Four Ministries Further Ease Market Access for Integrated Medical and Elderly Care Institutions, Allowing Non-Public Healthcare Providers to Apply Directly
VCBeat has learned that on May 31, 2019, the General Office of the National Health Commission, the General Office of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the General Office of the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Office of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly issued the “Notice on Doing a Good Job in the Approval and Registration of Medical-Nursing Combined Institutions” (hereinafter referred to as the “Notice”).
“Notice” To implement the newly revised “Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly,” deepen the “streamline administration, delegate power, improve regulation, and upgrade services” reform in medical and elderly care services, optimize the approval processes and environment for institutions integrating medical and elderly care, and further promote the development of such integration, the following notice is hereby issued regarding the approval and registration of institutions integrating medical and elderly care:
"Integrated Medical and Elderly Care Institutions" refer to medical institutions or elderly care facilities that possess both medical qualifications and the capacity to provide elderly care services.
Health administrative departments (including traditional Chinese medicine authorities, hereinafter referred to as the same) and civil affairs departments in all regions shall promptly disclose to the public, through government websites, service windows, news media, and other channels, the relevant laws, regulations, and policy measures concerning the approval and filing of medical institutions and the registration of elderly care institutions. The health and civil affairs departments in all regions shall, based on the needs and qualifications of applicants establishing medical-nursing combined institutions,Provide accurate and detailed policy explanations and operational guidance on matters such as approval and filing procedures, acceptance criteria, document checklists, and processing timeframes.
Application for Elderly Care InstitutionEstablishment of internal clinics, health centers (rooms), infirmaries, and nursing stations, in accordance with the requirements of the Notice of the General Office of the former National Health and Family Planning Commission on Canceling Administrative Approval for the Establishment of Medical Institutions within Elderly Care Facilities and Implementing Filing Management (Guo Wei Ban Yi Fa [2017] No. 38),Abolish administrative approval and implement a filing-based management system.The sponsor shall file a record with the county-level health administrative department in its locality.
Application for Establishing an Elderly Care InstitutionMedical institutions at Level II and below (excluding emergency centers, emergency stations, clinical laboratory centers, Sino-foreign joint venture/cooperative medical institutions, and wholly-owned medical institutions from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan), in accordance with the provisions of the Notice on Further Reforming and Improving the Approval Work for Medical Institutions and Physicians (Guo Wei Yi Fa [2018] No. 19) issued by the National Health Commission and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Integration of Approval and Practice Registration into a Single Certificate, the health administrative departments shall no longer issue the "Approval Certificate for Establishing Medical Institutions." Upon acceptance of an application for practice registration of a medical institution, the "Medical Institution Practice License" shall be issued after public notice and successful review.
Application for the Establishment of Elderly Care InstitutionsTertiary Healthcare Institutionsof,An application shall be submitted to the provincial or municipal-level health administrative department where the applicant is located., the health administrative department shall issue the "Approval Certificate for Establishing a Medical Institution" in accordance with the law. Upon receipt of the "Approval Certificate for Establishing a Medical Institution," the applicant shall apply for practice registration of the medical institution and submit the relevant materials. After passing the review by the health administrative department, the "Medical Institution Practice License" shall be issued.
"Elderly care institutions establishing medical facilities fall under the category of privately-run healthcare.", as per regulationsEnjoy Relevant Support Policies, the health and relevant departments shallDisburse subsidies in a timely and full manner, and implement relevant policies.. In accordance with relevant laws and regulations, for-profit medical institutions shall register with the market supervision authorities, while non-profit medical institutions established by social forces shall register as social service organizations with the civil affairs authorities.
Civil affairs departments at all levels shall no longer implement the licensing requirement for the establishment of elderly care institutions.Medical institutions with legal person status that apply to establish elderly care institutions are not required to separately establish a new legal person or undergo separate legal person registration.
Non-profit medical institutions established by social forces applying to set up elderly care institutions, shall file with the civil affairs department at or above the county level in accordance with the law; shall apply to the civil affairs department at or above the county level where it is registered for approval of its articles of association and modification of its business scope; and shall add functional descriptions such as “elderly care services” to the business scope on its registration certificate in accordance with the amended articles of association.
For-profit medical institutions established by non-governmental entities applying to set up elderly care facilities internally, it shall file with the civil affairs department at or above the county level in accordance with the law, and apply to the market regulation department at or above the county level where it is registered for change of registration in accordance with the law, adding expressions such as “elderly care services” to its business scope.
Application by Public Medical Institutions to Establish Elderly Care Facilities, it shall file with the civil affairs departments at or above the county level in accordance with the law, and submit applications for adjustment of main responsibilities and change registration to the institutional organization committees at all levels in accordance with the law, adding functions such as “elderly care services and training” to the main responsibilities of public institutions and the “Purpose and Business Scope” section of their Legal Person Certificates.
Medical institutions establishing elderly care facilities that meet the requirements, enjoy relevant construction subsidies, operational subsidies, and other policy measures supporting elderly care services; civil affairs and related departments shall disburse subsidies in a timely and full manner to implement the relevant policies.
For applicants applying to establish a new integrated medical and elderly care institution, i.e., simultaneously applying to establish both a medical institution and an elderly care institution,Applications shall be submitted to the health, civil affairs, or market regulation authorities, depending on the type, nature, and scale of the medical and healthcare institution or elderly care facility.For matters involving relevant administrative departments at the same level, local government service agencies shall implement a “single-window” processing model, achieving “comprehensive front-office acceptance, back-office classified approval, and unified issuance through the comprehensive window.”
Where no government service agencies have been established, the local health administrative departments shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, establish a joint handling mechanism and operational procedures to optimize the market access environment for medical-nursing combined institutions. The health administrative departments of all provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government) shall, in consultation with relevant departments, formulateUnified Preparation Guidelines: Providing Consultation and Guidance for Applicants of Integrated Medical and Elderly Care Institutionsto facilitate applicants in handling administrative licensing or registration and filing procedures with the relevant departments. All relevant departments shall strengthen coordination, enhance information sharing, and ensure that applicants need to visit only one office and make at most one trip.
Health commissions, civil affairs departments, and market regulation authorities at all levels shall strengthen communication and coordination, foster close collaboration, and form a synergistic work mechanism in accordance with the State Council’s requirements for the “decentralization, control, and service” reform. The health commissions and civil affairs departments shall respectively be responsible for providing guidance, supervision, and management of medical institutions and elderly care facilities within integrated medical and elderly care institutions.Following the abolition of licensing requirements for establishing elderly care institutions and the implementation of a filing system for in-house medical facilities, it is essential to strengthen interim and ex-post regulatory oversight.
Health administrative departments shall incorporate medical and health services provided by institutions integrating medical care with elderly care as a key component of medical administration, strengthening guidance, supervision, and assessment. Civil affairs departments shall innovate management approaches for elderly care institutions and establish a comprehensive regulatory system, jointly promoting the enhancement of service capacity and quality in institutions integrating medical care with elderly care.