Out-of-town healthcare reimbursement facilitated in Shandong

Insured individuals have their out-of-town healthcare expenses conveniently settled in Dong'e county. [Photo by Hou Changming/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Dong'e county in Liaocheng, Shandong province is advancing reforms to the settlement of medical insurance for out-of-town healthcare, bringing convenience to insured individuals.

For example, a 60-year-old woman surnamed Li from Zhejiang province, said that she is happy to be able to receive reimbursements directly in Dong'e, instead of having to return to her home province.

Dong'e county has been striving to create a high-quality platform through which out-of-town healthcare services can better serve insured individuals with difficulties, aiming to reduce reimbursement times, ease financial pressures, and reduce the hassle of traveling back and forth.

Dong'e county has also expanded the number of designated medical institutions for out-of-town healthcare. The county now has 19 cross-provincial networked medical institutions for outpatient and chronic disease treatments, with all relevant treatment costs within the county being settled directly across provinces. In mid-November 2023, the county began focusing on increasing the rate of direct settlement of inpatient expenses across provinces to 92 percent.

Local residents seeking healthcare in other areas have faced the inconvenience of having to provide various documents and undergo complicated registration procedures. To address this, Dong'e county has simplified the process, implementing cross-provincial medical treatment registration without the need for additional documentation, as well as interprovincial registration exemption, and has established multiple online channels, such as a WeChat mini program, to enhance the convenience of out-of-town healthcare.

In addition, Dong'e county has established a dedicated coordination hotline to address practical difficulties encountered by the public, such as the complexity of out-of-town healthcare procedures, during their healthcare processes.

The county has also provided personalized services through methods such as home visits and phone calls, offering one-on-one policy explanations and publicity to alleviate the concerns of people in three specific groups – long-term out-of-town residents, frequent out-of-town healthcare seekers, and those primarily relying on manual reimbursements. (Edited by Yang Yi)