To improve the accessibility of health care and shorten the gap between rural and urban areas through digital technology, the NHIA held the first Virtual NHI Card Local Training in Danaiku, Alishan Township, Chiayi County on July 4. Local medical organizations are invited to share the medical care procedures and their thoughts on the use of virtual NHI cards in home health care, telemedicine, and video consultations.
Because of the pandemic, many people have already downloaded the NHI APP. They have applied for the virtual NHI card and took video consultations. People can make appointments, see a doctor, undergo checkups, and receive medications by simply presenting their virtual NHI card QR code. They do not need to worry about the card not working or forgetting to bring the physical card. As of July 1, 2022, a total of 273,787 people has registered the virtual NHI card while 607 contracted medical institutions provide virtual NHI card services.
This year, the NHIA aims to encourage people to use the virtual NHI cards when taking home health care and telemedicine. The NHIA also provides incentives to encourage medical institutions to provide virtual NHI card services.
Furthermore, when medical teams travel to rural areas to provide home health care, they have to bring computers, card readers, and many types of medical equipment and supplies, which increases the burden for the teams. The “Lightweight Home-healthcare Bluetooth App,” developed by NHIA, was also demonstrated by the medical institutions in the training, with which medical teams only need to carry a tablet or phone instead of a computer and a card reader. Medical teams scan a virtual NHI card to conduct home health care to use the NHI MediCloud to view the patient’s medical records, which provides the information necessary for diagnosis and medication safety.
The NHIA will hold 16 virtual NHI card local trainings this year. Together with the application of My Health Bank and by connecting rural towns through video chat, the usage rate of the virtual NHI card among the rural residents can be increased, conveying NHIA’s determination in improving healthcare quality for people in remote areas.