The NHIA stated that the Integrated Outpatient Healthcare Plan has been implemented with the goal of integrating the treatments and prescriptions from different specialists for multiple-chronic disease patients Comprehensive care is going to provide in order to heighten the quality of care, by reducing visits to different specialists, repeated medications, tests and examinations, while also reducing medical costs. Under a doctor evaluation, if the patient has 3 (inclusive) or more concurrent chronic diseases in the past 3 months, or the number of consecutive prescription drugs reaches 10 (inclusive) or more, this patient is eligible for the plan. With the patient's consent, the patient can have medical care from multiple departments all at the same time in the integrated outpatient clinic of the hospital. This saves patients from rushing between specialists and improves medication safety. Currently 23 hospitals have set up integrated outpatient clinics throughout Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan. In just the past three years, more than 5,000 cases have been received. Once a case accepted, the number of medical visits, number of drugs used, and number of hospitalizations per person have declined, which shows the necessity of implementing the plan.

      As Taiwan steadily becomes a super-aged society, the number of elderly people with multiple chronic diseases is also increasing apace. If the public can make good use of the integrated healthcare resources provided by hospitals, the quality of health care and medication safety can both be enhanced. To learn more about which hospitals in your county or city provide these integrated outpatient services, please visit the NHIA website (Chinese). You may ask your doctor for consultations if there are the integrated outpatient services at your hospital.