Overview of the goals and core content of medical reform

The core goal of health care reform is toBuild a fair, efficient and sustainable medical and health system, focusing on solving the problem of "difficulty and expensive medical treatment". The main contents include:Optimize the allocation of medical resources(such as hierarchical diagnosis and treatment),Improve the medical security system(such as the reform of medical insurance payment methods),Improve service quality(such as digital healthcare applications), andReduce drug and consumable costs(such as quantity purchasing). Among them,fairnessandaccessibilityis the main line of reform, andCost controlwithImprove qualityThey are two major supporting points.

Hierarchical diagnosis and treatment: alleviating uneven distribution of resources

Hierarchical diagnosis and treatment are part of the medical reformkey initiatives, aiming to guide patients to seek reasonable medical treatment through mechanisms such as first diagnosis at the grassroots level and two-way referral. For example, our country has promotedFamily doctor contract serviceCovering more than 500 million people (data from the National Health Commission), and strengthening collaboration between secondary hospitals and community medical institutions. This model can effectively divert the pressure from large hospitals and improve primary medical capabilities, but it needs to be solvedInsufficient equipment at the grassroots levelandTalent shortageWaiting for challenges.

Medical insurance payment reform: from “payment by project” to “value-based care”

Medical insurance payment methods have changed from traditionalPay per projectturnDRG/DIP payment(payment based on disease grouping or point value), aiming to curb excessive medical treatment. For example, after 30 cities pilot DIP payment in 2022, the average hospitalization expenses will drop by about 8% (data source: "China Medical Insurance"). The reform also encouragesDirect settlement for medical treatment across provinces and different places, currently covering all coordinated areas across the country, benefiting the floating population.

Digitization and centralized pharmaceutical procurement: technological empowerment and cost control

Digital healthcare passesElectronic medical record exchangeandInternet hospitalTo improve efficiency, platforms such as WeDoctor and Ping An Good Doctor provide online consultation services. pharmaceutical field,National organization of mass procurementNine batches have been launched, and the average price has been reduced by more than 50%. For example, AstraZeneca's gefitinib (targeted drug for lung cancer) has dropped from 2,280 yuan per box to 547 yuan. The following table shows the price comparison of some centralized purchasing drugs:

Summary: Reform results and future directions

Healthcare reform has achievedPhased results, such as the medical insurance coverage rate exceeding 95% and the average life expectancy increasing to 78.2 years (National Bureau of Statistics data in 2023). Need to go further in the futureStrengthen primary care, promoteMedical innovation, and balancePublic welfare and marketizationrelationship. As Academician Zhong Nanshan said: “The core of medical reform is to let the peopleTreat the disease well, afford the disease, treat the disease well. “The coordination of policy and technology will determine the depth of reform.

Quote sources:
1. National Health Commission's "Statistical Bulletin on the Development of my country's Health Careers in 2022"
2. Academician Zhong Nanshan’s public speech “Challenges and Opportunities of China’s Medical Reform” (2023)
3. "China Medical Insurance" magazine "DRG/DIP Payment Reform Pilot Analysis Report"
4. The ninth batch of drug centralized procurement data published by the National Drug Centralized Purchasing Official Website