Updated Monday, August 15, 2011 11:18 pm TWN, The China Post news staff
Medication fees climb on new DOH criteria
The China Post news staff--Medication fees have increased by NT$1.7 billion
since the Department of Health (DOH) loosened the criteria for medication
for indications of hepatitis B and C, and hospitals are worried that
patients' rights might be sacrificed as hospitals are asked to deal with
the extra bills.
With over three million carriers, hepatitis type B and C have long been
prevalent diseases in Taiwan. Beginning seven years ago, the DOH has been
promoting a hepatitis B and C treatment pilot program to encourage
patients' willingness to receive medication.
Last year, the DOH loosened the criteria for medication for indications of
the diseases, and the number of patients seeking medication has greatly
increased, resulting in increased medical bills.
While 9,263 patients with hepatitis B and 5,142 patients with hepatitis C
had sought medication in 2009, numbers for 2010 increased to 17,771
hepatitis B patients and 14,415 hepatitis C patients; as a result, medical
bills for these treatments increased from NT$ 10.94 billion to NT$ 28.16
billion, far exceeding the budget the DOH had designated, and hospitals
were asked to bear the financial burden.
Wu Ming-yen (吳明彥), secretary-general of the Taiwan Non-governmental
Hospitals and Clinics Association (NHCA), criticized the policy, saying
that the DOH is “bullying” hospitals by loosening the criteria without
implementing follow-up solutions to the financial problems.
Hospitals could delay patients' examinations when they realize that the
more patients they see, the more financial deficits they face, Wu said.
That patients' rights could be so sacrificed was echoed by Chen Hsueh-fen
(陳雪芬), the secretary-general of the Taiwan Medical Centers
Association.
According to Chen, when hospitals face serious deficits, it is possible
that they might “morally persuade” physicians to limit the numbers of
patients they see, so as to reduce the deficit hospitals face.
In response to hospitals' concerns, Tsai Shui-ling (蔡淑鈴), a division
director at the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI), said that the
BNHI has distributed to hospitals the several billions saved from adjusting
drug prices to hospitals to make up for the medication deficits.
Also, when the BNHI budget is devised for 2012, it will take into account
the deficits hospitals might face and adjust the budgeting accordingly,
Tsai added.