Analysis of cross-provincial healthcare utilization among hospitalized patients in a tertiary Chinese medicine hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the current situation and changing trends of cross-provincial healthcare utilization among hospitalized patients in a tertiary Chinese medicine hospital, explore the supply and demand characteristics of these patients, and provide references for improving the management of cross-provincial medical services and the refined management of the hospital. METHODS: Based on data extracted from the Guangdong Provincial Medical Record Information System, we collected medical records of hospitalized patients with cross-provincial healthcare utilization from a tertiary Chinese medicine hospital between 2016 and 2025. We analyzed the characteristics of these patients, including the number of visits, spatial distribution of origin, departmental distribution, spectrum of diseases, and cost implications. RESULTS: From 2016 to 2025, the total number of inpatient visits for cross-provincial medical treatment was 67,835. The majority of patients were male, accounting for 62.94%. The most affected age group was the young and middle-aged population (31-60 years). Regarding medical insurance types, self-pay (out-of-pocket) patients were the most common, accounting for 55.60% of the total, though this proportion showed a decreasing trend year by year. The length of hospital stay was predominantly 0-10 days, accounting for 70.72% of all cases. The peak period for hospital discharge was August 17. The primary source province was Hunan Province, accounting for 21.51%. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that the global Moran's I index was consistently greater than 0, indicating positive spatial autocorrelation and spatial clustering. Spatial hotspot analysis identified Guizhou, Chongqing, and Hunan as hotspot regions. The main inpatient department was orthopedics and traumatology, accounting for 49.25% of all admissions. In terms of disease classification, the most common category was injuries, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external causes (22,298 person-times). The average hospitalization cost per visit showed little difference between cross-provincial patients and local patients. Grey relational analysis indicated that consumables cost had the greatest influence on the average hospitalization cost per visit, and the proportion of consumables cost showed a decreasing trend year by year. CONCLUSION: The demand for cross-provincial inpatient care is continuously increasing. Hospitals should integrate this trend into their medical management strategies and new service development. It is essential to optimize discipline allocation, enhance core competitiveness, expand the hospital's reach and influence, and increase publicity regarding cross-provincial healthcare policies to provide high-quality medical services to a broader national patient population.