Researcher from Medical University Clinic Publishes Findings in Health and Medicine (Comparison of Cardiovascular Procedure Rates in Patients With Supplementary vs Basic Insurance in Switzerland): Health and Medicine

2023 FEB 08 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on agriculture have been published. According to news originating from Aarau, Switzerland, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Importance: Switzerland’s mandatory health insurance provides universal coverage, but residents can opt for supplementary private insurance for nonessential, nonvital amenities. It is debated whether people with supplementary private insurance receive overtreatment due to financial incentives.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Medical University Clinic: “To assess whether incidence rates of cardiovascular procedures in people with supplementary private insurance are higher than in those with basic insurance only. Design, Setting, and Participants: A population-based weighted cohort comparative effectiveness study, using administrative claims data from Switzerland assessing incidence rates (IRs), was conducted in adults undergoing a nonemergency cardiovascular inpatient procedure from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2020. Analysis included primary or secondary discharge procedure codes for 1 of the following: percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion, patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), mitral valve clip implantation, cardiac pacemaker implantation, and atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter ablation. Exposures: Supplementary private health insurance. Main Outcomes and Measures: Incidence rates of cardiovascular procedures between insurance groups calculated by negative binomial regression adjusted by inverse probability weights. Of 590 919 admissions (median age, 68 years; IQR, 57-77 years), 55.5% male, 15.7% non-Swiss nationality), 70.1% had basic insurance only. Independent of insurance status, IR for all cardiovascular procedures steadily increased over the study years. In general, people with supplementary private insurance received cardiovascular procedures more frequently (IR ratio [IRR], 1.11; 99% CI, 1.10-1.11) than people with basic insurance only. There was also an increase for every procedure: PTCA (IRR, 1.12; 99% CI, 1.12-1.13), LAA closure (IRR, 1.15; 99% CI, 1.13-1.16), mitral valve clip implantation (IRR, 1.08; 99% CI, 1.07-1.09), TAVR (IRR, 1.04; 99% CI, 1.03-1.06), PFO closure (IRR, 1.01; 99% CI, 1.00-1.02), pacemaker implantation (IRR, 1.08; 99% CI, 1.07-1.09), and atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter ablation (IRR, 1.12; 99% CI, 1.11-1.12).”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Sensitivity analyses, including side procedures, stratification by length of stay, and propensity score matching, suggested robustness of the results. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found an association between supplementary private insurance and a higher likelihood of receiving nonemergency cardiovascular procedures. Whether this higher rate of procedures in people with supplementary private insurance is based on clinical reasoning or due to financial incentives warrants further exploration.”

For more information on this research see: Comparison of Cardiovascular Procedure Rates in Patients With Supplementary vs Basic Insurance in Switzerland. JAMA Network Open, 2023,6(1). (JAMA Network Open - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen). The publisher for JAMA Network Open is American Medical Association (AMA).

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.51965.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Tristan Struja, Medical University Clinic, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Kantonsspital Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland. Additional authors for this research include Flurina Suter, Sabine Rohrmann, Daniel Koch, Beat Mueller, Philipp Schuetz, Alexander Kutz.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)