Hong Kong private healthcare providers face new rules to make fees more transparent
Private healthcare providers in Hong Kong will have to make their charges more transparent under government measures to be introduced from August next year at the earliest, including requirements to publish bilingual fee schedules and annual billing statistics. The Health Bureau set out details of the proposed requirements for private hospitals and clinics in a document submitted to the…
Starting from August next year, Hong Kong's private healthcare providers must make their charges more transparent. The Health Bureau outlined the proposed measures to the Legislative Council, including the need for bilingual fee schedules and annual billing statistics. These rules will apply to private hospitals, day procedure centers, and clinics, with the implementation happening in phases beginning from the second half of the year.
The fee schedules must detail all chargeable items and services, providing either fixed prices or price ranges for each item, grouped into 15 categories for hospitals and 14 for day procedure centers and clinics. All facilities must display fee schedules in both Chinese and English at counters and on websites, making revisions known at least seven days prior.
Private hospitals must also give patients budget estimates before admission, explaining any estimates exceeding 20 percent of the final bill. Annual fee and charge statistics must be published on hospitals' websites and submitted to the government by March 31 each year, audited by a certified public accountant.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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