Ministry of Health applies new price frame for medical examination and treatment, hospitals adjust simultaneously

Public hospitals simultaneously adjust prices for medical examination and treatment services upon request.

After the issuance of Circular 13 of the Ministry of Health on regulations on price framework and pricing methods for medical examination and treatment services upon request, many hospitals simultaneously adjusted service examination prices.

According to the Circular, public hospitals can collect medical examination fees on request, each visit is up to 500,000 VND/person, and bed fees are 4 million VND/day. In addition, the Circular also stipulates the examination fee range for nearly 2,000 types of technical services and tests on request.

Dr. Duong Duc Hung, Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, said that the unit has also adjusted the price of medical examination and treatment services according to the new level issued by the Ministry of Health. The general specialist examination price is 500,000 VND. Some previously discounted services that were charged higher will be adjusted down, such as thyroid ultrasound from 300,000 VND to 196,000 VND; intravenous injection and infusion reduced from 100,000 VND to 46,000 VND...

Technical services with significantly reduced prices include total hip replacement surgery reduced from 16 million to more than 12.8 million (a decrease of nearly 3.2 million VND); surgery to remove lumbar disc herniation reduced from 13 million VND to more than 7.7 million VND, equivalent (a decrease of nearly 5.3 million VND).

A surgery to treat a ruptured heart due to trauma previously cost 54 million VND, now reduced to over 23.8 million VND (a reduction of nearly 20 million VND); the technique of skin flap transfer with anastomosis or microsurgical vascular grafting previously cost nearly 39.9 million VND, now reduced to nearly 18.7 million VND (a reduction of more than 21 million VND).

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu, Director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital, said that this wide price range regulation creates conditions for hospitals to choose appropriate prices according to market mechanisms, helping medical facilities improve quality, and both patients and medical staff benefit.

Currently, Hanoi Medical University Hospital has 7 service beds, the highest price is 2.2 million VND/room, however, the number of examinations on request accounts for about 35% (more than the regulations of the Ministry of Health). This place is considering adjusting the price appropriately, asking experts to limit the number of service examinations in a day to improve quality, not chasing quantity.

At Bach Mai Hospital, many medical examination and treatment services have also been adjusted. Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Xuan Co, Director of the hospital, said that for many years, most examination and technical service prices have been implemented according to health insurance regulations.

The hospital's on-demand examination fee is currently very low, with a professor and associate professor examination fee of 150,000 VND; a doctor, specialist 2 examination fee of 120,000 VND; a master's degree, specialist 1 examination fee of 70,000 VND.

Based on the price framework set by the Ministry, the hospital adjusted and collected the examination fee for professors, associate professors, and senior doctors at 400,000 VND; for doctors and specialist II at 350,000 VND; and for masters and doctors at 300,000 VND.

The head of this hospital also said that the unit is carefully reviewing the conditions, standards of rooms, beds according to requests, and norms in each department, which will not exceed 20% of the facilities and doctors who provide examinations on request. Basically, the hospital still serves health insurance patients.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Cong Hoang, Director of Thai Nguyen Central Hospital, said that the hospital is in the process of finalizing the examination price frame required to be applied according to the Circular of the Ministry of Health. Basically, there is no change compared to before because the old price is within the price frame prescribed by the Ministry of Health. Any type of service that exceeds the price will have its price adjusted immediately.

Hospital leaders also confirmed that this is a service fee on demand, not covered by health insurance. This circular does not affect people with health insurance cards and people without health insurance cards who do not voluntarily register to use on-demand medical examination and treatment services.

Adjusting medical examination and treatment service prices in the direction of correct and sufficient calculation helps hospitals have a source of budget for reinvestment, upgrading infrastructure, and providing better medical examination and treatment services to retain patients.

According to VTC News