A patient referral system between National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital and 300 other hospitals could benefit up to 3,000 patients per week, the hospital said on Thursday.
The system is part of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s policy drive to promote tiered medical services and two-way referrals to create a comprehensive network that collates patient referrals, medical history and other data, and enables information interaction, the hospital said.
The system prioritizes patients and every department is to have an additional two slots available for patient transfers, NTUH deputy superintendent Yu Chung-jen (余忠仁) said.
A special digital platform is to be created for the system that would ensure safe exchange of patient data between hospitals, Yu said.
Referred patients would be granted a longer check-in grace period of 28 days from 14 days, the hospital said, adding that the system could be extended to hospitals in Taoyuan.
NTU hospital would work closely with collaborating clinics to ensure seamless transfers for inpatients and those in the Emergency Medicine Department, Yu said.
The system encourages patients to have one family doctor, and helps them avoid visiting more than two hospitals or three departments for chronic diseases, hospital superintendent Ho Hong-nerng (何弘能) said.
The hospital would provide the public with a roster of physicians who can act as family doctors and hopes to improve patients’ understanding of diseases and their own health, it said.
It also aims to promote public awareness of aging and the inevitability of death, which are becoming more relevant as society ages, the hospital said.
The program is the nation’s first effort to implement tiered medical care and follows 30 years of discussions, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said.
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