National Health Commission Releases Healthcare Service Achievements: 300 New Day Surgery Centers and Telemedicine Coverage Expanded to 1,330 Counties

On the morning of February 8, the National Health and Family Planning Commission held a press conference in Beijing to introduce the details of the “Action Plan for Further Improving Medical Services.”

Since 2015, with the approval of the State Council, the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly launched the “Action Plan for Further Improving Medical Services.” The plan proposed that from 2015 to 2017, over a three-year period, efforts would be made to ensure that the public enjoys convenient, safe, effective, and transparent access to medical care, significantly enhance the level of medical services, markedly improve patients’ healthcare experiences, substantially increase social satisfaction, and strive to achieve the goal of building harmonious doctor-patient relationships.

According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission,By the end of 2016, the average appointment booking rate at tertiary hospitals across China reached 38.6%, a year-on-year increase of 6.5%.It is mainly reflected in the following three aspects:

In terms of optimizing service processes, by the end of 2016, 1,378 medical institutions offered mobile payment settlement services, an increase of more than 710 year-on-year; 1,445 tertiary hospitals established information databases to provide patients with query and push notification services, an increase of more than 200 year-on-year; the average appointment-based consultation rate at tertiary hospitals reached 38.6%, a year-on-year increase of 6.5 percentage points; and 3,329 medical institutions implemented time-slot appointment scheduling, effectively reducing patient waiting times.

In terms of medical quality improvement, by the end of 2016, more than 7,700 medical institutions had implemented clinical pathway management, including 1,953 tertiary hospitals and 5,792 secondary hospitals, representing year-on-year increases of 354 and 1,229 hospitals, respectively. All tertiary hospitals and more than 6,000 secondary hospitals provided high-quality nursing services. Additionally, 1,507 tertiary hospitals utilized information technology to guide rational clinical drug use.

In terms of innovative service models in primary healthcare,By the end of 2016, 396 medical institutions had established day surgery centers, an increase of nearly 300 year-on-year, with day surgeries accounting for 11% of elective surgeries; more than 6,800 medical institutions provided telemedicine services, covering 1,330 counties. 

Taking Henan Province as an example, on February 4, reporters learned from the Henan Provincial People’s Government that the General Office of the Provincial Government had recently issued the “13th Five-Year Plan for Health and Wellness Development in Henan Province.” Henan will continue to improve its health service system, further enhancing the health status of its residents.

The Plan points out that Henan will continue to carry out the creation of sanitary towns and cities. By 2020, the proportion of national sanitary cities will increase to 50%, and the proportion of national sanitary towns (county seats) will increase to 7%; provincial-level sanitary cities will achieve full coverage, the proportion of provincial-level and above sanitary county seats will reach 75%, and the proportion of provincial-level and above sanitary towns will reach 15%.

In addition, Henan Province will actively explore the inclusion of day-surgery costs and outpatient expenses for special diseases into medical insurance coverage. It will comprehensively advance reforms in medical insurance payment methods, establishing a composite payment system dominated by diagnosis-related group (DRG) payments, supplemented by capitation and per-service-unit payments. Eligible medical rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities will be included in the scope of medical insurance reimbursement. Furthermore, the province will explore incorporating day-surgery costs, outpatient expenses for special diseases, and outpatient fees for specialized TCM disciplines with distinct clinical advantages into the medical insurance payment scope.

In Shenzhen, many tertiary hospitals recognize the significant role of day surgery centers in improving hospital management standards and medical service efficiency, as well as in controlling healthcare costs. A proposal titled “Whether Tertiary Hospitals Should Pilot Day Surgery” has been specifically launched. According to reports, day surgery is a surgical model in which patients are admitted and undergo surgery according to a planned schedule and are discharged within 24 hours postoperatively after a brief period of recovery. This model was adopted earlier abroad and enjoys high patient acceptance.

According to the proposal, Shanghai, Jiangxi, and Jiangsu have already implemented this model. In domestic practice, its advantages can be summarized as “greater volume, faster service, better quality, and lower cost”: effective utilization of bed resources, shorter waiting times for scheduled surgeries, highly qualified surgeons, and reduced medical expenses. The proposal recommends piloting day surgery programs in tertiary hospitals on a trial basis, stating that “by 2018, at least three tertiary hospitals should pilot day surgery services, initially establish an organizational and management model for day surgery, and improve the management systems and diagnostic and treatment standard frameworks for day surgery.”

This year, the “Action Plan” will continue to be implemented across medical institutions at all levels and of all types, with a focus on tertiary hospitals in urban areas. Eleven key tasks have been identified, including the scientific implementation of appointment-based diagnosis and treatment and the rational allocation of medical resources. Day-care medical services are particularly emphasized, with efforts directed toward strengthening refined management of day surgeries and exploring the expansion of other day-care medical services.

Previous planning for the establishment of National Medical Centers and National Regional Medical Centers has encouraged the development of telemedicine services in remote and impoverished areas. Through these measures, medical resources are decentralized to lower-tier facilities, while fostering a community of shared interests, responsibilities, and services. This represents a supply-side structural reform advanced in the process of promoting the construction of a tiered diagnosis and treatment system.

Enhance the medical service capacity at the primary care level through measures such as paired assistance, targeted support, and trusteeship; vigorously train general practitioners to address the issue of initial diagnosis at the grassroots level.

Thus, it is evident that this year will be the inaugural year for the development of primary healthcare!