Notes: *** p<0.001, ** p<0.01, * p<0.05;
OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; ICU, intensive care unit of the
hospital; CNY, Chinese yuan renminbi.
Table 4 presents the effect of PA on places of healthcare utilization.
PA did not transfer more patients to PHC facilities. Rural patients with
chronic diseases in PA counties were more likely to use PHC outpatient
care in 2013 (OR=1.45, 95% CI 1.10-1.90), but the significance
disappeared in 2018 (OR=0.85, 95% CI 0.71-1.01), which indicated that
PA could not contribute to the transfer of patients with chronic
diseases to PHC facilities (p=0.001). The OR for PA was 1.72 (95% CI
1.32-2.24), indicating that inpatients in PA counties were more likely
to choose hospitals inside counties. PA and NPA counties did not have
any differences in the use of PHC outpatient care in 2018 after
controlling covariates, but PA counties were associated with increased
odds of using inpatient care within counties.
Table 4. The effect of pairing assistance on places of
healthcare utilization for rural patients with chronic diseases