The National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) has released a Notice on “Carrying out Special Treatment of Oral Implant Medical Service Charges and Consumables Prices.” The document, which refines the draft proposal issued last month, classifies oral implantation expenses based on treatment goals and provides detailed implementation timelines and measures.
Cost Breakdown and Pricing Measures
The cost of oral implants is divided into three main components: implants, crowns, and medical services. The prices of implants and crowns will be determined through volume-based procurement (VBP) and online bidding. Currently, public medical institutions purchase high-end brand implants at RMB 4,000 to RMB 6,000 (USD 575 to USD 865) per set, and other implants at RMB 2,000 to RMB 3,500 (USD 288 to USD 504) per set. Dental crowns from third-party factories cost more than RMB 1,000 (USD 144), with self-made crowns priced higher but expected to decrease after online bidding.
Medical Service Fee Caps
The document caps dental implant medical service fees in Class 3 public hospitals at RMB 4,500 (USD 650) per treatment. Regions with high labor costs and developed economies may adjust fees by up to 20%. Localities are encouraged to ease price regulations for medical institutions with high success rates in oral implantations.
Implementation Timeline
Provincial healthcare security departments must issue documents to standardize and integrate local price items by the end of November 2022. Government-guided prices for oral implant products in public medical institutions must be re-formulated and announced by the end of December 2022. Provincial-level surveys and inspections of dental implant prices will be conducted from December 2022 to March 2023, with results reviewed and summarized in the second half of 2023.
Private Medical Institutions
While private medical institutions are subject to market regulation, they must compare and proactively publish their prices. Those with high rates of dental implants involved in VBP tendering and outstanding economic advantages will have their prices and costs published on official websites to guide patients.-Fineline Info & Tech
