New regulations expanding the scope of telemedicine and the issuance of prescriptions are to take effect on July 1, which are expected to benefit millions of people, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.
The ministry has amended the Rules of Medical Diagnosis and Treatment by Telecommunications (通訊診察治療辦法) that would add five special circumstances in which telemedicine would be allowed, as well as ease the rules on issuing prescriptions and expanding the types of healthcare services provided through telecommunications.
According to Article 11 of the Physicians Act (醫師法), physicians may not treat or issue prescriptions or a certificate of diagnosis to people they have not examined in person, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said. However, they may use telemedicine to treat people residing in certain areas (such as mountainous or remote areas) or under special or urgent circumstances, Hsueh added.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
As telemedicine became more widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic and is becoming a new normal for healthcare, regulations have been carefully modified to expand the special circumstances in which it might be used, he said, adding that it is expected to benefit up to 2.47 million people.
The five new special circumstances cover patients in a chronic care program, under hospice care, institutionalized at correction agencies, under disability care or under care for illness or injury from a disaster, infectious disease or other major incidents, Department of Medical Affairs Director-General Liu Yueh-ping (劉越萍).
These would bring the total number of circumstances eligible for receiving telemedicine to 10.
However, not all patients in any of the 10 circumstances are directly eligible for telemedicine, Hsueh said.
They must also be included in one of two categories: programs approved by the local health department and National Health Insurance (NHI) bundled payment programs.
“This means that when healthcare facilities want to provide telemedicine to patients under special circumstances, they must write a proposal and obtain approval” from the competent authority, he said. “It does not mean every patient who fall under any of the 10 special circumstances can directly book a telemedicine appointment with a doctor.”
Physicians who use telemedicine on patients who do not meet these qualifications may be fined between NT$20,000 and NT$100,000 for breaching the Physicians Act, Hsueh said.
The amendments would also allow physicians to issue prescriptions through telecommunication methods under certain conditions, and expand the types of healthcare services they can provide, including medical consultation, physician-to-physician consultation, psychotherapy, and issuing examination and check-up sheets, Liu said.
Asked why the draft amendments were announced last year, but it took almost a year for the ministry to announce their formal implementation, Hsueh said that some clinics expressed concern that the changes would encourage people to ditch clinics in favor of telemedicine consultation in hospitals.
However, clinics have since accepted the changes, as only clinics can provide healthcare services from the NHI bundled payment programs, such as the home-based medical integration program and the family physician care program, he added.
To prepare for the implementation of the amendments on July 1, the ministry is preparing and working on supplementary measures, including the digital NHI card system, e-prescription system, drug delivery method and information security verification standards.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS