Findings from the Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations in Vietnam study will help the health authorities develop preventive measures and strengthen primary health care (PHC) to reduce avoidable hospitalizations that are burdening the country’s health insurance system.
The World Bank collaborated with the Vietnam Social Security agency to analyze the claims database (2017-2020) of the country’s Social Health Insurance scheme for potentially preventable hospitalizations (PPH). The recently published work, funded by the Advance UHC Multi-Donor Trust Fund, found that one-third of all admissions and Health Insurance Fund payments to providers are accounted for by ailments for which hospitalization could have been avoided. Primary health care interventions, vaccination, early disease screening and diagnosis, and better management of diseases, could have significantly reduced such admissions.
PPH analysis can help identify priorities for targeted policy interventions. For example, the study identified the top five health conditions on which Vietnam could focus its early intervention efforts to avoid hospitalization. These are bacterial pneumonia; ear, nose and throat conditions; diabetes and related complications; dehydration, gastroenteritis and intestinal infections; and cerebrovascular diseases. Their disaggregated data allows policy makers to craft evidence-based PHC strategies and target interventions to specific provinces and districts, age groups, sex, medical conditions, and disadvantaged groups.