The National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) has issued a notification aimed at standardizing the management of purchasing drugs from the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) outside hospital settings with a prescription. This initiative is intended to enhance oversight of the entire prescription circulation process and combat fraudulent prescriptions and insurance fraud.
Designated medical institutions in regions equipped with medical insurance electronic prescription centers are required to offer prescription dispensing services through these centers. Electronic prescriptions may be printed on paper, facilitating access for elderly and other insured individuals who need to present these paper prescriptions at approved retail pharmacies for drug purchases. In areas where electronic prescription centers are not yet operational, paper prescriptions issued by designated medical institutions must bear the signatures of the medical insurance physicians and be stamped with the official seal for external prescriptions to be deemed valid. Additionally, designated medical institutions are mandated to retain all external prescriptions (paper copies) associated with insured individuals for a minimum of two years.
Starting January 1, 2025, designated retail pharmacies equipped with “dual channel” drugs will be required to process “dual channel” drug prescriptions exclusively through electronic prescription centers, with paper prescriptions no longer accepted. Should there be a necessity to extend the use of paper prescriptions in exceptional cases, the coordinating region must seek approval from the provincial medical insurance department and file the request with the NHSA. Any such extension cannot exceed three months. Notably, special inspections will be conducted by the end of December 2024 on prescription drugs for chronic and special conditions in outpatient clinics, as well as those related to the “hypertension and diabetes” medication mechanism for urban and rural residents, targeting prescriptions with high volumes, significant costs, and increased risks of fraud and insurance abuse.- Flcube.com
