Health Commission’s reply: Medical insurance policy favors rehabilitation treatment! Is rehabilitation medicine adjusted to a first-level discipline?
Recently, the National Health Commission, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the National Health Insurance Administration, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, gave relevant responses to Recommendation No. 6016 of the Third Session of the 13th National People’s Congress – on attaching importance to the organic integration of the three-level rehabilitation system and promoting the accelerated development of China’s rehabilitation industry.
1. Regarding adjusting rehabilitation medicine to a first-level discipline and strengthening the role of the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine in rehabilitation medicine.
The Ministry of Education strongly supports the discipline construction and talent training of rehabilitation medicine
According to the “Measures for the Establishment and Management of the Catalog of Degree Awarding and Talent Nurturing Subjects”, qualified degree-granting units can independently set up secondary disciplines related to rehabilitation medicine under first-level disciplines such as clinical medicine according to their own development and social needs. At present, 34 universities including Peking University and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine have independently set up secondary and interdisciplinary disciplines such as “Rehabilitation Therapy”, “Exercise Rehabilitation” and “Traditional Chinese Medicine Rehabilitation” to carry out postgraduate training. The Ministry of Education will continue to support colleges and universities to independently set up secondary disciplines and interdisciplinary disciplines related to rehabilitation medicine under first-level disciplines such as clinical medicine, and continue to strengthen the training of high-level talents in rehabilitation medicine.
Promote the development of rehabilitation medicine integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation has always been an important part of rehabilitation medicine. Since the introduction of Western rehabilitation medicine into China in the 1980s, the two types of rehabilitation medicine have been learning from each other, blending with each other, and promoting each other. Both types of rehabilitation medicine are providing integrated rehabilitation medical services for the majority of rehabilitation patients. This year, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued important instructions on the development of traditional Chinese medicine. In the future, our committee will further promote the development of rehabilitation medicine integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine in accordance with the spirit of the General Secretary’s instructions and instructions, so as to better provide integrated rehabilitation medical services to the people.
2. Strengthen multi-department cooperation and integrate rehabilitation medical resources.
In recent years, the National Health Commission has worked with relevant departments to further improve the rehabilitation medical service system, improve rehabilitation medical service capabilities, promote the development of rehabilitation medical care, and promote the construction of a healthy China.
Promote the construction of rehabilitation service system
The health and traditional Chinese medicine departments continue to promote the construction of the rehabilitation medical system, formulate standards for rehabilitation hospitals, rehabilitation medicine departments of general hospitals, rehabilitation departments of traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, and standards related to rehabilitation medical services to standardize development.
The civil affairs department strengthens the rehabilitation service functions of elderly care institutions and provides the elderly with richer life care, rehabilitation care, spiritual comfort and other services.
The Disabled Persons’ Federation continues to develop rehabilitation institutions for disabled people, which have now grown to 9,775, providing rehabilitation services for disabled people.
Provide various forms of rehabilitation services
The health department relies on various types of rehabilitation medical institutions at all levels to provide rehabilitation medical services to disabled patients;
The China Disabled Persons’ Federation focuses on strengthening the rehabilitation assistance for disabled children, and promotes hearing and language rehabilitation and precision rehabilitation for disabled people;
The Ministry of Civil Affairs implements the promotion of the application of rehabilitation assistive devices.
In the next step, in response to the rehabilitation needs of disabled people under the new situation, with the continuous organization and promotion of the State Council Disabled Persons Committee, the rehabilitation work of disabled people will be promoted to be more standardized and comprehensive.
3. Regarding strengthening the integrated development of the three-level rehabilitation system
Build a medical service system that combines “prevention, treatment and rehabilitation”
In August 2011, the Ministry of Health launched a pilot project to establish and improve the rehabilitation medical service system in 46 cities in 14 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities). The main purpose is to clarify the functional positioning of various types of rehabilitation medical institutions at all levels, improve the rehabilitation medical service system, improve the professional service capabilities of rehabilitation medicine while macro-adjusting medical and health service resources, establish a smooth two-way referral system, gradually build a medical service system that combines “prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation”, continuously improve the capabilities and levels of rehabilitation medical services, and lay the foundation for comprehensively promoting the rehabilitation medical service system.
Promote the advancement of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment
In the process of promoting the construction of medical consortia, rehabilitation medicine has always been regarded as an important content. In the process of promoting the work of urban medical groups and county medical communities, the characteristics of rehabilitation medicine should be given full play to promote the classification and referral of different stages of diseases among different types of medical institutions, and promote the advancement of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment.
In the next step, our committee will work with many departments to further play the role of rehabilitation medicine in hierarchical diagnosis and treatment services, promote a staged rehabilitation service system, use hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, and two-way referral to promote the construction of rehabilitation medical service systems and networks, and at the same time continue to strengthen the rehabilitation medical service capabilities of grassroots medical institutions.
4. Regarding carrying out job transfer training for rehabilitation physicians and accelerating the training of rehabilitation medicine professionals.
Pay attention to the training of rehabilitation professional and technical personnel
Deepen the reform of medical education and include the strengthening of rehabilitation and other types of talents that meet the needs of the development of the health service industry in the “13th Five-Year Plan” National Training Plan for Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Family Planning. Standardized training for residents has been implemented, and a total of 1,996 residents in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine have been recruited.
Incorporate “building a rehabilitation university” into the national “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” and incorporate it into the overall national development situation. It is proposed to build a rehabilitation university into a new high-level university that integrates teaching, scientific research and medical services, and combines prevention and treatment.
In addition, during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, the China Disabled Persons’ Federation issued the “Implementation Plan for Real-name Training for Rehabilitation Professionals in the National Disabled Persons’ Federation System” and held real-name training courses for five consecutive years, with more than 15,000 people trained, further improving the overall quality and professional service level of the rehabilitation talent team of the National Disabled Persons’ Federation system.
Promote job transfer training for rehabilitation physicians.
In the next step, our committee will continue to increase the training of rehabilitation medical talents, and strengthen the training of rehabilitation knowledge based on clinical needs and personal needs. Promote job transfer training for rehabilitation physicians. The China Disabled Persons’ Federation will work with all parties to accelerate the construction of rehabilitation universities and vigorously strengthen the training of high-end professional talents such as leaders and subject leaders in the rehabilitation profession that are research-based and application-oriented. At the same time, we will further improve the service capabilities and levels of rehabilitation professionals by carrying out standardized training for professional and technical personnel in the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.
5. Medical insurance policies are tilted towards rehabilitation treatment, and policy guidance and economic support for rehabilitation medicine are increased.
Improve the overall protection level of insured persons
In recent years, the state has accelerated the construction of the basic medical insurance system and steadily improved the overall protection level of all insured persons, including persons with disabilities.
A number of rehabilitation treatment projects are included in the scope of medical insurance payment
In 2016, our committee, together with relevant departments, issued the “Notice on Including Some New Medical Rehabilitation Projects into the Payment Scope of Basic Medical Insurance”. Based on the original 9 rehabilitation projects, 20 medical rehabilitation projects such as comprehensive rehabilitation assessment were included in the payment scope of basic medical insurance, and stipulated that the limited payment scope could be adjusted.
This further reduces the medical burden on insured persons, including persons with disabilities.
In the next step, we will actively cooperate with relevant departments to jointly standardize the management of diagnosis and treatment projects, and further clarify and standardize the payment scope of basic medical insurance diagnosis and treatment projects, especially rehabilitation medical projects.
6. Regarding raising public awareness of rehabilitation
Establish “National Disability Prevention Day”, “National Ear Care Day”, “National Eye Care Day” and “World Mental Health Day”, etc., and use holiday publicity nodes to carry out extensive disability prevention publicity and education activities targeting major disability factors such as genetics, disease, environment, and accidental injuries.
A special health section is set up on the “Science Popularization China” platform to conduct comprehensive science popularization of medical and health-related knowledge.
Baidu Encyclopedia has set up the “Science Popularization in China·Science Encyclopedia” column.
National medical societies such as the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine have built teams of scientific communication experts, giving full play to their professional advantages to carry out science education activities related to medical health to the public.
In the next step, our committee will follow the deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, strengthen cooperation with science and technology, education, publicity, culture, press and publication and other relevant departments, make full use of relevant theme days, carry out science popularization activities related to rehabilitation medicine, further strengthen the construction of science communication teams, increase funding investment and policy guidance, develop science and technology volunteers, and expand the team of science popularization personnel.