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Purpose Our aim was to determine the cost-effectiveness of two intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) interventions: 1) stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and 2) placement of subdural grid electrodes (SDGs) both followed by resective surgery in patients with drug-resistant, partial-onset epilepsy, compared with medical management (MM) in Hungary from payer's perspective. Methods The incremental health gains and costs of iEEG interventions have been determined with a combination of a decision tree and prevalence Markov process model over a 30-year time horizon in a cost–utility analysis (CUA). To address the effect of parameter uncertainty on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Results Our results showed that both SEEG and SDG interventions represent a more expensive but more effective strategy than MM representing the current standard of care. The total discounted cost of SEEG and SDG were € 32,760 and € 25,028 representing € 18,108 and € 10,375 additional cost compared with MM, respectively. However, they provide an additional 3.931 (in SEEG group) and 3.444 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs; in SDG group), correspondingly. Thus, the ICER of SEEG is € 4607 per QALY gain, while the ICER for SDG is € 3013 per QALY gain, compared with MM. At a cost-effectiveness threshold of € 41,058 per QALY in Hungary, both subtypes of iEEG interventions are cost-effective and provide good value for money. Significance Because of the high cost of implanting electrodes and monitoring, the invasive EEG for patients with refractory epilepsy is currently not available in the Hungarian national healthcare system. Our study demonstrated that these procedures in Hungary are cost-effective compared with the MM. As a result, the introduction of iEEG interventions to the reimbursement list of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration was initiated.

Background and importance The aim of the falsified medicines directive (FMD 2011/62/EU) is to prevent the entry of illegitimate medicines into the legal supply chain. Despite its proposed benefits, the indepth evaluation of cost implications for hospital pharmacies is still lacking. Aim and objectives Our study evaluated the current practice of serialisation and the financial impact of the FMD in a representative sample of Hungarian hospitals. Material and methods Based on literature review and interviews with hospital pharmacy experts, a 41 item questionnaire was developed to evaluate the implementation process leading up to February 2019, and the stabilisation period that followed. Questions regarding institutional data, human resource requirements, infrastructural and IT developments, and authentication procedures were sent out to all (n=96) Hungarian hospital pharmacies in September 2019. Results A high response rate (n=43, 44,8%) allowed representative data evaluation of Hungarian hospitals. By the initial launch date of FMD, the average increase in pharmacist workload was 0.92 (±0.98) hours/day, and it was estimated to increase further by 1.13 (±1.65), equalling 0.25 pharmacist full time equivalents (FTE)/institution. Additionally, FMD seemed to increase technician workload significantly compared with pharmacists (p Conclusion and relevance Our results illustrated that the FMD had notable short and long term impact on hospital pharmacies. Our aim is to adapt this methodology to other EU countries and identify good practices in serialisation at an international level. References and/or acknowledgements Conflict of interest Corporate sponsored research or other substantive relationships: The project was supported by the European Union, co-financed by the European Social Fund (EFOP-3.6.1.-16-2016-00004) and by the UNKP-19 new national excellence programme of the Ministry of Human Capacities.

Background The Palliative Care Consult Service (PCCS) programme was among the first initiations in Hungary to provide palliative care for patients admitted to hospital. The PCCS team provides palliative care for mainly cancer patients and their family members and manages the patient pathway after being discharged from the hospital. The service started in 2014 with 300–400 patient visits per year. The aim of this study is to give a comprehensive overview of the PCCS programme guided by a conceptual framework designed by SELFIE (“Sustainable intEgrated chronic care modeLs for multi-morbidity: delivery, FInancing, and performancE”), a Horizon2020 funded EU project and to identify the facilitators and barriers to its wider implementation. Methods PCCS has been selected by the SELFIE consortium for in-depth evaluation as one of the Hungarian integrated care models for persons with multi-morbidity. The qualitative analysis of the PCCS programme was based on available documents of the care provider and interviews with different stakeholders related to the programme. Results The integrated, multidisciplinary and patient-centred approach was well-received among the patients, family members and clinical departments, as verified by the increasing number of requests for consultations. As a result of the patient pathway management across providers (e.g. from inpatient care to homecare) a higher level of coordination could be achieved in the continuity of care for seriously-ill patients. The regulatory framework has only partially been established, policies to integrate care across organizations and sectors and adequate financial mechanism to support the enhancement and sustainability of the PCCS are still missing. Conclusions The service integration of palliative care could be implemented successfully in an academic hospital in Hungary. However, the continuation and enhancement of the programme will require further evidence on the performance of the integrated model of palliative care and a more systematic approach particularly regarding the evaluation, financing and implementation process.

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The rapidly evolving field of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as a neuromodulational technique may mean a safe, alternative approach to the management of several mental disorders, especially treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. Our aim is to describe the current role of transcranial magnetic stimulation in research and routine clinical practice, based on the literature and clinical protocols. Since the discovery, that an outer magnetic source can depolarize neurons, both neurology and psychiatry seek the method's possible clinical utility. To date, in the field of psychiatry, the method is only approved in the treatment of major depressive disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, but research continues to find application in other mental disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder), too. The next step in the evolution of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is based on magnetic resonance guided, real-time navigation with the help of positioning algorithms. The so-called neuronavigational systems make precise aiming of neuronal circuits responsible for the development of depression, thus increasing the excitability of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and decreasing it on the right hemisphere. The method has few contraindications, and the occurrence of side effects can be minimized by carefully selected patient population. For today, transcranial magnetic stimulation became an evidence-based, effective treatment for some mental disorders, especially treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. It is to be assumed that in the future neuronavigational neuromodulation techniques, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, will be widely used in the field of psychiatry and neurology. Magnetic stimulation is currently available in a number of centres in Hungary, but the financial approval and the implementation of this neuromodulation method for treating mental disorders in the everyday clinical practice are still in progress. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(1): 3-10.Absztrakt: A repetitív transcranialis mágneses stimulációs eljárás egy olyan neuromodulációs technika, melynek gyorsan fejlődő területe jelentheti az egyik biztonságos, alternatív megközelítési módot bizonyos mentális zavarok, elsősorban a terápiarezisztens major depresszív zavar kezelésében. Célunk a transcranialis mágneses stimulációs kezelés jelenlegi kutatási és klinikai alkalmazási lehetőségeinek bemutatása a szakirodalmi adatok és a klinikai gyakorlat áttekintése alapján. Mióta ismertté vált, hogy külső mágneses forrással neuronok depolarizálhatók, mind a neurológia, mind a pszichiátria az eljárás lehetséges klinikai használatát kutatja. Napjainkig a módszer a pszichiátria területén belül a major depresszív zavar és a kényszeres zavar kezelésében engedélyezett, de egyéb betegségek (például szkizofrénia, bipoláris zavar) kezelésében is kutatják lehetséges alkalmazását. A transcranialis mágneses stimulációs rendszerek fejlesztésének következő lépcsőjét jelenti a mágnesesrezonancia-felvétel alapján, helymeghatározó algoritmusok segítségével, valós időben navigált mágneses stimulációs készülékek kidolgozása. Az úgynevezett neuronavigációs rendszerek lehetővé teszik a depresszió kialakulásáért felelős idegi hálózatok pontos célzását, így a dorsolateralis praefrontalis kéreg excitabilitásának fokozását a bal féltekén és csökkentését a jobb féltekén. Az eljárás kevés kontraindikációval bír, és a megfelelő körültekintéssel választott indikáció és betegpopuláció esetén mellékhatások is alacsony számban jelentkeznek. A transcranialis mágneses stimulációs kezelés mára bizonyítottan hatékony módszerré vált bizonyos mentális zavarok, elsősorban a terápiarezisztens major depresszív zavar kezelésében. A jövőben a neuronavigációs neuromodulációs kezelések, azon belül is a repetitív transcranialis mágneses stimulációs kezelés térhódítása várható a pszichiátria és a neurológia területén. Jelenleg Magyarországon több centrumban is végeznek különböző indikációkban mágneses stimulációs kezeléseket, ám az eljárás mentális zavarokban történő alkalmazásának finanszírozási befogadása és beépítése a mindennapi klinikai gyakorlatba még várat magára. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(1): 3–10.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to survey the effects of the waiting time for the first oncology treatment in cancer diseases. By the analysis of 67 retrospective studies and reviews the numerical effects of treatment initiation time on survival were assessed. The “time factor” has a leading role on cancer types with aggressive biological behaviour, like breast cancer in younger age, testicular cancers, or head and neck tumours. However, a few days and reasonable delay to the first oncology intervention has no negative impact in numerous cancer diseases. The course of the primary check-up could be modified by several medical and psychosocial factors, and many times the treatment of the most advanced cancers are privileged causing an inverse survival effect. The effectiveness of the cancer therapies is determined by the optimal treatment decision, however, further research is necessary for the determination of the exact role of the “time factor” in oncology. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(14): 535–546.

Abstract: Introduction: In Hungary, the number and structure of the maxillofacial surgery departments underwent significant changes in recent decades. Aim: The aim of our study was to present the actual performance indicators of maxillofacial inpatient departments and based on the available data to compare the departments. Method: The study was based on the number of beds founded by the National Health Insurance Fund. Performance data were supplied by the National Health Insurance Fund Administration. The assessment included the following indicators: number of beds institutional breakdown by type, number of reimbursed cases, the weighted case number, hospital stay, bed occupancy rates and average length of stay. Results: In the examined period 40% of active beds (65) were in university hospitals. The distribution of reimbursed cases was similar. The university hospitals showed higher weighted case number and case-mix index. The oral surgery departments’ bed occupancy rate (45.75%) was below the national average. Conclusion: The indicators show significant differences among different departments in the examined period. Orv. Hetil., 2017, 158(12), 447–453.

Background Medication errors (ME) and the consequent preventable adverse drug events (pADE) are a major burden on inpatient care. They are not only a possible source of patient harm but may lead to increased healthcare cost due to prolonged length of stay (LOS) as a consequence of pADEs. Computerised Physician Order Entry (CPOE) occasionally with a clinical decision support tool (CDS), has been shown to increase patient safety, and it is essential for patient-level medication ordering. Due to the scarce financial resources of clinics and inpatient care, exploration of new ways for being more cost-effective is essential. Purpose Studies examining CPOE systems in inpatient care were collected with cost or other resource utilisation-related outcomes. Development of these services might be a good opportunity to expand clinical pharmacist competencies. Material and methods We conducted a systematic search of Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science databases. Search terms were determined according to PICO. Non-English papers and studies providing no original data were excluded. Results One-thousand six-hundred and ninety-three abstracts were screened, thereafter 67 full text articles were analysed, of which 27 met the inclusion criteria. We have identified 18 partial and nine full economic evaluations. Apart from one cost-benefit and one cost-utility analysis, all the publications included were cost-effectiveness studies. The clinical outcomes were dominated by pADE, although LOS (one case) and QALY (one case) were also apparent. In contrast, the input parameters were quite different. Every analysis demonstrated cost-reduction and patient safety enhancement but methodological differences were present in terms of perspective, discounting, duration, inflation, sensitivity, inputs and definitions (e.g. definition of ADE). Conclusion The different outcome data types used in studies counter the intention to prove the cost-effectiveness of CPOE systems. It is clear that no generally accepted definition is present over which system can be called CPOE. On the other hand, it will only be possible to compare different CPOEs if common agreement is developed in terms of outcomes observed by studies. Clinical pharmacists can play an important role in the unification of the upcoming studies and collection of data. References and/or acknowledgements Thanks to the help of my co-workers and the guidance of our leaders. No conflict of interest.

Background OnkoNetwork is a recently established integrated care model with a personalized pathway system to manage patients with first suspect of a solid tumour in secondary care, that evolved as a regional initiative in Hungary. The primary aim of OnkoNetwork is the improvement of clinical outcomes via timely access to quality assured and defragmented healthcare services. The Horizon 2020 funded SELFIE project has selected OnkoNetwork for in-depth qualitative and quantitative evaluation. The aim of this study was to provide a qualitative evaluation of OnkoNetwork along the six components of the SELFIE conceptual framework: 1) service delivery, 2) leadership and governance, 3) workforce, 4) financing, 5) technologies and medical products, and 6) information and research. Methods Analysis of published and grey programme documentation, followed by 20 semi-structured interviews with representatives of programme initiators, general and financial managers, involved physicians and non-physician professionals, patients and their informal caregivers. Transcripts of all interviews were analysed by Mayring’s content analysis method by two independent researchers. Results This study yielded the first comprehensive description of the programme. OnkoNetwork is a blue dahila in Central and Eastern Europe, providing timely and quality-assured healthcare services for the target patients by personalized patient path monitoring and management in a financially sustainable manner without macro-level financing of its operation. Innovative professional roles were implemented for non-physicians and physicians, and a supporting information technology application was developed. Conclusions This paper provides a systematic description of OnkoNetwork on the six components of the SELFIE conceptual framework for integrated care in multimorbidity to understand how and why OnkoNetwork was implemented and cares (better) for its patients. Because integrated care models are designed and adjusted to their specific local needs and context, those few successful and sustainable models that were established in Central and Eastern European countries represent important benchmarks for other initiatives in this region. Experience with OnkoNetwork during its planning, implementation and operation including the description of key success factors and barriers as perceived by various stakeholder groups, may support the development of further integrated care models especially in countries with similar economic status and healthcare settings. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-019-3957-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction: One of the most relevant focus of recent developments in radiotherapy technology was the adequate irradiation of prostate cancer. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the safety of normo- and hypofractionated and high dose intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Method: Toxicities were identified through literature review and evidence was synthetized with meta-analytical methods. Results: The use of high dose intensity-modulated radiotherapy resulted in no difference in severe genitourinary (acute p = 0.9; late p = 0.95) and moderate or severe gastrointestinal (acute: N/A; late: p = 0.08) toxicities compared to 3D conformal radiation therapy. The risk ratio of moderate acute (RR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.09–1.78; p = 0.008) and late genitourinary toxicities (RR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.26–1.75; p

The aim of this study was to survey the effects of the waiting time for the first oncology treatment in cancer diseases. By the analysis of 67 retrospective studies and reviews the numerical effects of treatment initiation time on survival were assessed. The "time factor" has a leading role on cancer types with aggressive biological behaviour, like breast cancer in younger age, testicular cancers, or head and neck tumours. However, a few days and reasonable delay to the first oncology intervention has no negative impact in numerous cancer diseases. The course of the primary check-up could be modified by several medical and psychosocial factors, and many times the treatment of the most advanced cancers are privileged causing an inverse survival effect. The effectiveness of the cancer therapies is determined by the optimal treatment decision, however, further research is necessary for the determination of the exact role of the "time factor" in oncology. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(14): 535-546.

Due to the development and increasing effectiveness of novel cancer therapies, the role of local treatments in metastatic diseases have been increasing in the last decades. The aim of the authors was to present the first successful extracranial stereotactic radiosurgical intervention in Hungary. A 58-year-old male patient with gastric adenocarcinoma underwent surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Later, surgical removal of suprarenal gland metastases and first line chemotherapy were carried out. Four years after the first surgery a follow up computed tomographic scan revealed bifocal peritoneal metastases caudally from the edge of the liver and the left kidney with diameters of 2 cm in size. Definitive stereotactic body radiosurgery of 12 Gy single dose was performed using cone beam computed tomography image guidance and intensity modulated arc therapy with two pairs of arcs. The total duration of the procedure was only 25 min and early or late side effects were not observed. Follow up computed tomography scans performed 3 and 7 months after the intervention showed complete regression of the metastases. The authors conclude that stereotactic body radiosurgery can be a safe and effective alternative of metastasis surgery in case of slow growing oligo-metastases. Orv. Hetil., 2015, 156(39), 1593–1599.

PurposeTo provide an overview on the magnitude of the impact of schizophrenia on the healthcare system in Europe and to gain a better understanding on the most important factors influencing the variation of costs.MethodsStudies reporting costs and healthcare utilization among patients with schizophrenia were searched in MEDLINE (via Scopus), EMBASE (via Scopus) and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews on 19th January 2017.ResultsTwenty-three studies, from the 1075 references initially identified, were included in this review. The annual cost per patient ranged from €533 in Ukraine to €13,704 in the Netherlands. Notably drug costs contributed to less than 25% of the direct healthcare cost per patient in every country, which might be explained by similar pharmaceutical prices among countries due to the reference pricing system applied in Europe. Inpatient costs were the largest component of health service costs in the majority of the countries. Despite methodological heterogeneity across studies, four major themes could be identified (age, severity of symptoms, continuation of treatment/persistence, hospitalization) that have substantial impact on the costs of schizophrenia.ConclusionsSchizophrenia represents a substantial cost for the healthcare system in Europe driven by the high cost per patient. Substantial savings could potentially be achieved by increasing investment in the following areas: (1) reducing the number of hospitalizations e.g. by increasing the efficiency of outpatient care; (2) working out interventions targeted at specific symptoms; (3) improving patient persistence and adherence in antipsychotic therapy.

The aim of our paper is to analyse the effect of the so-called performance volume limit (PVL) financing method on acute hospital care.The data were derived from the nationwide administrative dataset of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration (OEP) covering the period 2003-2008. We analysed the trends in the DRG cost-weights, number of cases, case-mix, and average length of stay. We calculated the average annual reimbursement rate per DRG cost-weight with and without the application of PVL degression according to the hospital type and medical professions.Our results showed that although the national case mix (i.e., the sum of all of the DRG cost-weights produced in one year) did not change between 2003-2006, the trend of the annual number of cases increased, and the average length of stay decreased. During 2007-2008, a significant decline was found in each indicator. The introduction of the PVL resulted in a health insurance budget saving of 1.9% in 2004, 2.6% in 2005, 3.4% in 2006, 5.6% in 2007, and 3.2% in 2008. We found the lowest reimbursement rate per DRG cost-weight at the university medical schools (HUF 138,200 or € 550) and children's hospitals (HUF 132,547 or € 528), whereas the highest was at the county hospitals (HUF 143,451 or € 571) and city hospitals (HUF 142, 082 or € 565).The implementation of the PVL reduced the acute care hospital activity and reimbursement. The effect of the PVL was different on the different types of hospitals, and it had a serious disadvantageous effect on the university medical schools and children's hospitals.