Venue: The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, 1 Towerview Drive, Durham, NC 27708-0120

 

Presentation

Effects of Learning Yan Xin Qigong (YXQ) on Medical Care Utilization and Spending: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study with Medical Claims Data

Authors: Xin Yan (Chongqing Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine); Hua Shen (New Medical Science Research Institute); Charles Loh (Vancouver Yan Xin Life Science & Technology Center); Jianzhong Shao (Vancouver Yan Xin Life Science & Technology Center); Yuhong Yang (University of Minnesota); Jun Wang (New Medical Science Research Institute); Chunling Lu (Harvard University)

Presenter: Chunling Lu (Harvard University)

Discussant: Martey S. Dodoo (American Academy of Family Physicians)

Session: Training Issues

Room: Seminar B

When: Tuesday 10:30 a.m. - noon

Rationale: Qigong, the foundation and an important component of Traditional Chinese Medicine and traditional Chinese technologies, is widely used throughout China for therapeutic treatment and health and wellness preservation. Regulation of Qigong is under the official administration of the Chinese government. Yan Xin Qigong (YXQ), a Qigong method recommended by the Chinese government for its safety and effectiveness in 1998, is a Traditional Chinese Advanced Qigong taught by Dr. YAN Xin, a chief physician at the Chongqing Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a renowned grand Qigong Master. YXQ has distinguished itself in rigorous scientific studies conducted in laboratory settings by Dr.Yan and scientists at leading universities in both China and the U.S over the past 20 years. The peer-reviewed literature demonstrates the effects of YXQ at various scales, ranging from cellular, to atomic, to nuclear level, and suggests physiological pathways possibly related to its mechanism of healing. Long-term clinical observations have shown that patients with various medical conditions, some as severe as cancer, have shown significant improvement or even full recovery following YXQ. A number of survey studies have demonstrated the positive health effects of YXQ.

Objective: We investigate the health effects of YXQ at a population level by studying the impact of learning YXQ on individual learners' medical care utilization and spending.

Methodology: The Medical Claims History Records from 1995 to 2002 for YXQ learners over 18 years of age is provided by the Ministry of Health of British Columbia, Canada. These individuals were enrollees of the mandatory 'Medical Services Plan' (MSP) financed by the government of British Columbia. Individuals who did not buy other insurance plans and had Medical Claims History Records at least six months before and after learning YXQ are chosen. Pregnant women are excluded. Our final sample has 181 individuals. Medical spending and number of medical visits per 6-month period are used as the units of analysis. Age, gender, and year dummy variables, as well as a YXQ learning indicator and YXQ learning time, are included in the analysis. Various estimation methods are used, including generalized linear models with gamma and Poisson distributions.

Results: Learning YXQ leads to a significant reduction in both the number of medical visits and amount of medical spending. The duration of learning is negatively correlated with learners' medical care utilization. The findings are robust to estimation methods and are consistent with the conclusions of previous studies.

Conclusion: The finding that learning YXQ significantly reduced medical care utilization is very encouraging, given that the design of the Medical Services Plan provides an incentive to over-use medical care services. As health care expenditures grow rapidly, the high cost of medical care has become a serious concern in many countries. YXQ can be an effective method to reduce health care costs through its positive effects on health.