Lo eases fears over fee markups by private hospitals
Lo eases fears over fee markups by private hospitals
Lo Chung-mau said he doesn't think greater price transparency for the private medical sector would cause doctors to mark up fees. File photo: RTHK
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said on Friday he thinks greater transparency with private hospital charges wouldn't cause the sector to mark up prices.
The Health Bureau is proposing legal changes that would make it mandatory for private hospitals, clinics and day procedure centres to list the fees they charge for services or give a price range, as well as past fees.
If doctors would end up charging 20 percent or more than what's listed, a written explanation would be needed.
Violators would be subject to a fine, the amount for which will be settled on after officials consult the sector.
At a health services panel meeting at the legislature, several lawmakers expressed concern that the proposals would cause doctors to mark up charges in their list of fees in an attempt to stop issues from cropping up.
But Lo said he disagreed because he thinks doing so would only drive patients away.
"Patients may not want to agree with such a level of fees," he said.
"If you're to exaggerate all the fees – say, a patient is told he may have to fork out HK$1 million just to deal with a problem with the bladder – then I think the patient won't take the service."
Several lawmakers, including the DAB's Edward Leung and Roundtable's Michael Tien, called on officials to set deterrent fines for overcharging.
Leung even suggested private practitioners should be subject to an outright fine, rather than be required to give a written explanation if they charge 20 percent more than the listed fee.
Lo, however, said medical procedures are often complicated and hard to predict, and it would be unreasonable to issue a fine that way.
He said patients can file complaints when faced with overcharging in future and that a written explanation would help all sides.
Leung also asked whether there would be a price list for cancer treatments, but Lo said what would be listed in such cases would be based on treatment methods instead of the types of disease.
That's because cancer, for example, can be treated in a variety of ways.
Lo stressed that the government plans to table a bill to the legislature next year and implement the proposals in phases.
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