Government to Standardize Medical Fees
Thursday, 14 December, 2006 | 15:23 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Batam: The Health Department will apply standards for medical treatment fees, known as the case mix method and this will be implemented in all state hospitals in Indonesia.

“The method can be applied by July of next year,” said Director General of Medical Treatment Development Farid W. Husein in a National Health Working Meeting yesterday (12/13) in Batam.

The case mix method is a standardization of medical financing in hospitals.

Patients’ diseases are put into categories and each category will have equal treatment so that cost calculations can be standardized.

However, the fee does not include room facility rates.
“Air conditioned rooms have a different rate to non-air conditioned ones,” said Farid.

The Department of Health has succeeded in diagnosing and standardizing operational treatments for more than 40 thousand diseases.

The case mix method will be tested at 15 state hospitals, including: Dr Soetomo (Surabaya), Dr Karyadi (Semarang), Cipto Mangunkusumo (Jakarta), Hasan Sadikin (Bandung) Harapan Kita (Jakarta).

The case mix system will be under preparation for a year.

During this preparation period, model hospitals will record and provide input to the Department of Health concerning the amount of medical treatment fees as well as the prices of medicines.

From this data, the Department of Health will set cost standards later.

According to Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari, the case mix system will later be applied in all regions of Indonesia, especially regional hospitals.

“If fees are standardized, insurance companies will all get involved,” said Siti Fadilah.

This medical system has been applied in neighboring countries such as Australia and Malaysia and has shown many benefits as a result.

ERWIN DARIYANTO | IMRON ROSYID (SOLO)