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Regional variations in medical expenditure and hospitalization days for heart attack patients in Japan: evidence from the Tokai Acute Myocardial Study (TAMIS)

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Abstract

In Japan, the use of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is extraordinarily frequent, resulting in large medical expenditure. Using chart-based data and exploiting regional variations, we explore what factors explain the frequent use of PTCA, employing propensity score matching to estimate the average treatment effects on hospital expenditure and hospital days. We find that the probability of receiving PTCA is affected by the density of medical resources in a region. Moreover, expenditure is higher for treated patients while there are no significant differences in hospitalization days, implying that the frequent use of PTCA is economically motivated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Theoretical Social Security Research, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Hibiya Kokusai Building 6th Floor, 2-2-3 Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-0011, Japan

    Haruko Noguchi

  2. Institute for International Policy Studies, Toranomon 30 Mori Building 6th floor, Toranomon 3-2-2, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0001, Japan

    Satoshi Shimizutani

  3. Department of Geriatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan

    Yuichiro Masuda

Authors
  1. Haruko Noguchi
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  2. Satoshi Shimizutani
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  3. Yuichiro Masuda
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Correspondence to Haruko Noguchi.

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Noguchi, H., Shimizutani, S. & Masuda, Y. Regional variations in medical expenditure and hospitalization days for heart attack patients in Japan: evidence from the Tokai Acute Myocardial Study (TAMIS). Int J Health Care Finance Econ 8, 123–144 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10754-007-9031-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10754-007-9031-x

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