In addition, patient consent is needed and confidentiality must be assured. The video patient consultation can be reimbursed by the health insurance companies. As with all new technologies, the introduction of these video consultations faced some challenges. Although patients and physicians have expressed great interest in this technology, it has been rarely used so far. The current COVID crisis increased the need for video consultations resulting in an increasing use of video patient consultation. It can be expected that this demand will still exists after the COVID crisis.

scholarly journals Which health-related reasons lead to prehospital emergency care and how does subjective emergency status connect to subsequent care?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silke Piedmont ◽  
Anna Katharina Reinhold ◽  
Jens-Oliver Bock ◽  
Enno Swart ◽  
Bernt-Peter Robra
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Prehospital Emergency Care ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Prehospital Emergency ◽  
Health Insurance Companies ◽  
Reported Data

Abstract Objectives/Background In many countries, the use of emergency medical services (EMS) increases steadily each year. At the same time, the percentage of life-threatening complaints decreases. To redesign the system, an assessment and consideration of the patients’ perspectives is helpful. Methods We conducted a paper-based survey of German EMS patients who had at least one case of prehospital emergency care in 2016. Four health insurance companies sent out the questionnaire to 1312 insured persons. We linked the self-reported data of 254 respondents to corresponding claims data provided by their health insurance companies. The analysis focuses a.) how strongly patients tend to call EMS for themselves and others given different health-related scenarios, b.) self-perceived health complaints in their own index case of prehospital emergency care and c.) subjective emergency status in combination with so-called “objective” characteristics of subsequent EMS and inpatient care. We report principal diagnoses of (1) respondents, (2) 57,240 EMS users who are not part of the survey and (3) all 20,063,689 inpatients in German hospitals. Diagnoses for group 1 and 2 only cover the inpatient stay that started on the day of the last EMS use in 2016. Results According to the survey, the threshold to call an ambulance is lower for someone else than for oneself. In 89% of all cases during their own EMS use, a third party called the ambulance. The most common, self-reported complaints were pain (38%), problems with heart and circulation (32%), and loss of consciousness (17%). The majority of respondents indicated that their EMS use was due to an emergency (89%). We could detect no or only weak associations between patients’ subjective urgency and different items for objective care. Conclusion Dispatchers can possibly optimize or reduce the disposition of EMS staff and vehicles if they spoke directly to the patients more often. Nonetheless, there is need for further research on how strongly the patients’ perceived urgency may affect the disposition, rapidness of the service and transport targets.

scholarly journals Economic burden of bronchiectasis in Germany

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 1802033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Diel ◽  
James D. Chalmers ◽  
Klaus F. Rabe ◽  
Albert Nienhaus ◽  
Robert Loddenkemper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Matched Control ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Health Insurance Companies ◽  
Comorbidity Index ◽  
German Statutory Health Insurance ◽  
Direct Expenditure

Estimates of healthcare costs for incident bronchiectasis patients are currently not available for any European country.Out of a sample of 4 859 013 persons covered by German statutory health insurance companies, 231 new bronchiectasis patients were identified in 2012. They were matched with 685 control patients by age, sex and Charlson Comorbidity Index, and followed for 3 years.The total direct expenditure during that period per insured bronchiectasis patient was EUR18 634.57 (95% CI EUR15 891.02–23 871.12), nearly one-third higher (ratio of mean 1.31, 95% CI 1.02–1.68) than for a matched control (p<0.001). Hospitalisation costs contributed to 35% of the total and were >50% higher in the bronchiectasis group (ratio of mean 1.56, 95% CI 1.20–3.01; p<0.001); on average, bronchiectasis patients spent 4.9 (95% CI 2.27–7.43) more days in hospital (p<0.001). Antibiotics expenditures per bronchiectasis outpatient (EUR413.81) were nearly 5 times higher than those for a matched control (ratio of mean 4.85, 95% CI 2.72–8.64). Each bronchiectasis patient had on average 40.5 (95% CI 17.1–43.5) sick-leave days and induced work-loss costs of EUR4230.49 (95% CI EUR2849.58–5611.20). The mortality rate for bronchiectasis and matched non-bronchiectasis patients after 3 years of follow-up was 26.4% and 10.5%, respectively (p<0.001). Mortality in the bronchiectasis group was higher among those who also had chronic obstructive lung disease than in patients with bronchiectasis alone (35.9% and 14.6%, respectively; p<0.001).Although bronchiectasis is considered underdiagnosed, the mortality and associated financial burden in Germany are substantial.

scholarly journals PANSONOSCOPY IN POLYTRAUMA (NEW MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY)

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandr Sergeevich Iova ◽  
Irina Alexandrovna Krukova ◽  
Dmitriy Alexandrovich Iova
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Medical Technology ◽  
Ultrasound Examination ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Actual Problem ◽  
Portable Ultrasound ◽  
Traumatic Injuries ◽  
Medical Consultations ◽  
Large Sections

This article deals with the actual problem of present-day traumotology - improvement of rendering of medical care for patients with polytrauma. The new technology “Pansonoscopy” is presented, which is the minimally invasive and widely available method of fast imaging of the “whole body” of the patient in any medical situations. It permits to detect the most frequent and dangerous traumatic injuries (cranial, thoracal, abdominal, skeletal, etc.) applying portable ultrasound scanners in real-time mode. The guarantee of imaging of the intracranial injuries, pos sibility realization of ultrasound examination by clinician on his own, and possibility of online medical consultations to experts (sonologist) - are fundamently new. This technology is destined for the large sections of practitioners, what render medical care for patients with polytrauma.

scholarly journals Thriving in a changing world – opportunities and challenges for private health insurance companies

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2018/1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Private Health Insurance ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Insurance Market ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Health Insurance Companies ◽  
Health Insurance Market

The health insurance market in Poland reflects global trends – such as the rising awareness of personal health impact on quality of life. As a consequence, the health insurance market has seen substantial growth during the last years, which is forecasted to continue at over 20 percent more than life or P&C insurance globally. However, private health insurance has not yet unlocked its full potential.

scholarly journals Day Surgery Development Aspects in Slovakia

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 477
Author(s):  
Beáta Gavurová ◽  
Adela Klepáková ◽  
Ladislava Ivančová
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Day Surgery ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health Insurance Companies

The day surgery is a highly effective tool for providing health care which has been used in Slovakia only for the last decade. The unified system of payment for inpatient or outpatient (day care) surgeries causes the reduction of health insurance companies´ spending. Incorrectly configured and economically demotivating system of refunding is a cause of lagging behind the European average in utilization of day surgery. Without the evaluation of day surgery it is not possible to link the progress in the social sphere, which leads to the restriction of day surgery availability for some social groups and thus the subsequent stagnation of day surgery in Slovakia. This contribution presents a pilot study conducted in Slovakia and its partial findings focused on the development and trends in the implementation of day surgery in order to increase the efficiency healthcare system.

scholarly journals Development of medical insurance in the Russian Federation. At the crossroads. What's next?

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor M. Akulin ◽  
Lubov Yu. Zhiguleva
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
National Health ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Health Insurance System ◽  
National Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance Companies ◽  
Compulsory Health Insurance ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Additional Payment

The RF health care reform is gaining momentum. A thorough consideration should be given to the discussion on the need to exclude health insurance companies from the compulsory health insurance system (CHI). Formation of the National Health Care System of Russia is the main problem of the national health care at this stage of reforms. Additional payment for medical services in the CHI by the general public is not advisable. Changes in the regulatory framework of the CHI system is deemed to be the basis for reforming the system of compulsory and voluntary health insurance in Russia.   

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