What is payment of COVID-19 examination and treatment costs to COVID-19 patients for medical centers for COVID-19 patient admission and therapy in Vietnam?

What is payment of COVID-19 examination and treatment costs to COVID-19 patients for medical centers for COVID-19 patient admission and therapy in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Clause 1, Article 7 of Decree 29/2022/ND-CP stipulating non-business agencies and units managing cadres, civil servants, public employees, and employees are responsible for paying the following expenses:

1. For medical centers for COVID-19 patient admission and therapy, except those referred to in clause 4 of this Article:

a) The state budget payments of COVID-19 examination and treatment costs, including:

- Medical examination, bed and technical service costs. Such payments thereof shall be made according to the actual volumes of medical services and health insurance-covered medical costs;

- Costs of drugs, medical chemicals, supplies, blood or intravenous fluids that have not yet been included in costs of medical examination and treatment services, or have already been used in medical techniques of which prices have not been announced yet. Such payments thereof shall be made according to the actual quantities and the purchase prices subject to law on procurement;

- Costs of medicines, medical chemicals, supplies, blood and intravenous fluids that fall outside of the health insurance coverage. Such payments thereof shall be made according to the actual quantities and the purchase prices subject to law on procurement;

- Costs of technical services falling outside of the health insurance coverage. Such payments thereof shall be made according to the actual volumes of medical services used and medical service prices of which approval is granted by competent authorities to these centers or of host hospitals.

b) For costs incurred from testing for and curing other medical conditions arising during the COVID-19 therapy, health insurance plans shall cover these medical costs according to the insurance coverage and coverage rates in the same manner as costs of in-network medical services. COVID-19 patients holding health insurance cards shall be liable for copays and expenses falling outside of the insurance coverage (if any) in accordance with law on health insurance;

c) Where medical centers for COVID-19 patient admission and therapy fail to separate COVID-19 medical costs from costs of examination and treatment of other medical conditions in order for them to be reimbursed by using different funding sources; or fail to recover medical costs that patients have to pay according to regulatory requirements due to one of the force majeure causes stated in clause 5 of this Article, they shall be entitled to the state budget’s reimbursement determined according to the actual volume of medical services used and the prices of health insurance-covered medical services.

What is implementation of control of payment and dossiers on control of budgets for reimbursement for anti-COVID-19 costs in Vietnam? 

Pursuant to Clause 4, Article 6 of Decree 29/2022/ND-CP as follows:

4. Control of payment and dossiers on control of budgets for reimbursement for anti-COVID-19 costs shall proceed as follows:

a) For budgets for reimbursement for anti-COVID-19 costs that state-owned medical establishments have paid by using their own funds:

- For medical centers for COVID-19 patient admission and therapy, based on the approved recurrent budget expenditures (including budgets for reimbursement for costs that these centers have paid in advance) of these centers, host hospitals thereof shall be responsible for compiling the chart of regular expenses that these centers have paid for submission to the state treasury of the local jurisdiction where transactions are performed.

The chart must show total sums of regular expenses that medical centers for COVID-19 patient admission and therapy have paid by spending details according to the samples prescribed in Appendix II and III hereto, including: (i) Costs paid by these centers themselves; (ii) Costs covered by health insurance plans, patients' payments or other lawful revenues; (iii) Costs that these centers have paid by revenues generated from their public services; (iv) Costs paid on the state budget’s part (equaling costs that these centers have paid minus costs covered by health insurance plans, patients' payments and other lawful revenues).

Based on the budgets approved by the competent authority (including the budgets for reimbursement), the letters of authorization by competent authorities, and the charts of total recurrent expenses that medical centers for COVID-19 patient admission and therapy have paid, the state treasury where transactions take place shall withdraw the sums specified in the approved budgets and transfer these sums to public service revenue deposit accounts that these centers open at state treasuries. Medical centers for COVID-19 patient admission and therapy and host hospitals thereof shall bear responsibility for the accuracy of sums of anti-COVID-19 expenses; management, utilization and settlement of funds for imbursement in accordance with law.

- For other to-be-reimbursed payees: Based on the tasks assigned by competent authorities, they have the burden of making the comprehensive Chart of anti-COVID-19 expenses that they have already paid under regulations within the state budget spending limits (by spending items) for submission to state treasuries where transactions occur.

Based on the budgets approved by the competent authority (including items of the budgets for reimbursement) and the charts of total anti-COVID-19 expenses that they have paid, the state treasury where transactions take place shall withdraw the sums specified in the approved budgets and transfer these sums to public service revenue deposit accounts that these payees open at state treasuries. These payees shall bear responsibility for the accuracy of sums of anti-COVID-19 expenses shown in the charts of anti-COVID-19 expenses (enclosing relevant decisions and written documents); management, utilization and settlement of funds for imbursement in accordance with law.

b) For budgets for reimbursement for anti-COVID-19 costs that are intended for suppliers of goods and services and eligible beneficiaries:

The state treasury shall take control of reimbursement funds, based on the budgets approved by competent authorities (including items of reimbursement budgets), the letters of authorization issued by competent authorities and dossiers on control of anti-COVID-19 expenses prescribed in Article 7 of the Government's Decree No. 11/2020/ND-CP dated January 20, 2020, regulating state treasury-related administrative procedures (hereinafter referred to as Decree No. 11/2020/ND-CP), and the Circular No. 62/2020/TT-BTC dated June 22, 2020 of the Minister of Finance, providing instructions about control and payment of recurrent state budget expenditures via the state treasury system (hereinafter referred to Circular No. 62/2020/TT-BTC).

Best Regards!