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Gynecologists say statistics on BNHI Web site ‘shocking’

A medical association blasted the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) yesterday over statistics the bureau posted online regarding the rate of complications resulting from the removal of uterine myomas, or tumors, saying the numbers were “totally wrong.”

“I was shocked by the BNHI statistics,” Tsai Hong-te (蔡鴻德), chairman of the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, told a press conference yesterday. “The figures are much higher than ours. Taiwan plays a leading role in the world in gynecology and obstetrics, but the statistics made Taiwan’s quality of healthcare appear even worse than in African countries.”

The statistics, posted online by the bureau on April 25, indicated that the rates of bladder, ureteral or gastrointestinal problems 14 days after the removal of a uterine myoma averaged 17.78 percent, much higher than the association’s 0.5 percent to 1.0 percent.

The BNHI numbers showed rates for smaller-scale local hospitals and clinics as high as 30.62 percent and 42.67 percent respectively.

The figures were posted on a BNHI Web site that provides the general public with information on the medical quality of all medical institutions to give patients a better understanding of diseases and medical care.

METHODOLOGY

Tsai said the BNHI’s methodology was completely wrong, as the post-surgical complications in the survey included medical codes for “symptoms” that quite likely had nothing to do with the surgical procedure itself.

“Such a falsehood not only smeared gynecologists but also severely damaged the relationship between doctors and patients,” he said. “We strongly protest and disagree with such data.”

Lin Jin-lung (林金龍), executive secretary-general of the BNHI’s Dispute Mediation Committee, said the bureau listed all detailed information related to the statistics online and did not intend to hurt the reputations of local gynecologists and obstetricians.

OUTSIDE SOURCES

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) told the press conference that the way the bureau conducted the survey was flawed as it sought advice from experts outside the association instead of discussing the study with credible organizations.

Association secretary-general James Hsieh (謝卿宏) urged the bureau to remove the faulty statistics from its Web site immediately and wait until the figures have been updated before posting them again.

Uterine myomas are fairly common and almost always benign. They are caused by the increased growth of a portion of the muscular wall of the uterus, but what triggers the growth is not clearly understood.
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