Means Testing for Medifund across Restructured Hospitals and Specialist Centres

Debated in Parliament on 15 Aug 2016.

Summary written by AI (learn more)

Dr Tan Wu Meng asked about the proportion of MediFund recipients visiting multiple public institutions, those needing repeated means tests, and the portability of medical social worker records across facilities.
Over the past three years, about one in five MediFund recipients visited more than one public hospital or specialist centre in a year.
MediFund eligibility is assessed by each institution’s committee based on medical social workers’ evaluations, with information shared among institutions for patients needing cross-facility financial assistance.
MOH and public healthcare institutions are enhancing case record sharing and streamlining assessments, such as SingHealth’s One MediFund Assessment initiative, to reduce repeated means-testing for patients using multiple facilities.
The goal is to make MediFund access more convenient for patients while allowing each institution’s committee to retain flexibility in individual case decisions.

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Full Transcript

Tan Wu Meng

Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health (a) in the last three years, what proportion of MediFund recipients visit more than one public restructured hospital or public specialist centre in the same year; (b) what proportion of such recipients require more than one means test to qualify for MediFund across the restructured hospitals and specialist centres that they visit; and (c) to what extent are medical social worker records portable across restructured hospitals and specialist centres so as to expedite means testing for needy patients.

Gan Kim Yong

MediFund provides help for needy patients who require additional financial assistance with their healthcare bills after Government subsidies, MediShield Life claims and MediSave withdrawals. Over the last three years, about one in five MediFund recipients visited more than one public hospital or national specialty centre in a year.

Eligibility for MediFund is determined by the MediFund Committee in each healthcare institution, based on assessment by medical social workers. Today, medical social workers across public healthcare institutions share information with one another in cases where the patient is known to require financial assistance across institutions. MediFund assistance is also extended to needy patients on the Public Assistance scheme, without requiring them to go through additional means-testing.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the public healthcare institutions have been working on sharing of medical social worker case records. For example, under SingHealth's One MediFund Assessment initiative which Dr Tan Wu Meng had spearheaded while he was working at the National Cancer Centre, MediFund patients only need to be assessed once at any of the SingHealth institutions. Last year, medical social workers across all public healthcare institutions also undertook a comprehensive review to streamline the Medifund assessment process and improve information sharing. The intent is to make it more convenient for MediFund patients who visit more than one institution, while allowing the MediFund committee of each institution to continue having flexibility to decide on individual cases.

Summary written by AI (learn more)

Dr Tan Wu Meng asked about the proportion of MediFund recipients visiting multiple public institutions, those needing repeated means tests, and the portability of medical social worker records across facilities.
Over the past three years, about one in five MediFund recipients visited more than one public hospital or specialist centre in a year.
MediFund eligibility is assessed by each institution’s committee based on medical social workers’ evaluations, with information shared among institutions for patients needing cross-facility financial assistance.
MOH and public healthcare institutions are enhancing case record sharing and streamlining assessments, such as SingHealth’s One MediFund Assessment initiative, to reduce repeated means-testing for patients using multiple facilities.
The goal is to make MediFund access more convenient for patients while allowing each institution’s committee to retain flexibility in individual case decisions.

Questions identified by AI (learn more)

Means Testing for Medifund across Restructured Hospitals and Specialist Centres | PAPERCUTS

Means Testing for Medifund across Restructured Hospitals and Specialist Centres

Debated in Parliament on 15 Aug 2016.

Summary written by AI (learn more)

Dr Tan Wu Meng asked about the proportion of MediFund recipients visiting multiple public institutions, those needing repeated means tests, and the portability of medical social worker records across facilities.
Over the past three years, about one in five MediFund recipients visited more than one public hospital or specialist centre in a year.
MediFund eligibility is assessed by each institution’s committee based on medical social workers’ evaluations, with information shared among institutions for patients needing cross-facility financial assistance.
MOH and public healthcare institutions are enhancing case record sharing and streamlining assessments, such as SingHealth’s One MediFund Assessment initiative, to reduce repeated means-testing for patients using multiple facilities.
The goal is to make MediFund access more convenient for patients while allowing each institution’s committee to retain flexibility in individual case decisions.

Questions identified by AI (learn more)

Full Transcript

Tan Wu Meng

Gan Kim Yong

Summary written by AI (learn more)

Dr Tan Wu Meng asked about the proportion of MediFund recipients visiting multiple public institutions, those needing repeated means tests, and the portability of medical social worker records across facilities.
Over the past three years, about one in five MediFund recipients visited more than one public hospital or specialist centre in a year.
MediFund eligibility is assessed by each institution’s committee based on medical social workers’ evaluations, with information shared among institutions for patients needing cross-facility financial assistance.
MOH and public healthcare institutions are enhancing case record sharing and streamlining assessments, such as SingHealth’s One MediFund Assessment initiative, to reduce repeated means-testing for patients using multiple facilities.
The goal is to make MediFund access more convenient for patients while allowing each institution’s committee to retain flexibility in individual case decisions.

Questions identified by AI (learn more)

Means Testing for Medifund across Restructured Hospitals and Specialist Centres

Summary

Questions Identified

Full Transcript

Tan Wu Meng

Gan Kim Yong

Summary

Questions Identified

Means Testing for Medifund across Restructured Hospitals and Specialist Centres

Summary

Questions Identified

Full Transcript

Tan Wu Meng

Gan Kim Yong

Summary

Questions Identified