Guidelines on the application of service prices for hospital bed days between social insurance agencies and medical examination and treatment facilities in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

Guidelines on the application of service prices for hospital bed days between social insurance agencies and medical examination and treatment facilities in Vietnam from January 1, 2025​

On November 17, 2024, the Minister of Health of Vietnam issued Circular 39/2024/TT-BYT amending Circular 35/2016/TT-BYT regarding the list, proportions, and conditions of payment for medical technical services within the coverage range of health insurance participants.

Guidelines on the application of service prices for hospital bed days between social insurance agencies and medical examination and treatment facilities in Vietnam from January 1, 2025​

The application of service prices for hospital bed days between social insurance agencies and medical examination and treatment facilities in Vietnam from January 1, 2025​ is guided by the Ministry of Health in Article 4c of Circular 35/2016/TT-BYT (supplemented by Circular 39/2024/TT-BYT) as follows:

(1) Pricing for bed-day services in surgery, burn units: applicable for a maximum of 10 days post-surgery, applicable even if the patient is treated at one facility or transferred to other facilities. From the 11th day post-surgery, the internal medical bed-day pricing of the corresponding department is applied.

During the 10-day period post-surgery, if the patient is transferred to another facility, the receiving facility may apply the bed-day pricing for surgery, burn units according to the type of surgery performed on the patient.

The number of days the receiving facility is paid equals 10 days minus the number of days the patient has been treated at the transferring facility. The transferring facility must record the date of surgery on the transfer document.

If post-surgery, the patient needs continued post-operative treatment and simultaneous inpatient treatment in another clinical department, the surgical bed-day pricing is applicable for a maximum of 10 days post-surgery.

(2) Bed-day service pricing is calculated as follows:

- Calculated for 01 person/01 bed;

- In case at the same time 02 people have to share 01 bed, only 1/2 of the corresponding bed-day service price is paid. If sharing with 03 or more people, only 1/3 of the corresponding bed-day service price is paid;

- If a hospital changes its bed capacity according to Clause 3 Article 67 of Decree 96/2023/ND-CP, the additional beds are paid according to the price approved by the competent authority.

(3) ICU bed-day service pricing is applicable in the following cases:

(i) Healthcare facilities with ICU beds in specialized departments: Intensive Care, Toxicology, Intensive Care - Toxicology, Emergency - Intensive Care - Toxicology meeting full operational conditions according to Decision 01/2008/QD-BYT and Circular 03/2023/TT-BYT;

(ii) Specialized departments of healthcare facilities with ICU beds or post-operative beds of special operations meeting facility, equipment, and manpower requirements as prescribed in the Rescue, Intensive Care, and Toxicology regulations issued with Decision 01/2008/QD-BYT and Circular 03/2023/TT-BYT;

(iii) Patients occupying the beds specified in (i) and (ii) with conditions requiring care, treatment, and monitoring under the emergency, intensive care, and toxicology regulations. Other cases are only applicable to the emergency resuscitation bed-day service pricing and other types of beds based on the pricing approved by the competent authority.

(4) For clinical treatment departments with emergency resuscitation beds: apply emergency resuscitation bed-day service pricing at the rate approved by the competent authority.

(5) For a surgery classified differently across specialties (except pediatrics): apply the lowest classified surgical bed-day service pricing.

(6) Surgeries that have not been classified: apply level 4 surgical bed-day service pricing of the corresponding hospital.

(7) For traditional medicine hospitals under the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Public Security: apply the service bed-day price according to the departments with beds approved by the competent authority.

(8) For rehabilitation hospitals, traditional medicine hospitals, except as specified in (7):

- ICU bed-day service price: as stipulated in (3);

- Emergency resuscitation bed-day service price: as stipulated in (4);

- Bed-day service price in oncology and pediatric departments: apply level 1 internal medicine bed-day service price;

- Bed-day service price for treating spinal cord injuries, strokes, traumatic brain injury: apply level 2 internal medicine bed-day service price;

- Bed-day service price in other departments: apply level 3 internal medicine bed-day service price;

(9) For departments without specified bed pricing: apply the lowest internal medicine bed-day price approved by the competent authority for that facility.

(10) For facilities organizing departments in an inter-specialty format: apply internal medicine bed-day service pricing according to the patient's treatment. If treating multiple conditions simultaneously, apply the pricing for the primary treatment department of the patient.

(11) For patients on stretchers, folding beds: apply 50% of the specialized department's bed-day service pricing.

(12) For patients prescribed surgery but not eligible for surgery due to pre-surgery treatment: during treatment, apply internal medicine bed-day service pricing according to the patient's treatment.

(13) Surgical bed-day post “Cataract Surgery using Phaco method”: apply level 3 surgical bed-day service pricing approved by the competent authority.

More details can be found in Circular 39/2024/TT-BYT effective from January 1, 2025.

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