Nihon University School of Medicine
Division of Health Care Service Management

The field of Health Care Service Management is characterized by a wide range of themes and by many points of contact with not only the clinical field but also administrative activities and social trends. The significance of this discipline is growing in light of recent developments in the healthcare environment, as attention is directed toward the development of the medical system and the improvement of management.

Therefore, we believe that the field of Health Care Service Management needs to take a step forward with an eye toward the next generation. Specifically, research related to “Socio-medical Design” that considers the allocation of medical resources and the evaluation of medical value is acknowledged to be the interdisciplinary role of this management in the future.

In this field, we conduct theoretical, empirical, and discovery research on various issues surrounding ethics, social systems, social environments, and health and welfare. Furthermore, we provide opportunities for physicians and other medical professionals to acquire essential knowledge and perspectives on the social security system, health/insurance/pharmaceutical affairs measures, and medical management.

This science consists of four major areas. The first is “General Medical Science,” which includes medical ethics. The second is “Health Economics and Management,” which includes cost-effectiveness evaluation. The third is “Healthcare Informatics,” which applies data science. The fourth is “Medical Safety Science,” which includes risk assessment.

HRQOL: Health-Related Quality of Life; PRO: Patient-Reported Outcome; AI: Artificial Intelligence

We are actively pursuing the following research:

1. Clinical economic research: Cost-effectiveness analysis of medical drugs, medical devices, disease prevention, medical systems, etc.
   • Clinical and Economic Evaluation of Impella Treatment for Fulminant Myocarditis: A Preliminary Retrospective Cohort Study in Japan.
   • Cost-effectiveness analysis of infliximab for treating Kawasaki disease refractory to the initial treatment: A retrospective cohort study.
2. Medical information research: Development of clinical prognosis prediction models applying medical big data and artificial intelligence
   • Development of a predictive model for integrated medical and long-term care resource consumption based on health behavior: Application of healthcare big data of patients with circulatory diseases.
   • Health economics-based verification of functional myocardial ischemia evaluation of stable coronary artery disease in Japan: A long-term study using longitudinal propensity score matching.
3. Health policy research: Evaluation research on universal health coverage and medical innovation
   • Socioeconomic Determinants of Universal Health Coverage in the Asian Region.
   • Preliminary Examination of an Appropriate Price Calculation Method and Medical Treatment Costs for Foreign Visitors in Japan.
4. Social medical research: Subjective/emotional methodology, research on informed consent, and medical safety
   • Proxy Responses Regarding Quality of Life of Terminal Lung Cancer Patients: Preliminary Results from a Prospective Observational Study.
   • Long-term Effects of Contrast Media Exposure on Renal Failure Progression: A Retrospective Cohort Study.