China’s National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) released a notification last weekend, mandating designated medical institutions to conduct self-inspections and self-corrections regarding the illegal and irregular use of medical insurance funds. This initiative aims to enhance the integrity and efficiency of fund utilization within the healthcare sector.
Expansion of Campaign Scope
This year’s campaign has broadened in both subjects and scope. It now includes designated retail drugstores in addition to medical institutions. The areas of focus have expanded to include oncology, anesthesia, and critical care medicine, in addition to last year’s emphasis on cardiovascular medicine, orthopedics, hemodialysis, rehabilitation, medical imaging, and clinical laboratories. Provinces are required to refine and enrich the list of typical problems in these nine fields, as issued by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), and form a localized list of issues. This list must be submitted to the NHSA via email for filing before January 20, 2025.
Self-Inspection and Correction Process
By the end of March 2025, healthcare security administration departments at all levels must organize all designated medical institutions and retail pharmacies within their jurisdiction to conduct self-examinations and self-corrections of the use of medical insurance funds from 2023 to 2024, based on the localized problem lists. Starting from April 2025, the NHSA will conduct unannounced inspections on the status of self-inspections and self-corrections of designated medical institutions nationwide. Follow-up actions will be taken in accordance with the principle of leniency and strictness. Designated medical institutions that fail to take self-examination and self-correction seriously, are perfunctory in their responsibilities, or conceal and falsify information will face severe punishment and public exposure.
Future Prospects
The NHSA’s self-inspection campaign is a significant step towards ensuring the proper use of medical insurance funds. By expanding the scope and intensifying oversight, the administration aims to promote transparency and accountability in the healthcare sector, ultimately benefiting patients and stakeholders alike.-Fineline Info & Tech
