Reimbursement and Market Access for Medical Devices in China

Obtaining a high device reimbursement price from the National Health Security Administration, the National Health Commission, and the pricing departments of the National Development and Reform Commission.

To learn more about China medical device reimbursement, please contact us.

Policies for China medical device reimbursement are mainly controlled by the Chinese national and provincial governments. The majority of medical institutions are controlled by the State. There are a number of key Chinese government agencies in the reimbursement process including the – National Health Security Administration (NHSA), the National Health Commission (NHC), the pricing departments of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and most importantly their counterparts at the provincial and municipal levels.

The medical service catalog includes the diagnosis and treatment service items where the pricing department has set the charging standards for medical insurance – which is the basis for medical institutions to provide healthcare products and services.

The process to get a new charge code for a new medical device is long and complicated.  Steps include having a specialist at a hospital make their case for the new product to the institution’s price management committee. If this passes, then the institution will make its case to the medical insurance bureau of the province or city.  Then if approved, the device will be utilized locally for 1-2 years without reimbursement to determine its performance.  If the product proves to be valuable, then again the case will be brought up to the appropriate local insurance authorities for final reimbursement determination.

Since the demand for healthcare in China has grown tremendously over the last 10 years, the Chinese government has recently tried to reduce reimbursements and encourage citizens that can afford it,  to buy private or commercial insurance too.  The Chinese government’s use of Diagnosis-related Groups (DRGs) and Diagnostic Intervention Packets (DIPs)  has also reduced device pricing.  In addition, tenders and Volume Based Procurement (VBP) have also led to reduced medical device reimbursement in China.

To learn more about China medical device reimbursement, please contact us.

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