Cabinet approval

Cabinet approves a new regulation that all public and private hospital must provide emergency medical treatments within 72 hours. If the emergency patients are insured under their Road Accident Victims Protection Act or life insurance policy, the hospital can draw money from their insurance policies. Otherwise, the patient can be transferred to the hospital that they registered with for treatment on their own scheme. The announcement will be made on March 31, 2017 to welcome Songkran Festival.

On March 28, 2017, Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, presided the Cabinet meeting. Cabinet has given the seal of approval to the new regulation regulations and protocol for emergency treatment costs as follows;

1.     The approval of criteria, procedures and conditions for determining for emergency treatment costs , in cases, where critically ill patients are entitled to the Road Accident Victims Protection Act or life insurance protection policies, emergency patients will exercise such rights first. All public hospitals must comply with the guidelines. Emergency patients can be transferred after 72 hours to other public hospitals, as proposed by the Ministry of Public Health.

2.     Ministry of Finance, National Health Security Office, Social Security Office, Government sectors and funds that are relevant to the provision of medical or public health services are regulated for all financial transactions accordingly. Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) is the focal point working collaboratively with Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Interior and other relevant agencies are responsible for administration, implementation, and improvement of the requirements, regulations of agencies / funds, especially state enterprises and local government organizations for hospitals to draw money accordance with the rules promptly.

3.     If the rates of expenditures and account is subject to be reviewed under clause 12 of the regulations, MOPH is entitled to submit the matter to the Cabinet for consideration in accordance with Section 36, paragraph 5 of the Sanatorium Act, BE 2541.

4.     Regarding to the proposal for having National Institute for Emergency Medicine comply with the above criteria  for the management of emergency medical operational system as a whole both public and private sectors, it is agreed that the  Public Health Minister shall continue to exercise its authority and implement the matters.

The following are the regulations for determining the cost of emergency treatment cost;

1. The hospital is obliged to provide their best practice according to the professional standards and capabilities under the Sanatorium Act without billing the medical cost to critically ill patients within 72 hours.

The hospital is also required to notify the national health security or social security fund with which the emergency patients have registered with promptly.

2.  The emergency patient’s coordination and rights protection center by         National Institute for Emergency Medicine shall be authorized to rule on any dispute over the diagnosis of emergency screening.

3.Under the regulations, hospitals are obliged to provide intensive treatment to people in a critical condition until they are in stable condition and offer a referral to other hospital as emergency patients or relatives wish.

4. The bills of emergency treatment cost incurred over the period up to 72 hours, the hospital will be paid according to the accounting and book value appendices attached hereto.

 Expenses incurred after 72 hours since the admission, the hospital will charge to the fund of those who are entitled to medical treatment according to the law or relevant agencies

5. National Health Security Office (NHSO) is responsible for verifying the accuracy of all costs and informing the fund of persons entitled to receive medical treatment according to the law or relevant agencies within 30 days from the date receiving all documents.

Then, the relevant fund to those who are entitled to medical treatment by law or by the relevant authorities has to pay the fee at the rate specified in the attached account to the hospital within 15 days after the NHSO provides a verification and fee amount.

6. Define cost criteria that the hospital will receive in case of emergency referral from one hospital to another after the patient is admitted to the first clinic before 72 hours ends.

7. Emergency patients are required to be responsible for medical expenses incurred in case a referral can be initiated, but refusal to move.

8. In case of necessity, Minister of Public Health is authorized with the approval of the hospital board to carry out a review of the accounting and book value appendices attached hereto, methods and conditions within 3 years or as the Board of the sanatorium agree to take it into consideration for the benefits that emergency patients shall receive

The accounts and rates attached to the rules are divided into 12 categories.