Hi all,
The letter below was published in the Forum page of the Straits Times (23.11.2018)
Dear Editor,
The recently published fee guidelines for more than 200
common surgical procedures by private surgeons in Singapore could not have come
a day sooner (Opting for private surgeon? See fee guidelines; Nov 14).
Many, even specialists in the private sector, have felt that
recent price trends have not been sustainable and that Singapore is beginning
to lose its competitive edge in this area to neighbouring countries.
Whether regional patients return to our shores in
substantial numbers remains to be seen, but the latest move can only be good if
we are serious about Singapore being a centre of medical excellence - a mantra
seldom mentioned nowadays.
However, the surgeon's fee is but only a portion of the
patient's total hospital bill. How does knowing only this portion allow for
realistic financial planning for any patient coming into our private hospitals?
Why leave this task half done? Surely private hospitals have
a critical role to play in this journey towards an excellent yet sustainable
Singapore healthcare.
To this end, I propose the following:
For the most common surgical procedures - for example, the
top 10 procedures of each speciality - the Health Ministry should require all
major private hospitals to have all-encompassing fixed-fee packages.
This will introduce real competition and offer real choices
for patients and payers (employers and insurers).
With the surgeon's fee kept at reasonable levels by the
recent fee benchmarks and the hospitals' fixed-fee packages, patients and their
families can be confident of avoiding shocks on the day of discharge, barring
unexpected complications or transfers to intensive care units.
Other components of the total fee - for instance, an
anaesthetist's fee - are usually predictable as a percentage of the surgical
fees.
Only if this is achieved and uncertainty alleviated will
Singapore's private healthcare truly be able to enlarge the pie and be ready to
compete with our fast-improving regional competitors.
We may just be able to make it, but time is of the essence.
Huang Shoou Chyuan (Dr)
