Recently, the national health insurance board and the national health commission jointly issued the guidelines on the prices of medical services in the field of radiation inspection, specifying that, from 1 march 2026 onwards, the new rules for the payment of fees for ct inspections have been applied uniformly in all public health institutions throughout the country, eliminating three charges that were strongly expressed as unjustified。
This is a public policy that has been officially issued at the national level, has been implemented with clear timelines, and has been unified throughout the country. There is no room for ambiguity, no pilot transition and direct attention to the general population。
From march 2026 onwards, compulsory film fees, hidden services and double-checking fees will be eliminated from the ct examination in the public hospital nationwide, with a maximum of $90 in the single head of the ct, and patients will be free to choose whether to print film or not, and medical fees will be more transparent。
For a long time, ct tests have been the most commonly used video project for clinical diagnosis, both in-patient, outpatient, medical and review. There are, however, a number of problems in relation to the actual fees, which are tied, hidden, duplicated, which appear to be low-cost inspections, combined with the costs incurred, making it more expensive for the public。
The national health and welfare board and the national health and welfare commission have combined to regulate the price items, clean up unreasonable price increases, promote mutual recognition of results, eliminate duplication of inspection, and completely drain the water from inspection fees, making them more transparent and less expensive. This reform covers all public health institutions, including general hospitals, specialized hospitals, township health centres, community health centres, private hospitals, and health-care facilities。
The three unjustified charges that were formally cancelled with effect from 1 march are of interest to ordinary people. The first is the elimination of the mandatory ct film booking and duplicate printing costs. In the past, as a ct, hospitals have defaulted on printing paper film, regardless of whether the patient needs it or not, at a fee ranging from $20 to $80. The new regulations make it clear that paper films are no longer subject to mandatory binding fees, that electronic images and reports are provided free of charge in medical institutions and that patients can be consulted, preserved and forwarded via mobile phones and self-help machines. Voluntary applications for referral, reimbursement, filing, etc. Are available, provided by hospitals at a zero rate of procurement cost, and are strictly forbidden to increase for profit. This cancellation will enable ordinary families to save unnecessary expenses each year。
The second is the abolition of the split in the ct inspection and the charging of unreasonable technical services. In the past, some hospitals split a full ct examination into multiple items such as scanning fees, imaging fees, image processing fees, positioning fees or additional technical operating fees for routine scanning. The new regulation calls for a “one-cost” system whereby only one standard cost is charged for an inspection project, all routine operations, image processing and data storage are covered and cannot be added to the project. Hospitals can no longer divide simple processes into multiple fees, systematically block the price increases and clear the list of contributions, and patients are no longer required to pay for vague fees。
The third is the abolition of inter-agency video access fees and mutual recognition of results. The results of the state's simultaneous intensive examinations are mutually recognized, the ct reports issued by public health institutions at the secondary level and above are shared throughout the country for the duration of their validity, and hospitals are not allowed to charge any fee for access, review or review. In the past, patients have been referred to another hospital and are often required to redo ct, and some hospitals have charged video access fees. Once the new regulations have been laid down, all pre-qualification checks are accepted and are available free of charge, without mandatory repetition. This not only saves money, but also reduces radiation, saves time, and greatly facilitates long-term review of patients with chronic diseases, tumours and cardiovascular diseases。
This reform is an important step towards deepening the price reform of health services and reducing the burden on the population, all of which are official, enforceable and monitorable policies with no predictive content and no unpublished information. The national health insurance agency (nss) also requires that the local health services complete price adjustment, system upgrading and publicity by 1 march to ensure that patients receive direct relief when they contribute. Health departments at all levels are responsible for monitoring the behaviour of health-care institutions, implementing mutual recognition of results and eliminating the denial of mutual recognition on the grounds of different equipment and technical differences. The market regulator simultaneously strengthens price inspections and conducts legal checks against non-compliance, disguised fees and binding fees。
In particular, the elimination of unreasonable fees, the failure to reduce the quality of examinations, the failure to reduce the number of inspections, the need for special inspections such as those for emergency medical care, rescue, and the need for three-dimensional rehabilitation, etc., are not covered by the established fees. Hospitals provide regular diagnostic services based on the needs of the patient, cutting off money that should not have been collected. In cases of compulsory film collection, split fees and refusal to recognize results, the public may retain the bill of fees and file a complaint with the local health and health board to defend their legitimate rights and interests。
From an industry perspective, this ct charge regulation is a microcosm of the health price reform. The state is gradually promoting the standardization of prices for all medical services, such as inspection, radiology, ultrasound and endoscopes, with the aim of establishing a single, clear, transparent and fair system of prices for the entire country, guaranteeing the proper functioning of health-care institutions and safeguarding the interests of the population. In the future, more unreasonable fees will be cleared, more people will be admitted to health care, and medical care will be returned to the public good, and the population will be able to see, see and understand。
Deep signals: using price reforms to push data into communication
In the past, the persistence of “repeated inspection, binding film” was rooted in poor data, inconsistent standards and closed interest。
This three cost elimination is not a simple “price reduction”, but a systemic reform that leverages prices to leverage data:
This is exactly the same as the underlying logic of medical information development: the value of the future, not the consumption of film, but the flow of data and the building of trust。
Guidelines for action: the next four requirements for medical institutions yes
The new rules are in place. Medical information practitioners need to focus immediately on the following key actions that can be implemented:
On march 1st, more than a simple price adjustment day, china’s medical image system officially moved from an old era of “paper + duplication” to a new era of “electronic + mutual recognition”。
The surface is “saving money” and the deep is “access” — providing access to data, institutions, health care and, ultimately, to patients。
The roads have been paved by policy and the objectives are clear. The value of medical information is reflected in the smoother, broader and smarter construction of this “roadway”。
The age of intelligent images, credible mutual recognition and data-driven has arrived. Are you ready
