Hospital referral documents and appointment letters for re-examination will be integrated online into the e-identification app VNeID or digital social insurance app VssID, said Trần Thị Trang, head of Health Insurance Department under the Ministry of Health.

A health worker in Bắc Giang Province scans a QR code on a patient's chip-based ID card to access healthcare records. VNA/VNS Photo

In the near future, patients will only need to present one of those apps without bringing paper records of health insurance referrals and appointment letters

According to the Ministry of Health, social security offices and hospitals nationwide will trial electronic health insurance referrals and health check-up records in April this year, looking to completely remove the need for paper.

If the trial runs smoothly, the online records will be officially applied nationwide in July.

According to Trang, going digital will have lots of practical values.

Illustrative image (internet)

It helps create a centralised database for analysis, statistics, and timely adjustment of health insurance policies. It also makes the hospital referral more transparent and simplifies administrative procedures, she said.

The online application also saves time of both patients and healthcare facilities, limits fraud in the referral process as well as supports social security offices in health insurance assessment and payment, she said.

According to current regulations, if the patient wants to be transferred to a higher level hospital and enjoy health insurance with higher benefits, they must have a transfer certificate.

Illustrative image (internet)

Patients are allowed to be transferred from the lower level to the adjacent higher level (from the commune level to district level, district level to provincial level, provincial level to central level). If the adjacent higher level facility does not have the appropriate technique, patients will be transferred to the higher level.

Many people believe that hospital transfer papers are a cumbersome and troublesome administrative procedure.

Trang said it was impossible to remove the hospital transfer paper but the health ministry is studying solutions to facilitate patients.

Public health information must be digitalised with referral information to go online to minimise nuisance for patients, she said.