Testing costs nearly 30,000 billion VND per year

Testing costs are equivalent to 30,000 billion VND/year. Therefore, connecting test results via electronic medical records helps save hundreds of billions, reduce duplication, and increase treatment efficiency.

On September 29, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management ( Ministry of Health ) held a conference to summarize the Project "Strengthening the capacity of the medical laboratory quality management system for the period 2016 - 2025". At the conference, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management said that the cost of medical testing in Vietnam accounts for nearly 20% of the total cost of medical examination and treatment using health insurance, equivalent to about 30,000 billion VND/year. This figure does not include co-payments from patients and the cost of voluntary service testing.

Standardizing test results for interconnection is a necessary and urgent task, assigned by the Prime Minister to the health sector.

PHOTO: DUY TINH

According to Dr. Ha Anh Duc, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, if only 1-2% of the test results that have been performed are reused, the health system can save 300-600 billion VND/year. This is feasible when hospitals apply electronic medical records and a common code system for testing techniques. Currently, there are nearly 3,000 standardized test codes, helping facilities to connect results and avoid duplicate testing.

However, the application of electronic medical records and the sharing of test results still has many limitations. Specifically, the network of reference laboratories is not fully completed; the autonomy in producing standard samples is still limited; the leaders of some units have not paid due attention to laboratory quality management. Investment resources for quality assurance of laboratories are still limited... In addition, there is not enough updated data from health departments, especially in large localities such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi . The Ministry of Health requires departments to speed up the progress of announcing the quality of laboratories, because only qualified laboratories are allowed to share results.

The synchronous development of electronic medical records and standardization of testing systems is expected to improve treatment efficiency, save costs, reduce inconvenience for patients and reduce the burden on medical facilities in the coming time.

According to Decision 316 dated February 27, 2016 of the Prime Minister approving the project "Strengthening the capacity of the medical laboratory quality management system for the period 2016 - 2025", by the end of 2025, test results must be connected nationwide.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chi-phi-xet-nghiem-tieu-ton-gan-30000-ti-dong-moi-nam-185250929180129783.htm