Abstract

Objective

To identify inpatient treatment patterns and health care expenditures for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among the population with urban basic health insurance (BHI) in China.

Methods

Hospitalizations for patients 18 years or older with discharge diagnosis of HCC from 2008 to 2011 and enrolled in the Chinese BHI plan were identified from the Chinese Health Insurance Research Association database. Treatment approaches and hospital expenditures were assessed for the full sample, and according to city level and hospital tier. Analyses were extrapolated to the national urban BHI population.

Results

A total of 3679 HCC hospitalizations were identified in the period 2008 to 2011, representing 615,359 hospitalizations among the urban BHI population. More than two-thirds of the patients received active treatment during hospitalization (68%, N = 418,394), most commonly with traditional Chinese medicine (51%) and/or transarterial intervention therapy (21%). Cases from larger level 1 cities and larger tier 3 hospitals reported greater use of active treatments (81% and 83%, respectively) than did those from smaller level 3 cities (46%) or tier 1 hospitals (56%). Hospital expenditures were higher in level 1 cities (mean [95% confidence interval] Chinese currency renminbi [¥] 17,119 [¥16,292–¥17,946]; US $2,506 [$2,385–$2,628]) than in level 3 cities (mean [95% confidence interval] ¥7,870 [¥5,775–¥9,964]; $1,152 [$846–$1,459]).

Conclusions

Most patients with HCC received active treatment during hospitalization in China. There were substantial disparities, however, in the use of HCC treatments across different economic regions, and nearly a third received only palliative care. With the recent launch of health care reform, this study provides valuable insights into current resource use and costs for HCC in China to help prioritize areas of improvement.