title: Willingness to Pay for Cataract Surgery Provided by a Senior Surgeon in Urban Southern China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study willingness to pay for cataract surgery and surgical service provided by a senior cataract surgeon in urban Southern China.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a cross-sectional willingness-to-pay (WTP) interview using bidding formats. Two-hundred eleven persons with presenting visual impairment in either eye due to cataract were enrolled at a tertiary eye hospital. Participants underwent a comprehensive eye examination and a WTP interview for both surgery and service provided by a senior surgeon. Demographic information, socioeconomic status and clinical data were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 211 (98% response rate) persons completing the interview, 53.6% were women and 80.6% were retired. About 72.2% had a monthly income lower than 1000 renminbi (US $161). A total of 189 (89.6%) were willing to pay for cataract and the median amount of WTP was 6000 renminbi (US$968). And 102 (50.7%) were willing to pay additional fees for surgery performed by a senior surgeon, and the median amount of WTP was 500 renminbi (US$81). In regression models adjusting for age and gender, persons with preexisting eye diseases other than cataract, were more likely to pay for cataract surgery and service provided by a senior surgeon (P = 0.04 for both).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In urban China, cataract patients, especially those with preexisting eye conditions, are willing to pay additional fees for a senior surgeon. Moving to a system where the price of cataract surgery is proportional to the consultant' skill and expertise is possible and may have a potential impact on waiting list and quality of eye care. Further studies are needed to examine the impact of such pricing system on attitudes and choices of cataract patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yajing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xianhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yunlan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.affiliation: Shantou Central Hospital, Affiliated Shantou Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shantou, China.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Mingge
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore, Singapore.|Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.|Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Ecosse
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lamoureux
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yingfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002386:Cataract / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D066231:Surgeons / Q000145:classification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers