Clipping Board » Medical Affairs and Administration ─ Medical system, pharmaceuticals, and medical community-related reports
【China Times, Zhang Cuifen, Huang Tianru / Taipei Report】2010.09.30
The Medical Reform Foundation yesterday disclosed the chaotic self-pay medical practices across various counties and cities. Fees that have been banned for years, such as bed transfer fees and medicine grinding fees, are still being charged by many hospitals. Meanwhile, permissible fees like designated physician fees and medical record retrieval fees vary widely in price, leading to a high "self-pay pain index" for the public. Health Minister Yang Zhiliang has instructed authorities to clarify which self-pay items hospitals should and should not charge, in line with the National Medical Administration Conference to be held tomorrow, to prevent the public from being overcharged.
Liu Meijun, Executive Director of the Medical Reform Foundation, stated that complaints from the public revealed that 46% of patients using national health insurance are often subjected to additional fees beyond registration fees and co-payments, under various pretexts.
The most outrageous example is the fee for copying medical records onto discs, where pricing standards are highly inconsistent. While the standard rate for the same content is NT$200, private Chung Shan Medical University charges NT$1,000—a fivefold difference in the same region. Even in Kaohsiung County, where the fee is clearly set at NT$200, E-Da Hospital charges NT$500 per CT or MRI image, violating regulations. The local health bureau has failed to enforce proper oversight.
The foundation also pointed out that while 17 counties and cities have banned designated physician fees, five areas—Hsinchu County, Taichung City, Taichung County, Changhua County, and Nantou County—still allow hospitals to charge them. Outpatient designated physician fees range from NT$300 to NT$1,000, while designated cesarean section fees can go up to NT$10,000–30,000, creating unfair treatment for patients—a practice deemed unacceptable.
Dai Guiying, Director of the National Health Insurance Bureau, explained that self-pay medical fees fall into two categories: those that are entirely unreasonable and those that are administrative fees approved by local health bureaus but inconsistently applied by hospitals, leading to market confusion.
For example, bed transfer fees, medicine grinding fees, and expedited consultation fees have been explicitly banned by the Health Ministry, yet hospitals like Taipei City Hospital, Songshan Armed Forces Hospital, National Cheng Kung University Douliu Hospital, and Tainan Municipal Hospital still list "bed transfer fees (NT$200–300)" on their websites.
Dai stated that for such blatant violations, the Health Ministry will demand local authorities strengthen inspections. Violators confirmed by investigations will face fines of up to NT$250,000 under the Medical Care Act. The Department of Medical Affairs will clarify responsibilities with local health bureaus at tomorrow’s conference.
Hospitals accused of charging bed transfer fees, such as Taipei City Hospital and Songshan Hospital, explained that they stopped collecting these fees after being notified by the health bureau last month but have yet to update their websites. Chung Shan Medical University and E-Da Hospital, criticized for high disc copying fees, responded that administrative costs justify their charges but will review the pricing.
Source: http://health. chinatimes. com/ contents. aspx? cid=5,68& id=11818
Hospital Overcharging Scandal: Self-Pay Price Gap up to 5 Times
The Medical Reform Foundation yesterday disclosed the chaotic self-pay medical practices across various counties and cities. Fees that have been banned for years, such as bed transfer fees and medicine grinding fees, are still being charged by many hospitals. Meanwhile, permissible fees like designated physician fees and medical record retrieval fees vary widely in price, leading to a high "self-pay pain index" for the public. Health Minister Yang Zhiliang has instructed authorities to clarify which self-pay items hospitals should and should not charge, in line with the National Medical Administration Conference to be held tomorrow, to prevent the public from being overcharged.
Liu Meijun, Executive Director of the Medical Reform Foundation, stated that complaints from the public revealed that 46% of patients using national health insurance are often subjected to additional fees beyond registration fees and co-payments, under various pretexts.
The most outrageous example is the fee for copying medical records onto discs, where pricing standards are highly inconsistent. While the standard rate for the same content is NT$200, private Chung Shan Medical University charges NT$1,000—a fivefold difference in the same region. Even in Kaohsiung County, where the fee is clearly set at NT$200, E-Da Hospital charges NT$500 per CT or MRI image, violating regulations. The local health bureau has failed to enforce proper oversight.
The foundation also pointed out that while 17 counties and cities have banned designated physician fees, five areas—Hsinchu County, Taichung City, Taichung County, Changhua County, and Nantou County—still allow hospitals to charge them. Outpatient designated physician fees range from NT$300 to NT$1,000, while designated cesarean section fees can go up to NT$10,000–30,000, creating unfair treatment for patients—a practice deemed unacceptable.
Dai Guiying, Director of the National Health Insurance Bureau, explained that self-pay medical fees fall into two categories: those that are entirely unreasonable and those that are administrative fees approved by local health bureaus but inconsistently applied by hospitals, leading to market confusion.
For example, bed transfer fees, medicine grinding fees, and expedited consultation fees have been explicitly banned by the Health Ministry, yet hospitals like Taipei City Hospital, Songshan Armed Forces Hospital, National Cheng Kung University Douliu Hospital, and Tainan Municipal Hospital still list "bed transfer fees (NT$200–300)" on their websites.
Dai stated that for such blatant violations, the Health Ministry will demand local authorities strengthen inspections. Violators confirmed by investigations will face fines of up to NT$250,000 under the Medical Care Act. The Department of Medical Affairs will clarify responsibilities with local health bureaus at tomorrow’s conference.
Hospitals accused of charging bed transfer fees, such as Taipei City Hospital and Songshan Hospital, explained that they stopped collecting these fees after being notified by the health bureau last month but have yet to update their websites. Chung Shan Medical University and E-Da Hospital, criticized for high disc copying fees, responded that administrative costs justify their charges but will review the pricing.
Source: http://health. chinatimes. com/ contents. aspx? cid=5,68& id=11818