Recently, Deputy Minister Shih Chung-liang of the Ministry of Health and Welfare has mentioned on various occasions that the Ministry will strive to pass the draft amendment to the "Regulations Governing Medical Consultation and Treatment via Telecommunication" by the end of the year. This is another significant move by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in response to the changing healthcare model in the post-pandemic era, following the announcement in July of this year of the "Regulations Governing the Production and Management of Electronic Medical Records in Medical Institutions" which opened up the cloud for electronic medical records.
These two regulations will not only help create patient-centered integrated care services, but will also have a significant impact on the promotion of smart healthcare in Taiwan. They will lead Taiwan's investment in smart healthcare from smart medical devices to next-generation medical information systems, truly achieving whole-plant output.
Previously, telemedicine was permitted in five scenarios under regulations, mainly in remote areas and outlying islands, primarily for follow-up diagnoses. During this wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, methods such as in-person consultations were opened in response to the emergency, accumulating a wealth of experience in telemedicine.
The proposed amendments by the Ministry of Health and Welfare can be summarized into four main directions: expanding applicable scenarios, implementing more projects, allowing prescriptions to be issued remotely, and simplifying administrative procedures for applying for telemedicine.
In terms of applicable scenarios and implementation projects, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's ambitious goals are evident, extending telemedicine to long-term care, home care, and international medical services; and expanding from simple consultations and physical examinations to issuing test orders and prescriptions. This will effectively meet the future needs of extending medical care to institutions and homes, and it can be said that the Ministry of Health and Welfare has regarded telemedicine as the new norm in Taiwan's post-pandemic era.
This significant opening up of telemedicine has also brought challenges to healthcare information systems. During the pandemic, tools such as video conferencing were used to address the needs of in-person consultations, but as telemedicine implementation expands to include procedures like prescription issuance, telemedicine platforms now need to integrate authentication methods such as virtual health insurance cards and handle critical functions like electronic medical record exchange.
The already announced "Regulations Governing the Creation and Management of Electronic Medical Records in Medical Institutions" lays a digital foundation for telemedicine platforms by opening up electronic medical records to the cloud and encouraging the FHIR (Fast-Track Interoperable Resources) standard. Going forward, Taiwanese hospitals and ICT companies must collaborate closely to align with the open telemedicine policy and rapidly develop next-generation telemedicine platforms. These platforms should integrate Taiwan's existing infrastructure in smart medical devices, wearable devices, and artificial intelligence to truly enable applications across various scenarios and processes, creating a win-win situation for the public, hospitals, government, and manufacturers.
Source: Financial News Issue 667