Quick doctor visits at local clinics will no longer be standard practice. The government plans to make changes to ensure that medical staff dedicate sufficient time to providing medical service by charging fees (paid through health insurance) for patient consultation and education, which are currently not compensated.
According to the Medical Reform Special Committee and the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Jan. 5, the government plans to introduce a ‘bundled fee’ to strengthen primary medical institutions (clinics). The bundled fee does not charge medical service fees for individual actions as done on the current ‘fee-for-service system’ but charges a price for all actions required for treating one patient. Service items such as consultation, education, and management will be charged in the bundled fee to ensure that elderly patients and those with chronic diseases can receive sufficient treatment at primary medical institutions. Short medical visits are prevalent in hospitals and clinics as fees for consultations, etc., are not provided.
The bundled price is expected to function as a guide for primary medical institutions. For example, a doctor can only diagnose and prescribe for a 70-year-old patient with high blood pressure visiting the clinic. Once the bundled fee is introduced, patients will be treated according to the standards set forth in the bundled fee, including one diagnosis, five minutes of medical consultation, and two education sessions per month. “By including medical consultation in routine treatment such as diagnosis and prescription, we will be able to improve the quality of medical care at primary medical institutions,” said an official from the Medical Services Special Committee. “We can reduce overall medical expenses by preventing chronic diseases from developing into serious diseases.”
The government will classify patient risk groups by considering gender, age, health status, and the number of visits to hospitals and clinics. Depending on the risk groups, different bundled fees will be imposed. Higher fees will be considered for high-risk groups.
The bundled fee will be applied first to the 'Primary Medical Innovation Pilot Project,' which is being promoted to solve the issue of multiple prescriptions for patients suffering from multiple diseases visiting multiple hospitals and clinics to enable more comprehensive medical treatment. The pilot project is likely to involve multiple clinics with different specialists treating patients.
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