The purpose of this study was to analyze the ten-year trend of health care services utilization among population aged over 40 in Taiwan area during 1996 to 2005 .
The researcher of this study used the National Health Insurance Registry for 200,000 Beneficiaries Claims Data Files in 1996 and selected 49961 objects of study, and the data of this cohort study was analyzed from Ambulatory care expenditures by visits files and Inpatient expenditures by admissions files of National Health Insurance from 1996 to 2005.
It was found that the medical outpatient cost at 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69 years old increased year by year with ten-year growing rates 69%, 72%, and 41% respectively. Besides, frequency of outpatient visits was the highest at 70-79 years old, upping from 26.4 in 1996 to 28.6 in 1998 and then declining year after year whilst that at 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69 years old rose every year as ages increased. As to that at over 80 years old, it descended annually.
The study turned out to reveal that chronic diseases traced in ten years occupied higher proportions at 40- 49, 50-59, and 60-69 years old, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, heart disease, respiratory disease and liver cirrhosis. Meanwhile, dementia, CVA, and Parkinsen’s disease occupied higher proportions at 40-49 years old and at over 80 years old.
