Health promotion support system and health promotion support method

Abstract

We support proposals for measures to optimize healthcare costs. [Solution] A health business support system comprising a processor and a memory device, wherein the memory device holds claim information including at least information on the pharmaceuticals used, and the processor calculates an index relating to the ratio of generic drugs to the total amount of pharmaceuticals used, including both original and generic drugs, for each predetermined calculation unit based on the claim information, and outputs information indicating that there is a problem with replacing pharmaceuticals with generic drugs if the variability of the index calculated for each predetermined calculation unit is greater than a predetermined standard.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for supporting healthcare businesses, and particularly to a technology for supporting the proposal of medical cost optimization measures.

Background Art

[0002] As one of the measures for medical cost optimization, the adoption of so-called generic drugs is being promoted. As a technology for promoting the adoption of generic drugs, for example, there is a technology described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-257365 (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that "the system includes a drug database in which brand-name drugs and generic drugs are registered in a distinguishable manner, a prescription database that records patient prescription information, a display unit, an input unit, a prescription selection unit that displays a list of drugs read from the drug database, and a control unit that displays an input screen such as a prescription including a prescription editing unit that displays the drug selected by the prescription selection unit on the display unit, and registers the content displayed in the prescription editing unit as patient prescription information in the prescription database in response to an instruction. When the drug selected by the prescription selection unit is a brand-name drug, the control unit searches the drug database for generic drugs corresponding to the drug, displays them in a selectable list for the user, and inputs and displays the generic drug selected by the user from the list in the prescription editing unit".

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Regarding general pharmaceuticals, the adoption of generic drugs has already progressed, and systems have been put in place that allow individuals to switch to generic drugs at their own discretion, leading to an improvement in the substitution rate. Patent Document 1 describes a technology that supports the selection of generic drugs in medical institutions, and it is believed that such technologies play a part in promoting the use of generic drugs. On the other hand, regarding so-called biopharmaceuticals, although the unit price is high, new drugs are being launched, and the substitution rate with generic drugs (hereinafter also referred to as "biosimilars") varies greatly depending on the type of drug. This is because, in the case of biopharmaceuticals, as mentioned above, the number of new drugs is increasing, and even if the active ingredient is the same, some can be substituted and some cannot, some cannot be substituted as is because the dosage form or amount does not match, the diseases for which they are indicated may differ (i.e., the diseases for which the original drug and the generic drug are approved may differ), and shipments are unstable, making substitution practically impossible in some cases.

[0006] There is considerable variation among medical institutions and physicians in their decision to prescribe brand-name drugs versus generic drugs. Furthermore, encouraging individuals to choose generic drugs requires them to inform their pharmacy or physician and request a change from brand-name to generic, which presents a significant psychological hurdle. Ultimately, it also requires obtaining the physician's consent to change the prescription. Additionally, medical institutions and pharmacies need to procure and prepare generic biopharmaceuticals.

[0007] Furthermore, from the perspective of insurers such as prefectures, municipalities, and health insurance associations, it is necessary to identify challenges related to promoting the use of biosimilars from across the entire region, narrow down the target biopharmaceuticals or medical institutions, and, as a regional issue, to work in cooperation with medical associations or pharmacists' associations, not just individual medical institutions or individuals. However, in general, insurers do not necessarily have a high level of knowledge about pharmaceuticals, and it is difficult to even identify regional challenges. The countermeasures will differ depending on the type of challenge, but if it is difficult to identify the challenges, it will also be difficult to select the appropriate countermeasures. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve at least one of the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a health business support system comprising a processor and a storage device, wherein the storage device holds claim information including at least information on pharmaceuticals used, and the processor calculates an index relating to the ratio of generic drugs to the total number of pharmaceuticals used, including original and generic drugs, for each predetermined calculation unit based on the claim information, and outputs information indicating that there is a problem with replacing the pharmaceuticals with generic drugs when the variation of the index calculated for each predetermined calculation unit is greater than a predetermined standard. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, insurers are supported in proposing measures to optimize medical expenses.

[0010] Other issues, configurations, and effects not mentioned above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a health promotion support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing a health business support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of personal attribute information held by a health support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of medical claim information held by a health business support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of regional attribute information held by a health business support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a biopharmaceutical replacement master held by a health business support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an applicable disease master held by a health care business support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a supply status master held by the health care business support system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of problem-measure information held by the health care business support system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart showing a first example of replacement rate calculation processing executed by the health care business support system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This is a flowchart showing a second example of the replacement rate calculation processing executed by the health care business support system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart showing an example of weighted index calculation processing executed by the health care business support system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] This is a flowchart showing an example of problem selection processing executed by the health care business support system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] This is a flowchart showing an example of measure selection processing executed by the health care business support system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] This is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of information output by the health care business support system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] This is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of information output by the health care business support system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the health care business support system in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] The health care business support system 100 of the present embodiment includes a server 110, a database 120, and a terminal 130. The server 110 includes a CPU 111, a replacement rate calculation unit 112, a weighted index calculation unit 113, a problem selection unit 114, a measure proposal unit 115, and an output unit 116. The database 120 holds personal attribute information 121, receipt information 122, regional attribute information 123, biopharmaceutical replacement master 124, applicable disease master 125, supply status master 126, problem-measure information 127, medical institution master 128, and pharmacy master 129. The terminal 130 includes a CPU 131, a display unit 132, and an input unit 133. The processing of each of the above units and the content of each information will be described later.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for implementing the health care business support system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] The health care business support system 100 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 can be implemented by, for example, a computer system 200 shown in FIG. 2.

[0017] The computer system 200 includes a CPU 201, a memory (main storage device) 202, an auxiliary storage device 203, an output device 204, an input device 205, and a communication interface (I / F) 206. The above components are interconnected by a bus. The memory 202 and the auxiliary storage device 203 are storage devices, and store programs and data used by the CPU 201.

[0018] The memory 202 is constituted by, for example, a semiconductor memory, and is mainly used to hold programs and data during execution. For example, programs and data stored in the auxiliary storage device 203 are loaded into the memory 202 at startup or when necessary. The CPU 201 is a processor that executes various processes in accordance with programs stored in the memory 202. As the CPU 201 operates in accordance with the programs, various functional units are implemented.

[0019] For example, if server 110 is implemented by computer system 200, CPU 111 corresponds to CPU 201, and the functions of replacement rate calculation unit 112, weighted index calculation unit 113, issue selection unit 114, policy proposal unit 115, and output unit 116 are realized by CPU 201 operating according to the program.

[0020] The auxiliary storage device 203 is comprised of a large-capacity storage device, such as a hard disk drive or a solid-state drive, and is used to retain programs and data for a long period of time. For example, if the database 120 is implemented by the computer system 200, personal attribute information 121, claims information 122, regional attribute information 123, biopharmaceutical replacement master 124, indication disease master 125, supply status master 126, issue-policy information 127, medical institution master 128, and pharmacy master 129 may be stored in the auxiliary storage device 203.

[0021] The CPU201 can consist of a single processing unit or multiple processing units, and may include one or more arithmetic units or multiple processing cores. The CPU201 can be implemented as one or more central processing units, microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, state machines, logic circuits, graphics processing units, chip-on systems, and / or any device that manipulates signals based on control instructions.

[0022] The input device 205 is a hardware device for the user to input instructions and information. The output device 204 is a hardware device that presents various images for input and output, such as a display device or a printing device. For example, if the terminal 130 is implemented by a computer system 200, the CPU 131 corresponds to the CPU 201, and the display unit 132 and the input unit 133 are implemented by the CPU 201 controlling the output device 204 and the input device 205 according to a program.

[0023] Communication I / F206 is an interface for connecting to a communication network (not shown in the diagram).

[0024] The server 110, database 120, and terminal 130 may each be implemented by an independent computer system 200. In that case, each computer system 200 is connected to each other via a communication network so that they can communicate with one another. Alternatively, any two or all of the server 110, database 120, and terminal 130 may be implemented by a single computer system 200. For example, the server 110 and database 120 may be implemented by a single computer system 200. Alternatively, the server 110 may have additional functions equivalent to those of the terminal 130.

[0025] For example, the computer system 200 may be a computer system owned by a user of the health business support system 100 in this embodiment (e.g., a local government or health insurance association), or it may be a server accessed by the user via a communication network. In the latter case, the computer system 200 may be a virtual server on the cloud. In that case, the computer system 200 shown in Figure 1 is realized using computing resources on the cloud.

[0026] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of personal attribute information 121 held by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Personal attribute information 121 is information that manages the attributes of each person who is the target of a project supported by the health business support system 100. Here, a person who is the target of a project supported by the health business support system 100 is, for example, a resident of a certain region (for example, any prefecture or municipality), a user of a medical institution, or a health insurance subscriber.

[0028] The personal attribute information 121 shown in Figure 3 includes personal ID 301, year 302, region 303, gender 304, age 305, cohabitation / living alone 306, and occupation / occupation 307. Personal ID 301 identifies each individual. Year 302 indicates the time when each individual's attribute information was obtained. Region 303 indicates each individual's residential area (e.g., city or town). Gender 304 and age 305 indicate each individual's gender and age, respectively. Cohabitation / living alone 306 indicates whether each individual lives with family, etc., or lives alone. Occupation / occupation 307 indicates whether each individual is employed, and if so, their occupation.

[0029] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the claims information 122 held by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] The claim information 122 includes information from the claim (medical fee statement) submitted by each medical institution. Based on the claim information 122, it is possible to identify the medical procedures performed by each medical institution (for example, the name and quantity of prescribed medicines, the person to whom they were prescribed, and the name of the illness or injury to which the prescription was made). The claim information 122 shown in Figure 4 includes the claim ID 401, regional ID 402, personal ID 403, treatment date 404, medical institution number 405, illness name 406, medical procedure 407, medicine 408, amount used 409, and claimed points 410.

[0031] The claim ID 401 identifies each claim. The region ID 402 identifies the residential area of ​​the individual who visited the medical institution. The individual ID 403 identifies the person covered by each claim (i.e., the person who received medical treatment from each medical institution). The treatment date 404 indicates the time when the medical treatment for each claim was performed. The medical institution number 405 identifies the medical institution that submitted each claim (i.e., the medical institution that performed the medical treatment). The disease name 406 indicates the disease or injury that was the subject of the medical treatment for each claim. The medical treatment 407 indicates the medical treatment that was performed. The medication 408 and quantity used 409 indicate the medication prescribed in the medical treatment and the quantity thereof. Regarding the quantity used, for example, for oral medications, the daily dose and the number of days are listed separately, but here it is assumed that the quantity used is calculated based on these. The claim points 410 indicates the claim points for the medical fees listed on each claim.

[0032] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of regional attribute information 123 held by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Regional attribute information 123 is information that manages the attributes of each region (for example, each city, town, or village within a certain prefecture). The regional attribute information 123 shown in Figure 5 includes region ID 501, year 502, name 503, population 504, and number of insured persons 505.

[0034] Region ID 501 identifies each region (e.g., each city, town, or village). Year 502 indicates the period when attribute information for each region was obtained. Name 503 indicates the name of each region (e.g., city, town, or village name). Population 504 and number of insured persons 505 indicate the population and number of health insurance subscribers for each region at the time indicated by Year 502, respectively.

[0035] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a biopharmaceutical replacement master 124 held by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] The biopharmaceutical substitution master 124 is information that manages the correspondence between original and generic (i.e., biosimilar) biopharmaceuticals. The biopharmaceutical substitution master 124 shown in Figure 6 includes the active ingredient 601, product name 602, specification 603, original / biosimilar 604, substitution feasibility 605, correspondence relationship 606, and drug price 607.

[0037] Component 601 indicates the component of each biopharmaceutical. Product name 602 indicates the product name of each biopharmaceutical. Specification 603 indicates the specification of each biopharmaceutical. For example, specification 603 may include information such as whether the biopharmaceutical, which is an injectable drug, is supplied in a vial or as a self-injectable kit. Original / Biosimilar 604 indicates whether each biopharmaceutical is an original product or a generic product (i.e., a biosimilar). Substitutionability 605 indicates whether there is a generic product that can substitute for each biopharmaceutical if it is an original product. Correspondence relationship 606 indicates the correspondence between the original and generic versions of each biopharmaceutical. Drug price 607 indicates the price of each biopharmaceutical.

[0038] In the example in Figure 6, the registered product names 602 for biopharmaceuticals with component 601 being "insulin glargine" are "AAA," "BBB," "CCC," "xxx," and "yyy." Of these, "AAA," "BBB," and "CCC" are original products. Furthermore, "AAA" and "BBB" can be substituted with "xxx" and "yyy," respectively, and the generic drug prices 607 for both are inexpensive. On the other hand, there are no generic drugs that can be substituted for "CCC."

[0039] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an applicable disease master 125 held by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] The Indication Disease Master 125 is information that manages the indications for each biopharmaceutical. The Indication Disease Master 125 shown in Figure 7 includes the component 701, product name 702, originator / biosimilar 703, and indication disease code 704. Component 701 indicates the component of each biopharmaceutical. Product name 702 indicates the product name of each biopharmaceutical. Originator / biosimilar 703 indicates whether each biopharmaceutical is an originator or a generic. Indication disease code 704 indicates the indication for each biopharmaceutical.

[0041] In the example in Figure 7, "DDD" and "zzz" are registered as product names 702 for biopharmaceuticals whose component 701 is "ustekinumab". "DDD" is the original product, and its registered indication codes 704 are "L40.0", "K50", and "K51". On the other hand, "zzz" is a generic product, and only "L40.0" is registered as its indication code 704. In this example, even if "zzz" is a generic product that can substitute for "DDD", its indications do not completely match those of the original product. Thus, generally, the indications for original and generic products with the same component may differ, so it is necessary to refer to the indications to determine whether substitution is actually possible.

[0042] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a supply status master 126 held by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] The supply status master 126 contains information for managing the supply status of each biopharmaceutical. The supply status master 126 shown in Figure 8 includes component 801, product name 802, originator / biosimilar 803, and supply status 804. Component 801 indicates the component of each biopharmaceutical. Product name 802 indicates the product name of each biopharmaceutical. Originator / biosimilar 803 indicates whether each biopharmaceutical is an originator or a generic product. Supply status 804 indicates the supply status of each biopharmaceutical.

[0044] In the example in Figure 8, "EEE" and "www" are registered as product names 802 for biopharmaceuticals whose component 801 is "etanercept". "EEE" is the original product, and its supply status 804 is registered as "normal shipment". On the other hand, "www" is a generic product, and its supply status 804 is registered as "supply discontinued". This example shows that even though "www" is a generic product that can replace "EEE", substitution is not actually possible due to the supply discontinuation. Thus, it is necessary to refer to the supply status when determining whether substitution is actually possible.

[0045] Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the problem-policy information 127 held by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Issue-Policy Information 127 is information that manages the correspondence between the extracted issues and the corresponding policies. The Issue-Policy Information 127 shown in Figure 9 includes indicators 901, analysis results 902, proposed issues 903, and proposed policies 904.

[0047] Indicator 901 indicates the indicators to focus on in order to identify issues. Analysis results 902 show the results of analyzing the indicators indicated by indicator 901. Proposed issues 903 show proposed issues corresponding to analysis results 902. Proposed measures 904 show proposed measures corresponding to the proposed issues.

[0048] In the example in Figure 9, for example, the substitution rate of biopharmaceuticals in each region (e.g., each municipality) within a prefecture is referenced as an indicator. If the substitution rate in one region is lower than that in other regions, it highlights the potential issue that the generic drug usage rate (i.e., the generic drug substitution rate) may be low throughout that region. In this case, a proposed measure to address this issue is to consider promoting the overall use of generic drugs in cooperation with medical associations and pharmacist associations.

[0049] Alternatively, the weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution in each region can be referenced as an indicator. If the variability (e.g., standard deviation) of the weighted inverse replacement rate in one region is greater than the variability in other regions, it may indicate a problem where some medical institutions have high usage rates but low replacement rates. In this case, one proposed measure to address this problem is to consider interventions at medical institutions. The weighted inverse replacement rate will be discussed later.

[0050] Alternatively, weighted reverse substitution rates for each component in each region can be referenced as an indicator. If the variability in the weighted reverse substitution rate for a particular component is greater than the variability for other components, it may indicate a potential issue where a component has high usage but low substitution rates. In this case, a possible solution to address this issue might be to collaborate with medical associations and pharmacist associations to consider promoting the use of generic versions of that specific component.

[0051] Alternatively, the weighted reverse substitution rate for each component at each medical institution can be referenced as an indicator. If the variability in the weighted reverse substitution rate at one medical institution is greater than the variability at other medical institutions, it may indicate a problem where the substitution rate for a particular component is low at that medical institution. In this case, a possible solution to address this problem would be to intervene in the medical institution and consider promoting the use of generic drugs for components with low usage rates.

[0052] Detailed illustrations of the medical institution master 128 and pharmacy master 129 held by the health business support system 100 are omitted. These contain information such as the name and address of each medical institution and each pharmacy, respectively.

[0053] Next, we will explain the processes performed by the health promotion support system 100.

[0054] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing a first example of the replacement rate calculation process performed by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] First, the replacement rate calculation unit 112 of the health business support system 100 acquires the claims information 122 (step 1001). Next, the replacement rate calculation unit 112 acquires the biopharmaceutical replacement master 124 (step 1002).

[0056] Next, the replacement rate calculation unit 112 extracts usage amount information and cost information for biopharmaceuticals from the claim information 122 (step 1003). The usage amount information is extracted, for example, from the usage amount 409 value for each drug held in drug 408 of the claim information 122. The cost information is extracted, for example, from the drug price 607 corresponding to each drug in the biopharmaceutical replacement master 124.

[0057] Next, the replacement rate calculation unit 112 aggregates the number of users, usage amount, and cost of each biopharmaceutical for each medical institution, for each pharmacy, and further aggregates them for each region (step 1004).

[0058] Next, the substitution rate calculation unit 112 calculates the substitution rate for each component of the biopharmaceutical based on the biopharmaceutical substitution master 124 (step 1005). At this time, the substitution rate calculation unit 112 may calculate both a quantity-based substitution rate and a monetary-based substitution rate.

[0059] For example, the quantity-based substitution rate for a particular biopharmaceutical component used at a medical institution is calculated as the ratio of the quantity of biosimilars of that component used at that institution to the total quantity of biopharmaceuticals of that component used at that institution during a certain period (i.e., including original products and biosimilars). Similarly, substitution rates for each pharmacy and each region (city, town, etc.) are also calculated. Furthermore, a value-based substitution rate can be calculated by determining the percentage of value rather than quantity.

[0060] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing a second example of the replacement rate calculation process performed by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] First, the replacement rate calculation unit 112 obtains the claims information 122 (step 1101). Next, the replacement rate calculation unit 112 obtains the biopharmaceutical replacement master 124 (step 1102).

[0062] Next, the substitution rate calculation unit 112 selects one biopharmaceutical component registered in the biopharmaceutical substitution master 124 (step 1103). Then, the substitution rate calculation unit 112 obtains the usage history of the original product and biosimilar that are substituted and have a corresponding relationship among the biopharmaceuticals of the selected component from the claims information 122 (step 1104). As a result, biopharmaceuticals for which there are no substituted biosimilars are excluded from the calculation of the substitution rate described later.

[0063] Next, the substitution rate calculation unit 112 retrieves from the indication disease master 125 the indication disease codes 704 for the original product and the biosimilar of the selected component, the indication diseases common to both and the indication diseases applicable only to the original product (step 1105).

[0064] Next, the substitution rate calculation unit 112 determines whether the indications for the original product only have been acquired (step 1106). If the indications for the original product only have been acquired (step 1106: Yes), then at least one of the indications for the original product does not correspond to an indication for the biosimilar. In this case, the substitution rate calculation unit 112 checks whether the disease name 406 in the usage history of the original product acquired from the claims information 122 corresponds to a disease common to both the original product and the biosimilar, and if it does not, it excludes the usage history from the aggregation (step 1107). As a result, the usage history of biopharmaceuticals for diseases not included in the indications for the biosimilar is excluded from the calculation of the substitution rate described later.

[0065] On the other hand, if no indications for the original product are obtained (Step 1106: No), then all indications for the original product also apply to the biosimilar. In this case, the replacement rate calculation unit 112 does not perform Step 1107.

[0066] Next, the replacement rate calculation unit 112 refers to the supply status master 126 and determines whether the supply of the biosimilar of the selected component is restricted based on the supply status 804 of the biosimilar (step 1108) (step 1109). For example, if the supply status 804 is "normal shipment", the supply may not be restricted, and if it is any other value (e.g., "supply suspended"), the supply may be determined to be restricted.

[0067] If the supply of the biosimilar is restricted (Step 1109: Yes), the replacement rate calculation unit 112 determines whether the supply of all biosimilars of the selected component is restricted (Step 1110). If the supply of all biosimilars of the selected component is restricted (Step 1110: Yes), the replacement rate calculation unit 112 excludes the component from the replacement rate calculation (Step 1111). On the other hand, if the supply of at least one of the biosimilars of the selected component is not restricted (Step 1110: No), the replacement rate calculation unit 112 temporarily stores the information that the supply of the biosimilar of the component is restricted as reference information (Step 1112).

[0068] If it is determined in step 1109 that the supply of biosimilars is not restricted, the replacement rate calculation unit 112 does not perform steps 1110 to 1112.

[0069] Next, the replacement rate calculation unit 112 determines whether the processes in steps 1103 to 1112 have been performed for all components (step 1113). If the above processes have not yet been performed for any component (step 1113: No), the replacement rate calculation unit 112 returns to step 1103, selects any components that have not yet been selected, and performs the processes in steps 1103 to 1112.

[0070] If the above process is performed for all components (Step 1113: Yes), the replacement rate calculation unit 112 calculates the replacement rate based on the information not excluded in Steps 1107 and 1111 (Step 1114). The calculation of the replacement rate here can be performed in the same way as shown in Figure 10, for example.

[0071] As described above, by excluding the use of original biopharmaceuticals for which there are no substitute biosimilars, the use of original biopharmaceuticals for diseases not covered by biosimilar indications, and the use of biopharmaceuticals with limited supply from the calculation of the substitution rate, it is possible to calculate the substitution rate for biopharmaceuticals that are actually likely to be substituted, and this can be used as an appropriate indicator for identifying challenges in optimizing healthcare costs.

[0072] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the weighted index calculation process performed by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] The weighted index calculation unit 113 of the health business support system 100 calculates a weighted reverse substitution rate for each component of the biopharmaceutical based on the substitution rate calculated by the substitution rate calculation unit 112 (step 1201). Here, the reverse substitution rate is an index that increases as the substitution rate decreases. In this embodiment, 1-substitution rate is used as the reverse substitution rate.

[0074] Furthermore, the weight here is an indicator of how much each component of the biopharmaceutical was used, and may be, for example, the number of users (i.e., the number of people who were actually prescribed it) or the amount of money spent. In the former case, (1 - replacement rate) × number of users is calculated as the weighted inverse replacement rate, and in the latter case, (1 - replacement rate) × amount of money is calculated. The following explanation will show an example of weighting by the number of users.

[0075] The weighted index calculation unit 113 may calculate weighted reverse substitution rates by region, by component, by medical institution, etc., or it may calculate weighted reverse substitution rates by region (for example, by municipality within a prefecture) for all biopharmaceuticals regardless of component, or it may calculate weighted reverse substitution rates by medical institution within each region (for example, within a prefecture or further within a municipality), or it may calculate weighted reverse substitution rates by component within each region.

[0076] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the task selection process performed by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] The task selection unit 114 of the health business support system 100 refers to the weighted inverse replacement rate calculated by the weighted index calculation unit 113 and calculates the mean, median, and variability of the weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution by region (step 1301). The variability can be, for example, the standard deviation or the variance, but in the following example, the standard deviation is used. This calculates the mean, median, and standard deviation of the weighted inverse replacement rate for medical institutions in each region (for example, each municipality).

[0078] Next, the task selection unit 114 compares the standard deviations of the calculated weighted inverse replacement rates across regions (step 1302) and determines whether the replacement rate of a given region is lower than the average replacement rate of all regions (step 1303).

[0079] If the replacement rate of a certain region is lower than the average replacement rate of all regions (Step 1303: Yes), the issue selection unit 114 selects that region has an issue with its replacement rate (i.e., the overall replacement rate of the region is low) as a candidate issue (Step 1304). On the other hand, if the replacement rate of a certain region is not lower than the average replacement rate of all regions (Step 1303: No), the issue selection unit 114 does not execute Step 1304.

[0080] Next, the task selection unit 114 determines whether the standard deviation of the weighted inverse replacement rate for a medical institution in a certain region is greater than the median of the standard deviations of the weighted inverse replacement rates for medical institutions in each region (step 1305). For example, the task selection unit 114 calculates the weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution, calculates the standard deviation of the weighted inverse replacement rates for medical institutions within each region, and determines whether the standard deviation for a certain region is greater than the median of the standard deviations for all regions.

[0081] As a result, if the standard deviation of a certain region is greater than the median (Step 1305: Yes), the issue selection unit 114 selects a specific medical institution in that region as a potential issue (Step 1306). On the other hand, for regions where the standard deviation is less than the median (Step 1305: No), the issue selection unit 114 does not perform Step 1306.

[0082] Next, the task selection unit 114 determines whether the standard deviation of the weighted inverse substitution rate for a certain component in a given region is greater than the median of the standard deviations of the weighted inverse substitution rates for that component in each region (step 1307). For example, the task selection unit 114 calculates the weighted inverse substitution rate for each component within each region, calculates the standard deviation of the weighted inverse substitution rates calculated for each component within each region, and determines whether the standard deviation of a given region is greater than the median of the standard deviations of all regions.

[0083] As a result, if the standard deviation for a certain component in a certain region is greater than the median (Step 1307: Yes), the issue selection unit 114 checks the supply status master 126 to confirm whether there is a problem with the supply of that component (Step 1308). If there is no problem with the supply of that component (Step 1308: No), the issue selection unit 114 selects that there is a problem with the specific component as a candidate issue (Step 1309). On the other hand, if the standard deviation is less than the median (Step 1307: No), and if there is a problem with the supply of that component (Step 1308: Yes), the issue selection unit 114 does not execute Step 1309.

[0084] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the policy selection process performed by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] The policy proposal unit 115 of the health business support system 100 reads the issue-policy information 127 (step 1401). Next, the policy proposal unit 115 determines whether a low replacement rate across the entire region has been selected as a candidate issue (step 1402). This corresponds to the issue selected in step 1304 of Figure 13.

[0086] If a low overall replacement rate in the region is selected as a potential issue (Step 1402: Yes), the Policy Proposal Department 115 refers to the Issue-Policy Information 127 and selects the proposed issue "Possibility of a generally low biosimilar usage rate" and the proposed policy for that issue "Collaborate with the medical association and the pharmacists' association to consider promoting the overall use of biosimilars" (Step 1403).

[0087] Next, the policy proposal unit 115 determines whether a problem has been selected as a potential issue for medical institutions (step 1404). This corresponds to the issue selected in step 1306 in Figure 13.

[0088] If a problem at a medical institution is selected as a potential issue (Step 1404: Yes), the Policy Proposal Department 115 refers to the Issue-Policy Information 127 and selects the proposed issue "the possibility that there are medical institutions with many users and low replacement rates" which corresponds to the indicator "weighted inverse replacement rate by medical institution" and the analysis result "the standard deviation of the region is larger than that of other regions," and the proposed policy for that issue "consider intervention at medical institutions" (Step 1405).

[0089] Next, the policy proposal unit 115 determines whether a specific component has been selected as a potential issue (step 1406). This corresponds to the issue selected in step 1309 in Figure 13.

[0090] If a specific component is identified as having a problem as a potential issue (Step 1406: Yes), the Policy Proposal Department 115 refers to the Issue-Policy Information 127 and selects the proposed issue "the possibility of a component with many users and a low substitution rate" which corresponds to the indicator "weighted reverse substitution rate by component" and the analysis result "the regional standard deviation is larger than that of other regions," and the proposed policy for that issue "to consider promoting the use of biosimilars of specific components in cooperation with the medical association and the pharmacists' association" (Step 1407).

[0091] Next, the output unit 116 outputs the selected problem proposal and policy proposal (step 1408). For example, the output unit 116 may transmit the information of the selected problem proposal and policy proposal to the terminal 130 via the network, and the display unit 132 of the terminal 130 may display this information to the user as an image. Examples of images displayed in this way are shown in Figures 15 and 16.

[0092] Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of information output by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] Specifically, Figure 15 shows an example of displaying the results of problem identification based on the biosimilar replacement rate and usage amount by municipality. The display screen 1500 shown in Figure 15 includes a replacement rate display unit 1501, an analysis results display unit 1502, a replacement rate display unit 1503, and a problem / policy display unit 1504.

[0094] The replacement rate display unit 1501 displays a graph showing the standard deviation of the weighted reverse replacement rates for multiple medical institutions in each region. For example, the biosimilar replacement rate for each medical institution in a certain region is calculated, and (1 - replacement rate) × the number of biopharmaceutical users at each medical institution is calculated as the weighted reverse replacement rate for each medical institution. The standard deviation of the weighted reverse replacement rates for multiple medical institutions in that region is then calculated. This calculation is performed for each region (for each municipality in the example in Figure 15) and displayed as a graph.

[0095] In the example shown in Figure 15, the replacement rate display unit 1501 shows a graph of the standard deviation of the biosimilar replacement rate for medical institutions in each of the following areas: City A, City B, Town C, and Town D. In this example, City A has the largest standard deviation, and the standard deviation decreases in the order of Town D, Town C, and City B.

[0096] The large variation in reverse replacement rates among healthcare institutions within a region indicates a significant difference between healthcare institutions that are making progress in biosimilar replacement and those that are lagging behind. In this case, since there are healthcare institutions in the same region that are making progress in replacement, it can be estimated that there is room to increase the replacement rate in healthcare institutions that are lagging behind.

[0097] However, even in medical institutions where the substitution is lagging, if the number of users of biopharmaceuticals is small (or the amount spent is small), the contribution to optimizing medical costs will be limited even if the substitution is promoted in those institutions. In other words, from the perspective of optimizing medical costs, among medical institutions with similarly low substitution rates, those with a large number of users (or large amounts spent) should be given a higher priority for promoting the substitution.

[0098] Therefore, it can be estimated that areas with large variations in reverse replacement rates weighted by the number of users or the amount spent have significant potential for increasing replacement rates, and that such increases would contribute greatly to the optimization of medical expenses. Furthermore, medical institutions with large variations in weighted reverse replacement rates within a region can be estimated to have significant potential for increasing replacement rates, and that such increases would contribute greatly to the optimization of medical expenses.

[0099] The analysis results display unit 1502 displays the analysis results of the standard deviation of the weighted inverse replacement rate displayed in the replacement rate display unit 1501. For example, if the standard deviation of the weighted inverse replacement rate for City A is the highest, as shown in the replacement rate display unit 1501, the analysis results display unit 1502 may display that for City A, the standard deviation of the biosimilar weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution is ranked 1st, and there is a possibility of improvement. Also, if the standard deviation of the biosimilar weighted inverse replacement rate for Town D as a whole is ranked 2nd, the analysis results display unit 1502 may display that there is a possibility of improvement.

[0100] The replacement rate display unit 1503 displays a graph plotting the weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution in each region. Specifically, each plotted point represents the weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution. In this example, the weighted inverse replacement rates for each medical institution vary the most in City A, which has the largest standard deviation. For example, the medical institutions corresponding to the points enclosed by the dashed rectangles have particularly high weighted inverse replacement rates.

[0101] The Issue / Policy Display Unit 1504 displays issues extracted from the weighted inverse replacement rates displayed in the Replacement Rate Display Unit 1503, along with corresponding policies. For example, if the weighted inverse replacement rates of medical institutions in City A vary significantly, and there are medical institutions with particularly high weighted inverse replacement rates (i.e., low replacement rates), information pointing this out as an issue may be displayed in the Issue / Policy Display Unit 1504. Furthermore, the Issue / Policy Display Unit 1504 may also display that interventions at medical institutions can be considered as policies to address this issue.

[0102] These issues and measures are based on the proposed issue "There may be medical institutions with many users and low replacement rates" and the proposed measure "Consider intervention in medical institutions," which were extracted in response to the analysis result of the indicator "Weighted inverse replacement rate by medical institution" in the Issue-Measure Information 127 shown in Figure 9, "The standard deviation of the region is larger than that of other regions."

[0103] Furthermore, based on the medical institution master 128, the names and locations of the medical institutions targeted by the measures (for example, medical institutions corresponding to the points enclosed by dashed rectangles in the replacement rate display section 1503) may be displayed.

[0104] Figure 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of information output by the health business support system 100 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0105] Specifically, Figure 16 shows an example of displaying the results of problem identification based on the biosimilar replacement rate for each component and the amount used. The display screen 1600 shown in Figure 16 includes a replacement rate display unit 1601, an analysis results display unit 1602, a replacement rate display unit 1603, and a problem / measure display unit 1604.

[0106] The replacement rate display unit 1601 displays a graph showing the standard deviation of the weighted reverse replacement rates for each component across multiple medical institutions. For example, for a given component, the biosimilar replacement rate for each medical institution is calculated, and the weighted reverse replacement rate for that component is calculated as (1 - replacement rate) × the number of users of the biopharmaceutical for that component. The standard deviation of the weighted reverse replacement rates for each component across multiple medical institutions is then calculated. This calculation is performed for each component and displayed as a graph.

[0107] In the example shown in Figure 16, the replacement rate display unit 1601 displays graphs of the standard deviations of biosimilar replacement rates for multiple medical institutions for components a, b, c, and d. In this example, component d has the largest standard deviation, and the standard deviations decrease in the order of component b, component a, and component c.

[0108] The same estimation method used in Figure 15 for the standard deviation of weighted inverse replacement rates for multiple medical institutions in each region can also be applied to component-specific replacements. That is, among medical institutions that handle components with large variability in weighted inverse replacement rates (weighted by the number of users or amount spent), it can be estimated that there are medical institutions with significant potential to increase the replacement rate and that would contribute greatly to the optimization of medical expenses if the replacement rate were increased. Furthermore, medical institutions with large variability in weighted inverse replacement rates for a particular component can be estimated as medical institutions with significant potential to increase the replacement rate for that component and that would contribute greatly to the optimization of medical expenses if the replacement rate were increased.

[0109] The analysis results display unit 1602 displays the analysis results of the standard deviation of the weighted inverse replacement rate displayed in the replacement rate display unit 1601. For example, if the standard deviation of the weighted inverse replacement rate for component d is the largest, as shown in the replacement rate display unit 1601, the analysis results display unit 1602 may display that for component d, the standard deviation of the biosimilar weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution is ranked 1st, indicating that there is a possibility of improvement. Similarly, if the standard deviation of the weighted inverse replacement rate for component b is ranked 2nd, the analysis results display unit 1602 may display that for component b, the standard deviation of the biosimilar weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution is ranked 2nd, indicating that there is a possibility of improvement.

[0110] The replacement rate display unit 1603 displays a graph plotting the weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution for each component. Specifically, each plotted point represents the weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution. In this example, the weighted inverse replacement rate for each medical institution varies the most in component d, which has the largest standard deviation. For example, the medical institutions corresponding to the points enclosed by the dashed rectangles have particularly large weighted inverse replacement rates.

[0111] The Issue / Measure Display Unit 1604 displays issues extracted from the weighted reverse replacement rates displayed in the Replacement Rate Display Unit 1603, along with corresponding measures. For example, if the weighted reverse replacement rates of medical institutions handling component d vary significantly, and there are medical institutions with particularly high weighted reverse replacement rates (i.e., low replacement rates), the Issue / Measure Display Unit 1604 may display information pointing out the possibility of low replacement rates at specific medical institutions as an issue. Furthermore, the Issue / Measure Display Unit 1504 may display that interventions at medical institutions can be considered as measures to address that issue.

[0112] These issues and measures are based on the proposed issue "There is a possibility that the substitution rate for certain components is low in medical institutions" and the proposed measure to address that issue "Intervene in medical institutions and consider promoting the use of biosimilars for components with low usage rates," which were extracted in response to the analysis result of the indicator "Weighted reverse substitution rate by medical institution and component" in the Issue-Measure Information 127 shown in Figure 9, which states "The standard deviation of medical institutions is larger than that of other medical institutions."

[0113] Furthermore, based on the medical institution master 128, the names and locations of the medical institutions targeted by the measures (for example, medical institutions corresponding to the points enclosed by dashed rectangles in the replacement rate display section 1603) may be displayed.

[0114] Similarly, for component b, which has the second largest variation in weighted reverse substitution rates, information pointing out that the substitution rate may be low at certain medical institutions may be displayed in the issue / policy display unit 1604. In this case, if the supply status master 126 holds information indicating supply restrictions for component b, it may also be displayed that these supply restrictions may be affecting the substitution rate.

[0115] Furthermore, indicators such as the aforementioned replacement rate and the weighted reverse replacement rate based on it may be calculated on a yearly basis. For example, for City A in the replacement rate display section 1503 of Figure 15, the weighted reverse replacement rate and replacement rate for different years can be plotted on the vertical and horizontal axes. This allows for the confirmation of changes in the use of biosimilars at medical institutions by plotting them, and can be used to consider intervention methods based on changes such as whether the medical institution is increasing or decreasing the use of biosimilars.

[0116] Furthermore, the system of the embodiment of the present invention may be configured as follows.

[0117] (1) A health business support system (e.g., health business support system 100) comprising a processor (e.g., CPU 201) and a storage device (e.g., memory 202 and auxiliary storage device 203), wherein the storage device holds claim information (e.g., claim information 122) including at least information on the pharmaceuticals used (e.g., pharmaceuticals 408), and the processor calculates an index relating to the ratio of generic drugs to the total number of pharmaceuticals used, including original drugs and generic drugs, for each predetermined calculation unit based on the claim information (e.g., Figures 10 to 12), and outputs information indicating that there is a problem with replacing the pharmaceuticals with generic drugs if the variability of the index calculated for each predetermined calculation unit is greater than a predetermined standard (e.g., Figures 13 and 14).

[0118] This will support proposals for measures to optimize healthcare costs.

[0119] (2) The health business support system described in (1) above, wherein the memory device further includes issue policy information (e.g., issue-policy information 127), the issue policy information includes an indicator (e.g., indicator 901), conditions applied to the indicator (e.g., analysis result 902), an issue (e.g., proposed issue 903) relating to the replacement of the pharmaceutical with the generic drug that is estimated when the indicator satisfies the conditions, and a policy corresponding to the issue (e.g., proposed policy 904), the processor identifies the issue and policy corresponding to the calculated indicator based on the issue policy information, and outputs the identified issue and policy (e.g., Figures 13 and 14).

[0120] This will allow indicators to be properly analyzed, and based on that analysis, support the proposal of effective measures to optimize healthcare costs.

[0121] (3) A health support system as described in (2) above, wherein the predetermined calculation unit is any of the following: the component of the pharmaceutical product, the region in which the pharmaceutical product was used, and the medical institution that used the pharmaceutical product, or a combination of two or more thereof, and the indicator is a weighted inverse substitution rate, which is a value that increases as the substitution rate, which indicates the proportion of generic drugs in the pharmaceutical product used, decreases, and is weighted by the number of users or the amount spent on the pharmaceutical product in the predetermined calculation unit, and the issue policy information is information indicating that there is an issue of a low generic drug substitution rate in the region as a whole when the generic drug substitution rate for the entire region is lower than a predetermined standard, and the region The information includes at least one of the following: if the variation in the weighted reverse substitution rate for each medical institution within the region is greater than a predetermined standard, there is a problem in that region where there are medical institutions with a large number of users or spending amounts and a low rate of substitution with generic drugs; if the variation in the weighted reverse substitution rate for each component is greater than a predetermined standard, there is a problem in that component where there are a large number of users or spending amounts and a low rate of substitution with generic drugs; and if the variation in the weighted reverse substitution rate for each component in a medical institution is greater than a predetermined standard, there is a problem in that medical institution where the rate of substitution with generic drugs for a particular component is low.

[0122] This will allow indicators to be properly analyzed, and based on that analysis, support the proposal of effective measures to optimize healthcare costs.

[0123] (4) The health business support system described in (3) above, wherein the aforementioned issue policy information includes at least one of the following: a policy to promote the use of generic drugs in cooperation with the medical association and the pharmacists' association as a policy to address the issue of a low generic drug substitution rate throughout the region; a policy to intervene in medical institutions as a policy to address the issue of there being medical institutions in the region with a large number of users or spending and a low generic drug substitution rate; a policy to promote the use of generic drugs for specific components in cooperation with the medical association and the pharmacists' association as a policy to address the issue of there being components with a large number of users or spending and a low generic drug substitution rate; and a policy to intervene in medical institutions to promote the use of generic drugs for components with low substitution rates as a policy to address the issue of a low generic drug substitution rate for specific components in those medical institutions.

[0124] This will allow indicators to be properly analyzed, and based on that analysis, support the proposal of effective measures to optimize healthcare costs.

[0125] (5) The health business support system described in (3) above, wherein the pharmaceutical is a biopharmaceutical, the memory device further holds biopharmaceutical substitution master information (e.g., biopharmaceutical substitution master 124) indicating the correspondence between the original biopharmaceutical and generic products that can substitute for the original, and the processor excludes biopharmaceuticals for which there are no generic products that can substitute from the calculation of the weighted reverse substitution rate (e.g., step 1104) based on the biopharmaceutical substitution master information.

[0126] This allows us to calculate appropriate indicators for identifying challenges in optimizing medical expenses.

[0127] (6) The health business support system described in (3) above, wherein the pharmaceutical is a biopharmaceutical, the storage device further holds supply status master information (e.g., supply status master 126) indicating the supply status of the original and generic versions of the biopharmaceutical, and the processor excludes biopharmaceuticals with supply limitations from the calculation of the weighted reverse substitution rate based on the supply status master information (e.g., step 1111).

[0128] This allows us to calculate appropriate indicators for identifying challenges in optimizing medical expenses.

[0129] (7) The health business support system described in (3) above, wherein the pharmaceutical product is a biopharmaceutical, the memory device further holds indication disease master information (e.g., indication disease master 125) indicating the indication diseases for the original and generic versions of the biopharmaceutical with the same component, the claim information includes information on the disease for which the biopharmaceutical was used (e.g., disease name 406), and the processor excludes the use of the original product for diseases that are not indication diseases for the generic version from the calculation of the weighted reverse substitution rate (e.g., step 1107) among the uses of the biopharmaceutical included in the claim information (e.g., step 1107).

[0130] This allows us to calculate appropriate indicators for identifying challenges in optimizing medical expenses.

[0131] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, the embodiments described above are explained in detail for a better understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace parts of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is possible to add configurations from other embodiments to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0132] Furthermore, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, and processing means may be implemented in hardware, either partially or entirely, by designing them as integrated circuits, for example. Alternatively, each of the above configurations and functions may be implemented in software by a processor interpreting and executing programs that implement each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in storage devices such as non-volatile semiconductor memory, hard disk drives, and SSDs (Solid State Drives), or in computer-readable non-temporary data storage media such as IC cards, SD cards, and DVDs.

[0133] Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those deemed necessary for explanation purposes, and do not necessarily represent all control lines and information lines in the actual product. In practice, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 100 Health Promotion Support System 110 Servers 111, 131, 201 CPUs 112 Replacement rate calculation unit 113 Weighted Index Calculation Unit 114. Topic Selection Department 115 Measures Proposal Department 116 Output section 120 databases 121 Personal attribute information 122 Medical Claim Information 123 Regional Attribute Information 124 Biopharmaceutical Replacement Master 125 Applicable Disease Master 126 Supply Status Master 127 Issues-Policy information 128 Medical Institution Master 129 Pharmacy Master 130 devices 132 Display section 133 Input section 200 Computer Systems 202 memory 203 Auxiliary storage device 204 Output device 205 Input device 206 Communication I / F

Claims

1. It is a health promotion support system, A processor and a memory device are included. The aforementioned storage device holds prescription information, which includes at least information about the pharmaceuticals used. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned claims information, an index is calculated for each predetermined calculation unit relating to the proportion of generic drugs to the total number of original and generic drugs used among the pharmaceutical products used. A health business support system characterized by outputting information indicating that there are issues regarding the replacement of the pharmaceutical product with a generic version when the variability of the indicator calculated for each predetermined calculation unit is greater than a predetermined standard.

2. A health support system according to claim 1, The aforementioned storage device further includes information on issues and countermeasures, The aforementioned issue and countermeasure information includes the aforementioned indicator, the conditions to which the aforementioned indicator applies, the issues related to the replacement of the aforementioned pharmaceutical with the aforementioned generic drug that are estimated when the aforementioned indicator satisfies the aforementioned conditions, and the countermeasures corresponding to the aforementioned issues. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned issue and policy information, identify the issues and policies corresponding to the calculated indicators, A health promotion support system characterized by outputting the identified issues and measures.

3. A health support system according to claim 2, The predetermined unit of calculation is one of the following: the components of the pharmaceutical product, the region in which the pharmaceutical product was used, and the medical institution that used the pharmaceutical product, or a combination of two or more of these. The aforementioned index is a weighted inverse substitution rate, which is a value that increases as the substitution rate, which indicates the proportion of generic drugs among the drugs used, decreases, and is weighted by the number of users or the amount spent on the drug in the predetermined calculation unit. A health support system characterized in that the aforementioned issue and countermeasure information includes at least one of the following: information indicating that there is an issue of a low generic drug substitution rate in the entire region when the generic drug substitution rate for the entire region is lower than a predetermined standard; information indicating that there is an issue of a medical institution in the region having a large number of users or spending and a low generic drug substitution rate when the variation in the weighted reverse substitution rate for each medical institution within the region is greater than a predetermined standard; information indicating that there is an issue of a component having a large number of users or spending and a low generic drug substitution rate when the variation in the weighted reverse substitution rate for each component is greater than a predetermined standard; and information indicating that there is an issue of a low generic drug substitution rate for a specific component in a medical institution when the variation in the weighted reverse substitution rate for each component in the medical institution is greater than a predetermined standard.

4. A health support system according to claim 3, The aforementioned issue-solving information is characterized by including at least one of the following measures: a measure to address the issue of a low generic drug substitution rate across the region, which involves collaborating with medical associations and pharmacists' associations to promote the use of generic drugs; a measure to address the issue of medical institutions in the region having a large number of users or high spending amounts and a low generic drug substitution rate, which involves intervening in medical institutions; a measure to address the issue of certain components having a large number of users or high spending amounts and a low generic drug substitution rate, which involves collaborating with medical associations and pharmacists' associations to promote the use of generic drugs for specific components; and a measure to address the issue of a low generic drug substitution rate for a specific component in a medical institution, which involves intervening in the medical institution to promote the use of generic drugs for that component.

5. A health support system according to claim 3, The aforementioned pharmaceutical is a biopharmaceutical, The storage device further holds biopharmaceutical substitution master information indicating the correspondence between the original biopharmaceutical and generic versions that can replace the original biopharmaceutical, The processor is characterized by excluding biopharmaceuticals for which there are no generic equivalents that can be substituted from the calculation of the weighted reverse substitution rate, based on the biopharmaceutical substitution master information.

6. A health support system according to claim 3, The aforementioned pharmaceutical is a biopharmaceutical, The storage device further holds supply status master information indicating the supply status of both the original and generic versions of the biopharmaceutical, The healthcare business support system is characterized in that the processor excludes biopharmaceuticals with supply limitations from the calculation of the weighted reverse substitution rate based on the supply status master information.

7. A health support system according to claim 3, The aforementioned pharmaceutical is a biopharmaceutical, The aforementioned storage device further stores indication disease master information indicating the indications for both the original and generic versions of the biopharmaceutical with the same active ingredient. The aforementioned claims information includes information on the disease for which the biopharmaceutical was used, The processor is a health business support system characterized by excluding the use of original brand-name drugs for diseases that are not indications for generic drugs, among the use of biopharmaceuticals included in the claims information, from the calculation of the weighted reverse substitution rate.

8. A method of supporting health programs implemented by a health program support system, The aforementioned health business support system includes a processor and a memory device. The aforementioned storage device holds prescription information, which includes at least information about the pharmaceuticals used. The aforementioned health support method is: The first step involves the processor calculating an index for the proportion of generic drugs to the total number of original and generic drugs used, based on the claims information, for each predetermined calculation unit. A method for supporting health promotion activities, characterized in that the processor outputs information indicating that there are issues regarding the replacement of the pharmaceutical product with a generic version when the variation of the index calculated for each predetermined unit of calculation is greater than a predetermined standard.

Images