A decrease of 93%, more than 10,000 yuan cheaper! Demystifying the secret behind the cliff-type price reduction of coronary stents →
More than a month ago, my country’s first centralized procurement of high-value medical consumables was opened in Tianjin. In this centralized procurement, the average price of coronary stents dropped from 13,000 yuan to about 700 yuan, a decrease of 93%. .
This price will be officially implemented on January 1 next year. After the price of the stent is reduced, how much money can patients save?
The price of the stent is reduced, and the patient can reduce the burden by up to 10,000 yuan
In 1994, the world's first coronary stent product was launched in the United States. Since then, coronary stents have been widely used worldwide and are now an important method for cardiologists to treat patients with coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction.
In 2019, more than 2,400 medical institutions across the country carried out coronary stent implantation operations, saving millions of patients.
Before 2004, heart stents were totally dependent on imports. A stent cost 30,000 to 40,000 yuan. After an operation, if 2-3 stents are used, the cost of light surgical instruments is more than 100,000 yuan, which is an astronomical figure.
After nearly 20 years of scientific research and development, with the development of localized substitution, three domestic companies including Minimally Invasive and Le Universal JW have emerged in China. Domestic stents have initially completed the import substitution, and the number of domestic cardiac stents in clinical use has reached 75 %.
Under the pressure of competition, the price of imported stents was forced to drop from 40,000 to 50,000 yuan to more than 20,000 yuan, and the price of domestic stents was also reduced to more than 10,000 yuan.
But even so, it is still unbearable for many patients.
The centralized procurement on November 5 reduced the price of coronary stents from an average price of about 13,000 yuan to about 700 yuan, and many patients with non-acute myocardial infarction would choose to go to the hospital for stent surgery next year.
The number of patients in Tianjin Chest Hospital has been directly reduced by more than half.
As a medical expert, Jiang Changsong participated in the National Medical Insurance Administration's negotiation for the centralized procurement of coronary stents.
Before the negotiations, they conducted a rigorous analysis of the 27 products that were shortlisted for the centralized procurement of coronary stents.
On November 5th, Jiang Changsong described the negotiation scene that day with thrilling.
Among the 12 products that entered the centralized procurement list of coronary stents this time, the highest price was 798 yuan, and the lowest was 469 yuan.
According to statistics from the top three hospitals in 2019, the actual medical expenses for patients undergoing coronary intervention surgery averaged about 56,000 yuan, of which coronary stents were about 16,000 yuan, and other consumables accounted for more than 10,000 yuan.
In this way, the cost of high-value consumables accounts for about half of the entire hospitalization cost. Even if the medical insurance reimbursement is finally reimbursed, the personal medical burden of employees is about 15,000 yuan, and the personal burden of residents' medical treatment is about 24,000 yuan.
Jiang Changsong told reporters that after the official price cut of the stent in 2021, the personal medical burden of employees will probably be reduced by 6,500 yuan, and the personal medical insurance burden of residents will be reduced by 8,500 yuan.
In areas where the medical insurance benefits are relatively low, the patient's burden is actually reduced at a higher level, about 10,000 yuan.
Heart doctors wear dozens of catties of lead clothes for surgery, they use health to replace patients’ lives
The topic of stent price reduction has aroused heated discussion. Why can a small stent drop from 10,000 yuan to 700 yuan?
During an interview at the hospital, the reporter of "Economic Half an Hour" learned that the risks and losses that doctors endure in operations and other links are not what ordinary people can imagine: doctors have to perform an operation with radiation under X-ray.
During the interview in Tianjin Chest Hospital, the reporter followed Director Cong Hongliang to the observation room of interventional stent surgery.
In the corridor, the colorful vests hung on the shelves are pieces of lead clothing. A 20-jin lead clothing needs to be worn for 30 to 40 minutes or even several hours.
In this procurement of stents, the National Medical Insurance Bureau has also considered the treatment of future doctors. It hopes that while reducing the price of medical equipment, it can increase the salary of doctors by increasing the price of medical services.
According to the "China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2019", the number of cardiovascular patients in China reached 330 million. From 2009 to 2019, the number of coronary heart disease operations in China has grown from 230,000 to more than 1 million, an annual increase Speed is above 10%.
At present, more than 2,400 medical institutions across the country are carrying out coronary stent implantation operations. If the use of each surgical stent is about 1.5, China will use about 1.5 million heart stents a year.
Hu Dayi, director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases at Peking University, believes that the sharp drop in stent prices will undoubtedly bring hope to more patients with myocardial infarction, but behind the hope, he also has some faint concerns.
Hu Dayi reminds everyone that after the price of the stent is reduced, be wary of someone raising the price of related medical consumables under the banner of innovation.
At the same time, he also hopes that through such medical reforms, he can go back to the roots and bring medical care back to its original intention.
[Half an hour observation]: Benefit patients and purify the medical environment
A small stent, the problems involved behind it cannot be solved across the board.
There is still less than a month before the official price reduction of the stent. After the price reduction in the future, we hope that the stent will eventually benefit patients. The substantial price reduction will force medical companies to innovate and upgrade.
There are more problems that need to be faced, such as the treatment of medical workers and the remuneration of labor, which are also problems that the system must solve in the future.
Source: CCTV Finance "Economy Half an Hour"
Producer: Ke Chengyun
Reporter: Song Leihua
Camera: Jing Yan, Fan Jianen, Fan Jinfeng