To strengthen the implementation of the Integrated Delivery System (IDS) project, Director General Chung-Liang Shih of the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) visited Kinmen on October 25 and 26 to evaluate the local healthcare landscape and assess community needs. He highlighted that the IDS project, combined with telemedicine, aims to improve access to specialty care services.
Kinmen Hospital serves as a "lighthouse hospital" for the offshore islands, delivering essential healthcare services to the local community. To support its operations, the NHIA has implemented a favorable NT$1 per NHI point exchange rate for emergency care services and provides subsidies based on the overall mean points. Starting in May 2024, payments for inpatient treatments on offshore islands will increase by 30%
To support the government-funded student return-home service policy, the NHIA is adapting programs to meet local needs and enhance community-based services. Aligned with President Lai's vision for a "Healthy Taiwan" and the "Health for All" strategy, the NHIA remains dedicated to improving healthcare quality and accessibility in mountainous regions and offshore islands. Key initiatives include integrating healthcare with long-term care, strengthening home health care, and advancing in-home acute care models.
To reduce the disparity in medical resources between urban and rural areas, the NHIA launched the Kinmen IDS project on March 1, 2000, involving major hospitals on the main island of Taiwan as coordinating partners. Since 2005, Taipei Veterans General Hospital has served as the partner for the Kinmen IDS project. In collaboration with the NHIA and Kinmen County, these hospitals have developed a model to gradually localize healthcare services, including the deployment of specialist doctors to assist with emergency care and outpatient services. Furthermore, the partner hospital regularly dispatches specialists, such as neurologists and cardiologists, to Kinmen to support initiatives like establishing a cardiac catheterization room and delivering healthcare services, including chemotherapy. The implementation of the IDS project marks a significant advancement for patients, as the expansion of Kinmen's healthcare capacity now allows some critically ill patients to receive treatment locally.
The IDS program provides specialists for a total of 76 outpatient and emergency sessions per month, along with the deployment of 94 specialists annually, significantly improving the quality of healthcare services in Kinmen. Furthermore, the NHIA has allocated over NT$30 million for the Kinmen IDS project in 2023, benefiting more than 30,000 patients. Throughout the year, nearly NT$1.4 billion has been invested in local healthcare services, with a public satisfaction rate of 90%.
For "lighthouse" district hospitals that provide timely access to emergency, outpatient, and inpatient services for residents in remote areas, maintaining service capacity is essential. Starting in 2024, the NHIA has allocated a special subsidy budget of NT$200 million for these hospitals. Additionally, Kinmen Hospital received a subsidy of NT$22.44 million in 2023 to support its point-value assurance. Beginning in May 2024, an additional 30% increase in treatment payments for inpatient cases on offshore islands will be implemented, with more than 4 million payment points allocated to Kinmen Hospital each month.
In addition to the IDS project, the NHIA, Kinmen County, and Far Eastern Memorial Hospital launched the NHI Telemedicine Program in July 2023 to implement smart healthcare in Kinmen. The program enables teleconsultations in specialties such as ophthalmology, otolaryngology, dermatology, cardiology, and neurology. During these consultations, healthcare providers at the Lieyu Township Health Station use medical equipment, including digital fundoscopy, otoscopes, and dermatoscopes, to capture and record images of the affected areas. These images are then transmitted for real-time assessment, where specialists at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital evaluate and diagnose the cases and provide consultation recommendations.
Director General Shih expressed his gratitude to the medical team of the Kinmen IDS project for their unwavering commitment in supporting healthcare services on offshore islands and safeguarding the health of the local community. He also thanked the local government for its contributions, which have significantly enhanced medical accessibility for offshore island residents, ensured their right to medical treatment, and provided adequate primary care while strengthening chronic illness management.
In response to the challenges posed by Taiwan's super-aged society, the NHIA has developed a new care model that seamlessly integrates healthcare with long-term care. This model emphasizes strengthening home health care, promoting the in-home acute care model, and launching holistic, community-based comprehensive care operated by district hospitals, as well as the remote-area holistic integrated care project. The NHIA aims to ensure healthcare access for all residents of Taiwan, advance healthcare localization, and implement the 888 Plan to prevent Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, and Hyperglycemia.