The National Health Commission (NHC) has released the “Report on the National Monitoring and Analysis of Performance Assessment of National Class 2 Public Hospitals in 2021”. The report indicates that a total of 5,456 Class 2 public hospitals nationwide participated in the 2021 performance evaluation, marking an inclusion of 2,212 new hospitals compared to 2020, covering almost all Class 2 public hospitals. Hebei, Henan, and Shandong are among the top three regions in terms of the number of Class 2 hospitals included in the assessment.
DRG Implementation and Clinical Service Capacity
In 2021, the clinical service capacity of Class 2 public hospitals saw continued improvement. The coverage of diagnosis and treatment diseases increased, with hospitals on average having 400 DRG groups in place. Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Yunnan, Shandong, and other provinces were among the top rankings in terms of DRG group number. The average growth rate of DRG groups in Guizhou, Hebei, Hunan, and other provinces was relatively high. The proportion of discharged patients undergoing surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and tertiary surgery all increased, reaching 19.93%, 14.41%, and 37.82%, respectively. The Case Mix Index (CMI) reached 1.04, with Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang consistently ranking among the top three in the country, while provinces such as Guangxi and Guizhou were well below the national norms.
Diagnostic and Treatment Support, Rational Drug Use, and VBP Implementation
The diagnostic and treatment support capabilities of Class 2 public hospitals continued to improve, as did the level of rational drug use. The intensity of antibacterial drug use in provinces such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu decreased rapidly. The implementation proportion of national volume-based procurement (VBP) winning bids was 92.34%, an increase of 0.36 percentage points compared to 2020. The proportion of basic drugs in outpatient and inpatient patients was 50.88% and 46.65%, respectively, an increase of 0.34 and 0.72 percentage points compared to 2020. Additionally, mutual recognition of test results and information construction were also steadily advancing.
Operational Capacity and Talent Cultivation
In terms of operational capacity, in 2021, the proportion of medical service revenue in national Class 2 public hospitals reached 30.72%, and the proportion of revenue from key monitoring drugs and consumables was 1.12% and 30.45%, respectively. Regarding talent cultivation and sustainable development, the number of physicians in anesthesia, pediatrics, and critical care increased. Some Class 2 public hospitals in cities have already transformed or are currently transforming into specialist medical institutions such as rehabilitation hospitals and nursing homes.
Challenges and Recommendations
The report also points out that 43.87% of hospitals still experience operational losses. Class 2 public hospitals still need to further enhance their internal management capabilities and coordinated development levels, improve the proportion of basic drugs, use of antibacterial drugs, disease coverage, information technology level, revenue, and expenditure management among others.-Fineline Info & Tech
