The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) is considering including home hemodialysis in National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage, which could be added as early as May, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday.
Shih announced the plan at a conference on home healthcare in Taipei, held by Taipei Medical University and its affiliated hospitals.
Taiwan has been dubbed the “Kingdom of Dialysis” for many years, due to the high prevalence of people on dialysis, most of whom receive the treatment in hospitals or specialized clinics.
Photo: CNA
Shih said the plan for home hemodialysis coupled with telemedicine services had been approved in a recent NHI global budget meeting.
The plan would be further discussed in a Pharmaceutical Benefit and Reimbursement Scheme Joint Committee meeting later this month, and if approved, could take effect from May 1, he said.
Once enacted, hospitals and clinics would be required to submit plans to provide home hemodialysis and telemedicine services, he added.
The NHI has budgeted about NT$47.37 billion (US$1.44 billion) for dialysis this year, which would include home hemodialysis, as the treatment would not change, it would just be offered in a different location, Shih said.
Whether people on dialysis should purchase or rent equipment for the treatment would be further discussed, he added.
“The electricity used to power a four-hour hemodialysis at a specialized dialysis clinic can power a Tesla vehicle’s drive from Taipei to Kaohsiung,” said Taiwan Society of Nephrology secretary-general Hsu Yung-ho (許永和), who is also deputy superintendent of Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital.
Taiwan has abundant medical resources, and some people can receive peritoneal dialysis at home, but only 7 to 8 percent of them do, while more than 90 percent receive hemodialysis at a hospital or clinic, Hsu said, adding that with the development of smart medicine, the safety and feasibility of home hemodialysis would increase.
Limited by hospital or clinic scheduling, people can only receive hemodialysis up to three times per week and for four hours per session, but home hemodialysis offers more flexibility, enabling people to extend each session to six to eight hours, or reduce them to two to three hours per day, which studies have suggested is a better method for maintaining kidney function, he said.
In comparison with peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis is more difficult to perform, so a medical team would first visit the person’s home to inspect the environment and instruct them on how to use the equipment, and later assist them through videoconferencing.
About half of the healthcare facilities that provide hemodialysis have the infrastructure for telemedicine services, while hospitals affiliated with Taipei Medical University use smart medicine technology to allow real-time monitoring of health data.
The system signals a warning when it detects abnormal readings, and can also use artificial intelligence to predict a person’s risk of low blood pressure, and remind them to adjust their treatment regimen or seek emergency aid at a hospital.
The real challenge in implementing the plan is changing people’s concept about healthcare, Hsu said.
Home hemodialysis can reduce the inconvenience of having to visit hospitals several times a week, while improving the efficiency of healthcare resources, but equipment costs remain a problem, which makes home treatment more suitable for people whose condition is stable and have the resources to afford the treatment, he said.
CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) yesterday released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of Taiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures. The footage shows the vessel’s first dive, steering and control system tests, and the raising and lowering of the periscope and antenna masts. It offered a rare look at the progress in the submarine’s sea acceptance tests. The Hai Kun carried out its first shallow-water diving trial late last month and has since completed four submerged tests, CSBC said. The newly released video compiles images recorded from Jan. 29 to
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could
RESTRAINTS: Should China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, China would be excluded from major financial institutions, the bill says The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which states that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude Beijing from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China must be prepared
Taiwanese trade negotiators told Washington that Taipei would not relocate 40 percent of its semiconductor production to the US, and that its most advanced technologies would remain in the nation, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said on Sunday. “I told the US side very clearly — that’s impossible,” Cheng, who led the negotiation team, said in an interview that aired on Sunday night on Chinese Television System. Cheng was referring to remarks last month by US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, in which he said his goal was to bring 40 percent of Taiwan’s chip supply chain to the US Taiwan’s almost
RSS