Shenzhen's medical insurance initiative, titled "Breaking Down Barriers in Cross-Regional Medical Services, Energizing Medical Institution Development," has been recognized as an exemplary case for enhancing Shenzhen's business environment in 2023.
In recent years, Shenzhen's medical insurance system has worked tirelessly to meet the high expectations and demands of its residents for cross-regional medical services. Significant strides have been made in optimizing direct settlement processes for cross-regional medical treatments, effectively addressing the challenges and bottlenecks associated with these settlements. This has greatly improved the sense of security, fulfillment, and overall happiness of individuals seeking medical treatment outside the city.
Comprehensively expanding the scope of settlement
Through the concerted efforts of Shenzhen’s medical insurance authorities, direct settlement for hospitalization, general outpatient visits, and outpatient treatment of chronic and special diseases has been successfully implemented nationwide. Systematic efforts have facilitated direct settlement for cross-city medical treatment across hospitals, community health centers, and pharmacies. By the end of December 2023, all hospitals and community health centers in Shenzhen had activated these services, along with 128 pharmacies in the city providing direct settlement for cross-provincial medicine purchases. This initiative has effectively brought "convenient medical insurance services to your doorstep" for insured individuals from other provinces and cities. As of now, the number of institutions offering direct settlement services to cross-regional insured individuals has increased more than sixfold compared to 2021.
Strengthening the reimbursement benefits
Since the implementation of the "Shenzhen Medical Insurance Security Measures," insured individuals in Shenzhen can utilize overall fund reimbursements for general outpatient visits outside the city. In the past four months, 386,000 cross-city outpatient settlement transactions have been recorded, with 63.83 million yuan reimbursed by the city’s medical insurance fund. This has significantly reduced the financial burden on Shenzhen residents seeking medical treatment outside the city. For those residing in other locations for an extended period, upon registration, they can enjoy the same reimbursement benefits as those seeking medical treatment within Shenzhen. However, reimbursement benefits for temporary out-of-city medical treatments are slightly lower than those for in-city treatments.
Continuously optimizing registration services
Temporary out-of-city medical treatments and intra-provincial cross-regional medical treatments have achieved direct settlement without prior registration. A comprehensive range of online channels for cross-regional medical treatment registration has been established, enabling long-term residents in other locations to register through various platforms such as the "Shenzhen Medical Insurance" WeChat official account, and more. The processing time for registration has been shortened to 1-2 working days, with some channels offering instant approval, providing insured individuals with convenient and efficient cross-regional medical treatment services.
Currently, cross-regional medical reimbursement has provided people with greater "medical security" when receiving treatment in unfamiliar places.