In our effort to adapt to the aging population and alleviate the stress of “one hospitalization, the whole family runs around,” recent years have seen pilot programs for “unaccompanied care” emerge in regions like Tianjin, Zhejiang, and Fujian.
**Introducing the “Unaccompanied Care Service”**
This new initiative aims to address the gaps in inpatient care. On October 26, the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) released a provisional guideline for nursing project approval, along with a notification to optimize and adjust nursing price policies. This move seeks to standardize nursing prices across provinces and introduces a new pricing item for “unaccompanied care services,” catering to the diverse care needs of the public while encouraging medical institutions to offer specialized and technical nursing services, thus creating additional revenue streams.
The “Unaccompanied Care Service” is defined as round-the-clock support provided by professional caregivers from healthcare institutions, enabling hospitalized patients to receive continuous assistance without relying on family members or hiring private caregivers.
Overall, the responsibilities of medical caregivers in these institutions are more defined and specialized, benefiting both patients and relieving the burdens on their families.
The NHSA has incorporated experiences from local explorations into the guideline, specifically establishing a pricing item for “unaccompanied care services,” which will be subject to government price guidance. By the end of 2024, provinces are expected to align with this guideline, allowing for standardized charges in pilot areas. To prevent misuse of this new service, the NHSA has clarified that, for now, “unaccompanied care services” will only be applicable to patients receiving critical or Level I nursing care. This service will not be covered by insurance at this stage, allowing patients or their families to choose between the “unaccompanied care service” provided by medical institutions or privately priced caregiver services.
**Supporting Nursing Price Adjustments**
Additionally, while standardizing nursing price projects, the NHSA encourages regions that meet certain criteria to adjust nursing prices to better reflect the value of technical services.
The NHSA will guide provincial healthcare security agencies to implement the nursing project guideline by the end of 2024, developing a unified benchmark price across provinces. Over time, regional areas will be advised to set actual execution prices based on this benchmark, gradually achieving a more balanced pricing structure for nursing services within provinces.
The NHSA also supports regions that meet price adjustment criteria and maintain balanced insurance fund operations to gradually optimize nursing service prices. This initiative is designed to better recognize the value of nursing technical labor, encouraging salary enhancements for nurses, attracting and retaining talent in the nursing field, and ultimately, improving the quality of care provided to the community.
— Liu Pai, Editor
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