Why carry out this study?

The treatment of diabetes consumes considerable healthcare resources, resulting in high medical costs, which places a heavy economic burden on society, patients and their families.

The aim of this research was to study, on the scale of medical expenses for diabetic patients in Hainan Province in 2016, the distribution of the expenses of the beneficiaries and the flow direction of institutions, to provide a reference for health departments to formulate health policies and allocate medical resources rationally.

What was learned from the study?

The medical burden of diabetes treatment in Hainan Province is heavy, and patient treatment is concentrated in large hospitals. It is necessary to inform patients to focus more on medical institutions that provide primary care, adjust the proportion of medical insurance reimbursement, control the cost of hospitalization and strengthen the healthcare management of middle-aged and elderly diabetic patients.

The medical expenses of diabetes treatment mainly flow to high-level medical institutions, and medical institutions providing primary care fail to function fully in their role of “gatekeeper.” Early prevention and early treatment of diabetes mellitus will likely be the key to reduce the burden of medical expenses for diabetes mellitus in the future.