ArticleBMJ open2023
Impact of increased reimbursement for ambulance transportation on hospital acceptance in Japan: a difference-in-difference study.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveEmergency medical services (EMS) often face difficulties in finding accepting hospitals in Japan. The universal medical insurance system in Japan increased the reimbursement for ambulance transportation acceptance at night, and on Sundays and holidays from 1 April 2016. This study investigated the effect of the reimbursement increase on the number of EMS calls, and transportation time from arrival at the scene to arrival at the hospital.
designA difference-in-difference study. The treatment group consisted of people who called an ambulance at night while the control group consisted of people who called an ambulance during the daytime.
settingThe national ambulance records of the Fire and Disaster Management Agency in Japan from 1 April 2015 to 31 December 2016.
participants7 625 463 ambulance dispatches were eligible for inclusion. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The changes in EMS calls, transportation time and the number of ambulance transports per 1000 population in one month in a comparison of daytime and night-time transport.
resultsThe treatment effect (night-time vs daytime) on the number of EMS calls was -0.013 (95% CI, -0.023 to -0.004), which was significant. The transportation time decreased slightly by 0.080 min (95% CI, -0.157 to -0.004). No impact was observed on the number of ambulance transports per 1000 population per month (0.00; 95% CI, -0.008 to 0.002).
conclusionAn increase in reimbursement for ambulance transportation acceptance was associated with a decrease in the number of EMS calls. Further strategies for decreasing the number of EMS calls are needed to avoid delays in the treatment of emergency patients with critical illness.
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