General practitioners, or GPs, are currently in discussion with the ministry to formulate a system to charge according to the severity of the cases and time spent with the patient, The Star reported today.
“GPs would adopt a system that ensures fair, transparent and standardised charges with better care and taking into account patient safety.
“In this way, simple, moderate and complex cases, would have different rates, respectively,” health ministry deputy director-general Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai told Sunday Star.
He added that the bundling of consultation, diagnosis and treatment, would help reduce the overall medical costs.
A proposal by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) had called for common ailments to be packaged into bundles to simplify procedures and contain costs.
“We are also working with Third Party Administrators and insurance companies to standardise fees and drug prices,” MMA president Dr John Chew, was quoted as saying by the daily.
Meanwhile, an association representing private medical practitioners said they have carried out simulation in bundling consultation, diagnosis and treatment, and found that costs could be lowered.
“A recent bundling simulation exercise for over 130 common cases seen in GP clinics had resulted in lower overall costs for nearly 80% of patient visits.
“If more diseases were managed at the primary care level, healthcare costs and insurance premiums would be low because it would prevent unnecessary hospital visits,” the Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia (MPCAM) vice-president Dr Raj Kumar Maharajah was quoted as saying by The Star.
The move follows a revelation by Dr Jeyaindran last month that the health ministry had implemented new guidelines on appropriate test and investigation bundles for the “Top 10” causes of patients being admitted to public hospitals to keep costs down.