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