Beginning on May 1, 2022, rib fixation systems for flail chest are covered by NHI.
     According to Health Technology Assessment (HTA) reports, the medical literatures show that flail chest patients who have undergone fixation surgery, all of the efficacy indicator analysis results tend to favor fixation. Most flail chest patients experience respiratory failure, making it difficult for them to be taken off a respirator. But if the patient accepts an implantation of the rib fixation system, the patient may be taken off the respirator earlier.
     This benefit coverage was approved in January 2022. The NHI Pharmaceutical Benefit and Reimbursement Scheme (PBRS) Joint Committee (medical devices section) resolved that the coverage for each flail chest patient is limited to 3 bone plates and 18 bone screws. About 510 patients benefit from the new coverage.
     According to Dr. Po-Chang Lee, Director General of the NHIA, the NHIA will review various coverage regulations with respect to the conditions of financial affordability and real-world data. The NHIA will strive to cover new medical devices with clinically proven benefits and clinical necessity, in order to allocate resources properly and also to improve quality of care.