A health worker in Bac Giang province scans a QR code on a patient’s chip-based ID card to access healthcare records. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – and
appointment letters for will be integrated into the
or digital social insurance app VssID, said Tran Thi
Trang, head of Health Insurance Department under the Ministry of Health.
In the near future, patients will only need to present one of those apps
without bringing paper records of health insurance referrals and appointment
letters
According to the Ministry of Health, social security offices and hospitals
nationwide will trial electronic health insurance referrals and health check-up
records in April this year, looking to completely remove the need for paper.
If the trial runs smoothly, the online records will be officially applied
nationwide in July.
According to Trang, going digital will have lots of practical values. It helps
create a centralised database for analysis, statistics, and timely adjustment
of health insurance policies. It also makes the hospital referral more
transparent and simplifies administrative procedures, she said.
The online application also saves time of both patients and healthcare
facilities, limits fraud in the referral process as well as supports social
security offices in health insurance assessment and payment, she said.
According to current regulations, if the patient wants to be transferred to a
higher-level hospital and enjoy health insurance with higher benefits, they
must have a transfer certificate.
Patients are allowed to be transferred from the lower level to the adjacent
higher level (from the commune level to district level, district level to
provincial level, provincial level to central level). If the adjacent higher
level facility does not have the appropriate technique, patients will continue
to be transferred to the higher level.
Many people believe that hospital transfer papers are a cumbersome and
troublesome administrative procedure.
Trang said it was impossible to remove the hospital transfer paper but the
health ministry is studying solutions to facilitate patients.
Public health information must be digitalised with referral information to go
online to minimise nuisance for patients, she said./.
Source: VietnamPlus
