Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2000, 190 (2)

A Preliminary Study on the Knowledge and Attitudes of Physicians at Two University Hospitals towards the Medical Insurance System of Japan

HISAHIKO OTA, SARINA TANIMOTO, KAZUE TAKAYANAGI, TETSUHIKO KIMURA, and TAKASHI OIDA1

Department of Health Service Administration, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, and 1Department of Public Health Policy, National Institute of Public Health, Tokyo 108-8638

  • In this preliminary study, we surveyed the physicians at two academic hospitals on their knowledge of and attitudes toward the medical insurance system in Japan. Most of the physicians had not read the gMinisterial Ordinance on Insurance Medical Institutions' and Insurance Medical Doctors' Medical Treatment under Health Insurance.h Of the 433 physicians who filled out the questionnaire completely, 34% had either not read or rarely read the gMedical Fee Point List.h Most (89.1%) of the physicians knew that there is a stepwise reduction in the hospitalization fee as the length of a patient's hospital stay increases. However, approximately 30% did not know the stipulation of obtaining an informed consent from the patient prior to blood transfusion. As for the right of patients to see their medical care remuneration statements, which was decided by the government in 1997, 26.8% of the physicians did not know this rule. Physicians who had read the gMinisterial Ordinance on Medical Treatment,h were more likely to read the gMedical Fee Point Listh frequently; were more likely to know the stipulation about diminishing hospitalization fee; were more likely to know that an informed consent must be obtained prior to blood transfusion; and were more likely to know that patients had a right to see their medical care remuneration statements. The longer the clinical experience of the physician, the more likely that the physician had read the gMinisterial Ordinance on Medical Treatmenth and know the other stipulations well. In these two academic hospitals, it is important to establish educational seminars for physicians on the guidelines of the medical insurance system so that physicians will become familiar with the medical insurance system quickly.
    Key words--- health insurance system; physicians' knowledge; physicians' attitude; education
    © 2000 Tohoku University Medical Press

    Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2000, 190, 143-155
    Address for reprints: Hisahiko Ota, Department of Health Service Administration, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan.
    e-mail: ota/hsa@nms.ac.jp

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