In response to the challenges of an aging society and the concern of families having to constantly rush to care for hospitalized loved ones, the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) has introduced a new guideline and pricing policy for nursing services. This initiative aims to standardize nursing service pricing across provinces while also establishing a new “Care Without Accompaniment” service to meet diverse patient needs.
The NHSA’s new framework categorizes nursing services into three main types: graded nursing, specialized nursing, and designated nursing, which are consolidated into 22 pricing items. Graded nursing is tailored based on the patient’s condition—ranging from critical to stable—and their ability to care for themselves, with service levels classified as special, Level I, Level II, and Level III.
In addition to standardizing nursing pricing, the NHSA has launched the “Care Without Accompaniment” service. This service provides continuous, 24-hour care by trained medical staff in the hospital, alleviating the need for family members to stay by the patient’s side. By having dedicated nursing professionals, the quality of patient care is enhanced while simultaneously relieving the burden on families.
Currently, this service is available only for patients receiving special or Level I nursing care, and it does not yet fall under healthcare insurance coverage. How will these services be priced? The NHSA plans to implement government-guided pricing for “Care Without Accompaniment,” with each province expected to adhere to the new guidelines by the end of 2024, ensuring clear pricing structures in pilot areas.
While the announcement did not specify exact pricing, previous pilot programs offer valuable insights. For instance, in Anji, Zhejiang, the rates for the no-accompaniment nursing service are set at three different levels: one-on-one service at 160 yuan per day, one-on-two at 120 yuan, and one-on-three at 100 yuan. Comparatively, this is a few dozen yuan less than hiring personal caregivers, offering significant savings.
A recent case involved an 89-year-old patient named Wan Ronghua, who had rehabilitation treatment in the hospital following a stroke. With family members working in different cities, he benefited from the “no-accompaniment” care service.
To ensure the quality of care provided by staff, enhancing training and education for caregivers is critical. The NHSA emphasizes that healthcare facilities must actively focus on improving caregiver skills.
For example, at a senior rehabilitation facility in Henan, trained health caregivers like Liu Chi provide essential services to elderly patients, demonstrating both attentiveness in care and a solid understanding of basic medical knowledge.
Alongside skill development, rigorous evaluation of caregivers’ performance is essential. In Fujian province, caregivers are subject to assessments from multiple stakeholders including patients’ families, hospitals, and employers, with regular scoring conducted daily, weekly, and monthly.
Professor Wang Yue from Peking University suggests that there should be clear standards and training criteria in place, along with evaluation metrics that involve patients’ families in assessing caregivers’ performance.
Furthermore, experts advocate for translating the benefits of adjusted nursing pricing into better salaries for nurses, which could attract and retain more professionals in the field. Zhang Shenghe from the Chinese Society of Social Security states that it’s crucial that the financial improvements in nursing service pricing ultimately enhance the appeal of the nursing profession, helping to bolster the workforce and address critical supply gaps effectively.
