From today, patients visiting hospitals who are not transferred from community clinics will be charged higher fees, the Bureau of National Health Insurance said.
The new regulation has been designed by the bureau to lower the number of outpatients. In the past, patients visiting clinics and local hospitals paid only NT$50 for medical treatment, while those visiting regional hospitals and medical centers paid NT$140 and NT$210.
Many people therefore visited regional hospitals and higher-profile medical centers to receive what they considered would be better quality medical treatment.
"To prevent a waste of medical resources, the new regulation encourages residents to visit clinics in communities first," Department of Health Deputy Minister Chen Shih-jhong (陳時中) said.
Under the new rule, fees at community clinics will remain the same. At local hospitals, however, the fee will increase from NT$50 to NT$80. At regional hospitals, the fee will increase from NT$140 to NT$240. At medical centers, the fee will rise from NT$210 to NT$360.
Bureau officials said patients should not worry about the quality of medical treatment because professional physicians and nurses staff community clinics.
The new regulation will not apply to patients on dialysis machines or those suffering from cancer, hemophilia, mental illness, chronic diseases and rare diseases. People from registered low-income families, those living in remote or mountainous areas, and children under the age of three are also exempt from the changes.
Chen said that a hotline (0800-212-369) is available for those wanting more information or if they experience any problems in the process of transferring from local clinics to hospitals.
"Patients can [use this hotline to] file complaints relating to hospitals refusing to accept transferrals from clinics," he said.
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