Reports on Primary Care Findings from University of Tokyo Provide New Insights (What are the factors affecting primary care choice when the access under health insurance scheme is limited?: a cross-sectional study in Bandung, Indonesia): Health and Medicine – Primary Care

2024 MAR 19 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on primary care. According to news reporting originating from the University of Tokyo by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Ensuring equal access to primary care services is crucial, as the gateway to a higher level of care. Indonesia has been trying to increase financial access to medical care by administering national health insurance known as BPJS-Health (Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial Kesehatan) since 2014. However, BPJS-Health beneficiaries can only use their benefits at a limited number of registered primary care providers (BPJS-Health partners).”

Financial supporters for this research include Indonesian Endowment Fund For Education; The University of Tokyo Research Fund.

Our news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from University of Tokyo: “This study investigated the geographical coverage of BPJS-Health and BPJS-Health beneficiaries’ primary care choices, based on their characteristics and healthcare preferences in the target areas of Bandung, Indonesia. The setting of this cross-sectional study was the areas with low physical access to BPJS-Health partners but high physical access to non-BPJS-Health partners. Physical access was determined by spatial network analysis, resulting in a geographical coverage map. A total of 216 adults were recruited and they completed the questionnaire about their primary care choice. All participants had been registered with the BPJS-Health system and living in the study areas. Their participation in non-BPJS-Health was also evaluated. Participants’ choice of care was assessed in three different scenarios, when the individual was experiencing mild, chronic, and serious illnesses. BPJS-Health partners’ geographical coverage was unequally distributed in Bandung. Being registered with non-BPJS-Health company was negatively associated with the more frequent choice of using BPJS-Health partners’ services (AOR = 0.18; 95% CI, 0.06-0.58, P = 0.004) among BPJS-Health beneficiaries. For serious illnesses, having a high income was associated with choosing non-BPJS-Health partners and hospitals (AOR = 4.90; 95% CI, 1.16-20.77, P = 0.031). When dealing with mild and chronic illnesses, participants were concerned about the quality of treatment they would receive as a major factor in choosing a primary care provider. However, receiving better treatment quality was negatively associated with choosing BPJS-Health partners in all cases of illness severities.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Sociodemographic characteristics, healthcare preference factors, and health insurance status were associated with participants’ primary care choices in the target areas of Bandung, Indonesia. BPJS-Health partners’ coverage map and the preference factors are potentially important for policymakers, especially for the development of future BPJS-Health partnerships.”

For more information on this research see: What are the factors affecting primary care choice when the access under health insurance scheme is limited?: a cross-sectional study in Bandung, Indonesia. BMC Primary Care, 2024,25(1):1-13. The publisher for BMC Primary Care is BMC.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02296-6.

Our news editors report that more information may be obtained by contacting Afina Nur Fauziyyah, Department of Community and Global Health, University of Tokyo. Additional authors for this research include Akira Shibanuma, Ken Ing Cherng Ong, Masamine Jimba.

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