Circular regulating the method of pricing medical examination and treatment services
Pursuant to the provisions of Clause 4, Article 3 of the Law on Prices, Clause 5, Article 110 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, on October 17, 2024, the Ministry of Health issued Circular No. 21/2024/TT-BYT stipulating the method of pricing medical examination and treatment services as a legal basis for determining prices of medical examination and treatment services according to the list of technical medical examination and treatment services issued by the Ministry of Health, in accordance with the characteristics of providing medical examination and treatment services at medical facilities.
Circular 21/2024/TT-BYT specifically stipulates the principles and bases for pricing medical examination and treatment services, stipulates conditions and guides the selection and application of medical examination and treatment pricing methods according to two methods: the comparison method and the cost method; allowing the unit preparing the price plan to choose one of the two pricing methods.
In case both valuation methods can be applied at the same time, the comparison method is preferred.
In addition, due to changes in the authority to decide on medical examination and treatment service prices (Clause 5, 6, 7 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment), Article 9 of the Circular provides guidance on documents and procedures for approving medical examination and treatment service prices.
The guidelines on approving prices for on-demand medical examination and treatment (currently stipulated in Circular 13/2023/TT-BYT) continue to be stipulated and guided in this Circular, such as: stipulating a number of principles that medical facilities must implement when providing on-demand services.
Regulations on the ratio of hospital beds on demand not exceeding 20% compared to the average beds of the previous year, the ratio of time that experts and good doctors participate in medical examination and treatment on demand is maximum 30%, and at the same time, instructions on how to issue medical examination and treatment prices on demand suitable to the reality of the unit.
Adjust medical examination and treatment prices according to basic salary
Decree 96/2023/ND-CP allows units to implement the prices issued or approved by competent authorities until new regulations are issued, but no later than December 31, 2024. That means from now until December 31, 2024, medical examination and treatment facilities must implement the approval of medical examination and treatment prices in accordance with the authority prescribed by the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.
Pursuant to Decree 73/2024/ND-CP, Circular 21/2024/TT-BYT on the method of pricing medical examination and treatment services, medical examination and treatment facilities under the Ministry of Health and ministries/sectors develop price plan dossiers according to the cost method: maintain the price structure and issued norms, only adjust the salary factor from the basic salary of 1.8 million VND to the basic salary of 2.34 million VND.
Up to now, the Ministry of Health has approved medical examination and treatment prices for a number of hospitals, including 5 special-class hospitals and about 10 class I hospitals.
Localities are urgently implementing the approval of prices according to the salary level of 2.34 million VND for medical facilities in the area, not higher than the highest price of the corresponding service as prescribed by the Ministry of Health. The competent authority approves the price on which day, the unit is allowed to collect the new price from that day.
Impact of adjusting medical service prices
Regarding the impact of the health insurance fund, comparing the annual revenue and expenditure difference of the health insurance fund (cumulative balance in 2023), at the same time, the health insurance fund revenue increases due to the adjustment of the basic salary level, which is often earlier than the adjustment of medical examination and treatment service prices, so the health insurance fund is capable of balancing.
Regarding the impact on people, health insurance participants, the poor, ethnic minorities, and social policy beneficiaries are 100% covered by health insurance so they are not affected.
For those with health insurance cards who have to pay a co-payment of 20% or 5%, the co-payment will not increase much and they can afford it because their income will also increase according to the basic salary. For those without health insurance cards (about 8% of the population): it will only affect the payment according to the price of medical examination and treatment services.
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/them-nhieu-thay-doi-ve-phuong-phap-dinh-gia-gia-dich-vu-kham-chua-benh.html
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