| Theme |
Problems Involved with Dialysis Therapy in the Elderly Medicine |
| Title |
Economics of healthcare for elderly patients |
| Author |
Koichi Kawabuchi |
The Graduate School of Medicine and Dental Sciences, Health Care Economics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University |
| Author |
Hironori Inoue |
The Graduate School of Medicine and Dental Sciences, Health Care Economics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University |
| Author |
Keiko Kajitani |
The Graduate School of Medicine and Dental Sciences, Health Care Economics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University |
| Author |
Satoshi Uno |
The Graduate School of Medicine and Dental Sciences, Health Care Economics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University |
| [ Summary ] |
National Health Expenditures in Japan for FY 2008 reached 34,808 billion yen (US$435.1 billion when $1.00=80yen). This high figure is due to the aging of the population, as well as to advances in healthcare technology. Breaking down the total, 1,323 billion yen (US$16.5 billion) was spent on treatment of tubulointerstitial disease and renal failure. 782 billion yen (US$9.7 billion) was spent on patients 65 and older. A substantial part of this cost was related to providing dialysis care. Thus, as the elderly population grows year by year, cost control for dialysis treatment will become more critical than ever. Currently, dialysis is provided in both outpatient and inpatient settings, with the respective percentages being 56 and 44. However, older patients tend to receive more care in inpatient settings. Efforts should be made to prevent unnecessary admissions, especially emergency admissions for many reasons. One of the many reasons is the fact that these patients often require more costly treatment. Strengthening the network of doctors providing in-home care and renal specialists, as well as their collaboration in promoting early awareness among patients, particularly those at high risk, are examples of such efforts. |