E-Paper
NHA to set up a uniform standard of care for all under Ayushman Bharat
At least 16,000 hospitals, including about 8,000 private hospitals, are empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme across the country.
To ensure quality and stop overtreatment, the National Health Authority (NHA), tasked with implementing the Narendra Modi government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, is developing a standard treatment protocol for various conditions.
The treatment protocol that is a part of a larger system, including quality, minimum documentation, data sharing, data privacy and security protocol will soon be shared with all empanelled hospitals under the scheme, especially for providing tertiary care.
At least 16,000 hospitals, including about 8,000 private hospitals, are empanelled under the scheme across the country.
“Our aim is to check not just the quality of treatment but also fraud abuse control. World over, there are well-laid rules for treatment by societies of a particular speciality that is being religiously followed. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case in India. It’s mostly a doctor’s call,” said Dinesh Arora, deputy chief executive officer, Ayushman Bharat.
The NHA is in talks with several associations, such as orthopaedic and spine; and along with the department of health research (DHR), it is formulating the protocols.
“Medical audit will also ensure certain minimum documentation is done before a procedure is prescribed to rule out unnecessary procedures. The standardisation will check all of it,” said Arora. “The protocol will become a sort of fulcrum on which most procedures will be based that others can also adopt later.”
The department of health research has received feedback from about 150 hospitals.
“There should be a range for pricing as it depends on the city and type of hospital where a procedure is done. To achieve a standard treatment protocol will be a bit difficult as it depends on doctor to doctor. It could get difficult to achieve consensus,” said DS Rana, chairman, board of management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
