The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s trial for integrated healthcare has returned promising results, prompting the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) to announce the inclusion of 44 more hospitals.
The program hopes to alleviate the physical, mental and financial burdens of people who must care for hospitalized family members.
Hospitals under the program provide personnel to care for patients, who would be placed in rooms based on the severity of their illness, while the costs are split between the National Health Insurance (NHI) and the patient.
Photo courtesy of Tainan Municipal Hospital
All personnel participating in the program should have proper certification, provide credentials proving that they have graduated from vocational high schools with a nursing program, and retain ministry-awarded and approved hospital healthcare training certification.
Hospitals are authorized to hire additional staff, or subcontract to cooperatives or labor dispatch firms to provide personnel for the program, NHIA Department of Medical Affairs Director Liu Lin-yi (劉林義) said.
The NHI awarded 750 points — with each point equivalent to NT$1 (US$0.03) — for personnel fees, Liu said, adding that the funds came from a special project.
Personnel costs would pay for what the patient should shoulder, but with a ceiling of NT$1,050 per day, he said.
The program began its trial period with NT$300 million last year, with 40 hospitals and 2,847 beds provided, he said.
The program is to receive NT$560 million this year, he added.
Of the 106 hospitals that have expressed intent to participate in the program, the NHIA has approved 84 — including the 40 hospitals previously in the program — with a total of 4,414 beds, Liu said.
The program has been well received by all sectors, as patients said family members were less stressed and the healthcare quality has improved, he said.
Healthcare workers also approve of the system, as it has lessened their workload, including overtime, he said, adding that hospitals also benefited as the program prevented them from losing workers.
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