Recently, the General Office of the National Development and Reform Commission has issued the Circular on Implementing and Promoting the Opinions on Medical Service Pricing Reform (the "Circular").
The Circular proposes various measures from 10 perspectives, such as learning from the experience gained in the medicine pricing reform of public hospitals at county level, establishing the mechanism of reform contract exemplary base, and maximizing the role of information technologies especially the big data. According to the Circular, places where such reform has been carried out in advance shall reduce the price of examinations and treatments provided through large medical equipment gradually, regulate the diagnosis and treatments, and reduce the price of medicine and consumable items; other places where such reform has not been implemented yet shall implement the policy of stopping the addition of extra prices to medicines more rapidly, and adjust the price of medical services. The Circular also stipulates that it is necessary to enhance the internal management of medical institutions and industrial supervision and promote the information on the price of medical services accessible to the public.