By love-89.com At a press conference on September 10, Deputy Director Li Tao of the National Medical Insurance Administration provided some significant updates on China’s nationwide medical insurance system. He emphasized that the implementation of a unified medical insurance information platform has greatly streamlined the billing process. Currently, this platform processes over 28 million transactions each day, boasting an impressive average response time of just 0.8 seconds for inpatient billing. This advancement has notably reduced wait times for patients in hospitals.
Li pointed out that the adoption of medical insurance codes has become widespread, with around 1.17 billion users activating their codes nationwide. This transition marks the beginning of a “code era” in medical insurance services, enabling individuals to leave behind physical cards. Instead, they can use smartphones or other electronic devices to activate their codes for accessing medical services and reimbursements.
Moreover, the unified platform has optimized service delivery significantly. Continuous enhancements have been made to both the medical insurance service portal and the app, including the introduction of family accounts, which act as “medical service points at home” and “medical service offices in your pocket.” Currently, there are over 400 million users registered on the service portal and app, with more than 158 million utilizing family accounts. This development has markedly increased the efficiency of handling medical insurance transactions. The platform also supports cross-province services, allowing for online record-keeping and direct billing for patients seeking care outside their home provinces. Other services, such as updates and inquiries, can easily be managed across regions.
Li emphasized that the unified platform boosts the reliability of medical insurance coverage, standardizing policies across different regions while addressing various local billing needs. The system incorporates intelligent fund audits and leverages big data for monitoring and analysis, which helps swiftly identify irregularities and combat fraud. Additionally, it promotes standardized coding for drugs and medical consumables, ensuring that billing and procurement processes are transparent and interconnected across the country.
Furthermore, Li remarked that the unified platform is enhancing connections with the public. The initiative aims to digitize the entire medical insurance process, transforming “patients running errands” into “data on the move.” This effort has improved the accessibility of online services, with the goal of creating a “15-minute medical service circle.” High-frequency services, such as insurance inquiries and cross-province medical records, will soon be available at local townships, streets, villages, and communities, making it easier for residents to access services close to home.