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Elizabeth Cheung

Private hospitals in Hong Kong may be required to provide price estimates to patients and release information about past fees and charges under the government’s proposals to increase transparency in the sector.
The Health Bureau said on Wednesday that residents needed clarity on charges in the private healthcare system.
“Price transparency is crucial for the public in determining whether to choose private medical services,” the bureau said in a paper submitted to the Legislative Council.
“If it is not handled well, Hong Kong’s medical system will fall into a vicious cycle.”
The bureau said unclear pricing made residents hesitant to use the private sector, which put further pressure on the public system.
The consequences could be detrimental to the quality and efficiency of the healthcare system, the bureau added.
Under the proposals presented to the legislature, private healthcare facilities – hospitals, day procedure centres and clinics – would be required to release pricing information on their services in a format specified by authorities.
Fee tables would need to list out fixed prices, such as HK$300 for each outpatient visit, or provide a price range for certain services.
For bespoke services that do not have a fixed price, such as orthodontic treatments, the tables should also remind patients that they can be given a quotation.
The charges document should also clearly list out any discrepancies in fees across different wards and give explanations.


Two other proposals targeted private hospitals, which would be required to provide written price estimates to patients or their family members. The hospitals would also need to release information about past fees for procedures.
Price estimates would also need to include information such as initial diagnosis, treatments needed, the expected length of hospitalisation and other predicted medical charges.
The bureau said the estimates form should also provide expected costs for different scenarios if necessary, such as the potential need for intensive care after surgery.
Private hospitals could be exempted from providing the price estimates if a patient had to be admitted within 12 hours of making a reservation.
“Private hospitals should prioritise saving patients and [the service] should not be delayed due to preparation of estimates,” the bureau said.
If actual charges were significantly higher than the estimates, such as 20 per cent more, the healthcare institutions must also provide written explanations to the patient or the family members.
Private hospitals would also need to report data for specific treatments and procedures in the previous year to the Department of Health and display the information on their websites.
The proposal also said hospitals should also reveal information such as the total number of people discharged and the average length of stays.
Authorities suggested imposing such a requirement on private hospitals first and later exploring the possibility of extending it to smaller facilities such as day procedure centres and clinics.
Private facilities violating the measures could be subject to penalty but not imprisonment under the proposals.
The government said it would start meeting different stakeholders from next month and planned to submit a bill next year.
Authorities also proposed three long-term measures to help improve transparency in the private healthcare system.

One proposal was to consolidate and share data, following practices seen in some other jurisdictions.
The bureau said such efforts could help the public choose suitable providers and raise the competitiveness of the sector. Authorities also suggested forming a working group to look into options to collect and share the data.
The government proposed introducing standard charges for items and monitoring the prescription and markup prices of drugs, as well as bringing in clinical protocols for the wider healthcare sector and the public to take reference from.
The Institute for Medical Advancement and Clinical Excellence, which consists of seven major healthcare institutions, was officially formed this month. It has been tasked with developing protocols and service standards for both the public and private sectors.
Patients’ rights advocate Tim Pang Hung-cheong of the Society for Community Organisation said the suggested changes would allow patients to get mentally prepared for their medical costs and offer them a higher level of protection.
He said doctors and hospitals were currently not required to provide any explanation if the final bill was more expensive than the estimates, making it difficult for patients to report their cases to the Committee on Complaints against Private Healthcare Facilities.
“But there should also be an explanation if the charges are 10 per cent higher than the estimates,” he said.
Pang noted that there should be certain requirements for drafting the explanations.
“The estimate is set to provide patients with a clearer expectation. Sometimes, even exceeding the budget by 10 per cent can represent a significant amount.”
He said that under the proposed measures, only registered private healthcare facilities of a certain size would be required to disclose pricing information.
Pang suggested authorities also include smaller clinics.
Additional reporting by Sammy Heung


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Government says residents need clarity on fees in private sector, otherwise healthcare system will ‘fall into a vicious cycle’


Government says residents need clarity on fees in private sector, otherwise healthcare system will ‘fall into a vicious cycle’.


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Hong Kong politics

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Hong Kong may require private hospitals to give price estimates to patients

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Government says residents need clarity on fees in private sector, otherwise healthcare system will ‘fall into a vicious cycle’

Government says residents need clarity on fees in private sector, otherwise healthcare system will ‘fall into a vicious cycle’