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China plans to incorporate more regions into its system for the
settlement of standard medical fees later in the year, on the back of
experience drawn from 12 pilot areas, according to an official circular.
This will mark a step closer to the preliminary operation of a bona
fide national medical-information platform by the end of 2021, which
would enable patients across the country to seek treatment in places
other than designated locations and settle their expenses on the spot.
Regions with sound infrastructure are encouraged to apply to join the
cross-provincial system, said the National Healthcare Security
Administration and the Ministry of Finance in the circular.
The pilot system currently covers provincial-level areas of Beijing,
Tianjin, Hebei, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Chongqing, Sichuan,
Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet, according to the circular.
Local authorities are asked to link more medical institutions in
sub-areas and expand the range of medical fees that the system can
handle, it said.
Before the pilot program was launched, patients had to return to the locality where they were enrolled to be reimbursed.
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