Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41456002›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

The impact of DRG payment reform on stroke inpatient costs: a propensity score matching and difference-in-differences analysis of a large public hospital in Northeast China.

Lingxiao Gao, Ruinan Li, Huaizhi Cheng, Xiaoyu Dong, Yanrui Liu, Ruotong Tian, Tingting Zhang, Bin Guo

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Lingxiao Gao *Harbin Medical University, Daqing Campus, 39 Xinyang Street, Daqing, Heilongjiang, 163319, China.
Ruinan Li *Harbin First Hospital, 151 Diduan Street, Daoli District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150010, China.
Huaizhi ChengHarbin Medical University, Daqing Campus, 39 Xinyang Street, Daqing, Heilongjiang, 163319, China.
Xiaoyu DongHarbin Medical University, Daqing Campus, 39 Xinyang Street, Daqing, Heilongjiang, 163319, China.
Yanrui LiuHarbin Medical University, Daqing Campus, 39 Xinyang Street, Daqing, Heilongjiang, 163319, China.
Ruotong TianHarbin Medical University, Daqing Campus, 39 Xinyang Street, Daqing, Heilongjiang, 163319, China.
Tingting ZhangHarbin Medical University, Daqing Campus, 39 Xinyang Street, Daqing, Heilongjiang, 163319, China.
Bin GuoHarbin Medical University, Daqing Campus, 39 Xinyang Street, Daqing, Heilongjiang, 163319, China. guobinlover@163.com.

Funding

Fundamental Research Funds for the Provincial Universities of Heilongjiang No. JFCX202503Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province, China No. LH2023G006
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe advancement of China’s Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) payment reform represents a crucial measure to deepen the healthcare system reform, address the persistent rise in medical costs, and counter the imbalance between medical insurance fund revenues and expenditures. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the DRG payment policy on hospitalization costs for stroke patients.

methodsMedical records of stroke patients discharged from a large public hospital in Northeast China between September 2018 and December 2024 were collected. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) and Difference-in-Differences (DID) models were employed to analyze the impact of DRG payment on stroke patients’ length of stay (LOS), cost structure, and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure share.

resultsAfter the implementation of DRG payment, the total hospitalization costs for stroke patients decreased by 19.31%. While treatment costs showed minimal change, all other individual cost items experienced significant reductions, with the largest declines observed in Western medicine costs (23.11%) and consumable costs (32.21%). The LOS and OOP expenditure proportions decreased by 8.90% and 2.83%, respectively. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that DRG payment reduced hospitalization costs by 18.48% for elderly patients, 22.68% for non-elderly patients, 21.97% for male patients, and 15.94% for female patients.

conclusionThe DRG payment plays a vital role in optimizing the structure of hospitalization costs and controlling unreasonable cost growth.However, further efforts are needed, including deepening salary system reforms, strengthening the development of DRG information platforms, refining basic medical insurance, and providing medical assistance for low-income populations. Special attention should be given to vulnerable groups such as the elderly and women, with improved green channels and enhanced humanistic care.

Indexed as

Diagnosis-Related GroupsHealth Care ReformHospital CostsHospitalizationHospitals, PublicStrokeAgedAged, 80 and overChinaFemaleHumansLength of StayMaleMiddle AgedPropensity ScoreDiagnosis-related groupsDifference-in-DifferencesPayment reformPolicy impactsStroke

Identifiers

PMID41456002
PMCPMC12853749

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.