Ministry of Health plans to adjust the list of serious illnesses that do not require a hospital transfer certificate

The Ministry of Health plans to adjust the list of serious illnesses to increase benefits and reduce inconvenience for people who unfortunately contract one of these diseases.

The Ministry of Health plans to adjust the list of serious illnesses to increase benefits and reduce inconvenience for people who unfortunately contract one of these diseases.

Currently, according to health insurance regulations, when patients need to be examined and treated at higher-level medical facilities, they must request a referral letter.

The Ministry of Health plans to adjust the list of serious illnesses to increase benefits and reduce inconvenience for people who unfortunately contract one of these diseases.

This transfer is usually only done when the disease exceeds the treatment capacity of the lower-level medical facility. However, for rare diseases, difficult diseases that the lower-level hospital cannot treat, the patient still has to be transferred to a higher level according to a sequential process. This not only wastes travel time but also makes treatment difficult.

To reduce inconvenience for patients, the Ministry of Health has decided to issue a list of 62 diseases and groups of diseases, in which patients only need to request a hospital transfer certificate once a year.

These diseases include tuberculosis (all types), leprosy, polycythemia, some types of cancer requiring long-term treatment, blood clotting disorders, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, heart failure, bronchial asthma...

For these diseases, patients do not need to re-apply for a referral every year, saving time and reducing administrative procedures.

However, that is not enough. And according to the new regulations of the recently approved revised Law on Health Insurance, from January 1, 2025, patients with serious or rare diseases will be allowed to be transferred directly to specialized medical facilities without going through intermediary steps.

Currently, this list includes 42 diseases, including serious illnesses such as cancer, lupus erythematosus, organ transplants, severe burns, multiple sclerosis, heart valve replacement surgery, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, kidney failure, permanent disability...

These diseases will be added to the list of diseases that do not require a referral, helping patients easily access treatment without having to go through cumbersome referral procedures.

Regarding the list of critical illnesses, the representative of the Ministry of Health also said that the current list of critical illnesses was issued many years ago, and it is time to adjust, add new illnesses and update the list to suit the current disease situation, as well as advances in treatment.

Ms. Vu Nu Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of Health Insurance, Ministry of Health, said that the Ministry of Health is developing a specific list of rare and serious diseases that do not require referral papers. This circular is expected to take effect from January 1, 2025. In addition, the Ministry of Health is integrating referral papers electronically to reduce administrative procedures for patients.

A notable point in the revised Law on Health Insurance is the regulation that patients with serious illnesses or illnesses beyond the professional capacity of lower-level medical facilities will be allowed to go directly to higher-level hospitals and specialized medical facilities without going through hospital transfer procedures.

This will help patients quickly access advanced treatments, protect health insurance benefits and avoid treatment delays.

The Ministry of Health is currently drafting a circular providing detailed guidance on cross-line treatment, which is expected to take effect from 2025.

Accordingly, patients with rare diseases or diseases requiring high technology that cannot be performed at lower-level hospitals will be allowed to be transferred directly to lower-level hospitals or leading medical facilities for diagnosis and treatment without needing to request a referral.

The leader of the Health Insurance Department, Ministry of Health said that this is a big change, helping patients easily access advanced treatment methods, especially for serious illnesses with high treatment costs.

To ensure health insurance benefits, the new regulation also affirms that patients will enjoy 100% of insurance benefits when treated at upper-level medical facilities, if their illness exceeds the treatment capacity of lower-level medical facilities.

The above regulation can help reduce the financial burden on patients and ensure that they receive timely treatment at competent medical facilities.

Currently, in Vietnam there are about 100 rare diseases, with about 6 million people suffering from rare diseases, of which 58% are children. 30% of them die before the age of 5.

Rare diseases pose a major challenge in healthcare, due to lack of information, drugs and specialized treatments.

In addition, the cost of treating rare diseases is also very high, causing the Health Insurance Fund to pay billions of VND annually for these cases. Therefore, adjusting regulations related to rare diseases and critical illnesses is very necessary.

Adjusting the list of critical illnesses and reforming the treatment referral process is an important step to improve the quality of health care for the people.

With these changes, the Ministry of Health hopes to help patients quickly access effective treatments, reduce administrative hassles and ensure health insurance benefits for patients.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/bo-y-te-du-kien-dieu-chinh-danh-sach-benh-hiem-ngheo-khong-can-giay-chuyen-vien-d231369.html