• Chi-Jung Tai, Hsueh-Fen Chen, Chun-Ying Lee, and Hui-Min Hsieh.
• Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Gangshan Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Kaohisung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Center for Long-Term Care Research, Kaohisung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Electronic address: taichijung@kmu.edu.tw.
• J Formos Med Assoc. 2024 Sep 1; 123 (9): 101810201018-1020.

AbstractTaiwan has implemented a Medical Home Healthcare (MHHC) policy to provide home healthcare services to residents in need. First was the Ordinary Medical Home Healthcare (OMHHC) program in 1997 and then expanded to Integrated Medical Home Healthcare (IMHHC) in 2016. The OMHHC is provided care for residents with tubes at home or in institutions by physicians and nurses, and the IMHHC include additional professions, such as pharmacists and dentists. This study analyzed the longitudinal data from 2013 to 2020 with respect to overall home health services utilizations, and the type of services, and compared the differences between areas with and without healthcare shortages. Our results showed that the IMHHC program enhanced the accessibility of home healthcare to those in needs, especially those in healthcare shortage areas. However, some services in the IMHHC program may still have low utilization rates. It is necessary to investigate the potential barriers for residents to access those services.Copyright © 2024 Formosan Medical Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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