Ministry finalizes telemedicine pilot program details

Doctors to get 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service

The government will begin its telemedicine pilot program as planned on Thursday, mainly permitting the service for second-visit patients or regular patients of local clinics.

As an exception, pediatric patients will be allowed medical consultations through a telemedicine service during holidays and at night, even if they are first-time patients. But prescriptions for medications will not be offered in such cases. Because of this, critics say that the government is disallowing the telemedicine service for first-time pediatric patients, despite persistent calls from parents and those in the telemedicine industry.

In addition, doctors and pharmacists will get a 30 percent bonus from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) for offering telemedicine services.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the finalized details of its telemedicine pilot program, Tuesday.

Telemedicine connects doctors with patients through information and telecommunications technology, instead of face-to-face appointments.

Under the current Medical Services Act, telemedicine is illegal in Korea. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was allowed temporarily, starting from February 2020. Since then, more than 14 million people have used the service, according to the health ministry.

The government decided to launch a telemedicine pilot program in a bid to continue the service beyond its current legal basis on Thursday when the country’s COVID-19 public health emergency is set to officially end.

The temporary service has been allowed for anyone regardless of the number of visits to clinics. But the pilot program limits patients to those seeking follow-up appointments only.

Patients suffering from chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes can use telemedicine if they have visited the same clinic at least once within a year for relevant treatment. Others can also use the service when they have visited the same clinic at least once within 30 days to treat the same disease.

Still, those who suffer from infectious diseases, live on islands or mountain areas, or have mobility issues can use the service even when they are first-time patients.

As for pediatric patients, the service in principle is not permitted if they are first-time patients. But medical consultations through telemedicine will be offered during holidays and at night, even for firsttime patients. Prescriptions for medications will not be offered in this instance.

A ministry official said the decision was based on the result of balancing the opinions of both medical circles and parents.

“Doctors said that symptoms of pediatric patients tend to change rapidly in many cases. Plus, communication with young children is difficult,” a ministry official said. “Many parents have relied on inaccurate information available on the internet when their children are sick. Allowing medical consultations through telemedicine is aimed at offering accurate information for these parents.”

The government also made a decision on the medical fee for telemedicine, deciding to grant a 30 percent bonus to doctors and pharmacists for offering the service.

The ministry said the decision was made in consideration of additional efforts and works that medical institutions need to offer the telemedicine service. These works include checking if a user is a first-time patient or a second-time patient and submitting relevant records to the government.

The medical fees refer to the sum of the costs covered by patients and the NHIS.

While the medical fee for telemedicine will be mostly covered by the NHIS, patients’ coverage will increase to 39 percent from the current 30 percent as a consequence. “The medical fee could be adjusted again after the pilot program ends and the service is institutionalized,” the official said.

A prescription written by a doctor after a telemedicine consultation will be sent to a pharmacy via email or fax. Patients or their guardians will be required to pick up the drugs on their own.

The government will not permit drug delivery, accepting the pharmaceutical association’s opinion that the delivery system could be abused.

As an exception, deliveries will be permitted for those who live on remote islands, have mobility issues or suffer from rare diseases.