The Ministry of Health has just issued Decision No. 697/QD-BYT on the sample list of medical examination and treatment costs, which supplements many new regulations related to health insurance (HI) participants, in order to increase transparency and ensure patients' rights.
According to regulations, in each medical examination and treatment session, the medical facility must prepare 2 cost statements for each patient. One copy is stored with the medical record, and the other copy is provided directly to the patient for monitoring.
Notably, for facilities that have implemented electronic medical records, cost statements will be made in electronic form and sent to patients through digital means, without needing paper copies. Electronic statements with valid digital signatures will have legal value equivalent to paper copies. In case the paper statement is digitized (scanned) and authenticated digitally, it is also accepted to replace it.
The decision also clearly states that medical facilities are only allowed to list the actual incurred costs, and must maintain the order of items according to the prescribed form, avoiding the situation of unclear records or causing confusion for patients.
For health insurance participants, administrative information will be directly consulted from the Vietnam Social Security system at the time of receiving the patient. In case of information changes during treatment, the medical examination and treatment facility must update it promptly according to new data.
For health insurance card codes, if the system displays multiple codes, medical facilities must choose codes with the most suitable expiration date for the time of medical examination, in order to ensure maximum benefits for patients.
In addition, the Ministry of Health requests medical examination and treatment facilities to urgently upgrade management software, complete the preparation and provision of cost statements according to new regulations, no later than July 1, 2026.
