Benefits of using chip-embedded citizen identification cards in medical examination and treatment under health insurance

Shorten the time to perform administrative procedures when examining and treating patients

Area for registering for health insurance examination and treatment using chip-embedded ID card at Vinh City General Hospital. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In Nghe An, Vinh City General Hospital is the first unit to deploy the use of chip-embedded citizen identification cards (CCCD) when going for medical examination and treatment. When going for medical examination and treatment, card holdersHealth insuranceJust present your CCCD with chip to scan the code. Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan, Ha Huy Tap ward, Vinh city shared: "Before, when I went to the clinic, I had to wait for the medical staff to check my documents and enter information, which took a lot of time. Now, I just need to show my CCCD for them to scan, it takes 2-3 minutes, very convenient."

At Vinh City General Hospital, there are about 1,800 - 2,500 patients every day. Previously, the hospital built many useful software to simplify administrative procedures, creating convenience for patients when going to health insurance. Now, with the pilot implementation of health insurance using chip-embedded ID cards, receiving patients is faster and more convenient.

Scan the QR-Code on the CCCD. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Doctor Nguyen Thanh Hai - Head of the Examination Department, Vinh City General Hospital said: When the Department of Health and the provincial Social Insurance instructed the pilot implementation, the unit quickly put into use the QR-Code scanner on the CCCD placed in the examination registration area. After more than 1 month of implementation, the use of health insurance examination and treatment using chip-embedded CCCD cards has brought many conveniences to people, not only saving time for registration procedures, but also in case the people's health insurance card is lost or damaged, it will not affect the examination and treatment.

Dr. Hai added: Because it is still in the pilot period, there will still be people who have not integrated health insurance data information. In these cases, hospital staff will coordinate with social insurance agency assessors to explain so that people understand. At the same time, instruct them to use the health insurance card image in the VssID application or the health insurance card and photo identification to perform the normal health insurance treatment process.

Doctor Nguyen Thanh Hai: Using a chip-embedded CCCD card instead of a health insurance card for health insurance brings many benefits to people. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Health and the Vietnam Social Security jointly organized the pilot implementation of using chip-embedded ID cards for health insurance medical examination and treatment, which is a clear demonstration of the move towards a modern administration, a digital government, creating maximum conditions for health insurance cardholders in terms of health insurance medical examination and treatment procedures, without any paperwork, and the time for performing health insurance procedures is minimized. Accordingly, when health care facilities actively and proactively implement this pilot, it will bring practical benefits not only to patients but also in the patient management of the health care facility.

Better service to the people

With the launch of the VssID application - Social Insurance Number, the use of chip-embedded CCCD for health insurance is a big step forward in reforming administrative procedures of the Social Insurance sector. Instead of spending time on paperwork, people will access medical services more quickly, improving the quality of health insurance services. In particular, this creates convenience for the elderly because they do not have to carry many types of documents; helping to minimize the borrowing of other people's health insurance cards for health insurance.

People who register for health insurance can save time and do not have to present a paper health insurance card. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Implementing the Prime Minister's direction, in order to facilitate people when going to health insurance, on February 28, 2022, the Ministry of Health issued Official Dispatch No. 931/BYT-BH on guiding the pilot implementation of health insurance medical examination and treatment using chip-embedded ID cards. In order to effectively implement the pilot use of chip-embedded ID cards in health insurance medical examination and treatment, Vietnam Social Security has upgraded the software system of the Receiving Portal of the Health Insurance Assessment Information System of the Industry, which has now met the requirement of providing health insurance card information for health insurance facilities to look up information when people use chip-embedded ID cards to go to health insurance medical examination and treatment.

Doctor Nguyen Huu Le - Deputy Director of Nghe An Department of Health said: After this policy was issued, on March 3, 2022, Nghe An Department of Health issued Document No. 880/SYT-NVY "Guidelines for pilot implementation of health insurance examination and treatment using chip-embedded ID cards"; on March 4, 2022, Nghe An Social Insurance issued Document No. 344/BHXH-GĐBHYT "On pilot implementation of using chip-embedded ID cards in health insurance examination and treatment" to medical examination and treatment facilities inside and outside the public sector, medical centers, and social insurance of districts and towns to disseminate the policy, provide implementation instructions and widely propagate to health insurance participants.

Staff only need to receive the CCCD card and scan the code to look up patient information. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Currently, some health insurance examination and treatment facilities in the province have piloted the use of chip-embedded ID cards in health insurance examination and treatment, but the number of facilities implementing the program is still small. This is due to the lack of synchronous investment in developing information technology infrastructure at the facilities. Doctor Nguyen Huu Le stated: "Nghe An Department of Health is continuing to direct units to actively implement this content to evaluate and learn from experience."

The benefits are clear, but the synchronization to move towards using chip-embedded CCCD cards to replace health insurance cards needs a complete roadmap. Mr. Thai Ba Thang, Deputy Director of Nghe An Social Insurance, recommends that people going to medical examination and treatment for the first time should bring their health insurance card or a smartphone with the VSSID application integrated with their photo identification. In case people have used a chip-embedded CCCD for health insurance, from the next medical examination, they only need to present the chip-embedded CCCD. In case the citizen identification card has not been integrated with health insurance card data, people still use the health insurance card or the image of the health insurance card in the VSSID application for medical examination and treatment according to regulations./.