Circular 02/2022/TT-BYT prescribing prices for SARS-CoV-2 testing services

CIRCULAR

Prescribing prices for SARS-CoV-2 testing services

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Pursuant to the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment dated November 23, 2009;

Pursuant to the Law on Health Insurance dated November 14, 2008, and the Law on Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Health Insurance dated June 13, 2014;

Pursuant to the Law on Prices dated June 20, 2012;

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 60/2021/ND-CP dated June 21, 2021, providing the financial autonomy mechanism applicable to public non-business units;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 177/2013/ND-CP dated November 14, 2013, detailing and guiding a number of articles of the Law on Prices and the Government’s Decree No. 149/2016/ND-CP dated November 11, 2016, amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Government’s Decree No. 177/2013/ND-CP dated November 14, 2013, detailing and guiding a number of articles of the Law on Prices;

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 75/2017/ND-CP dated June 20, 2017, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health;

At the request of the Directors of the Planning and Finance Department;

The Minister of Health hereby promulgates the Circular prescribing prices for SARS-CoV-2 testing services.

Article 1. Scope of regulation and application

1. Scope of regulation:

This Circular provides prices for SARS-CoV-2 testing services performed by state-owned health establishments, including taking and preserving samples, carrying out tests and returning SARS-CoV-2 test results.

2. Scope of application:

a) This Circular applies in the following cases: Payment for SARS-CoV-2 testing costs in accordance with the law on health insurance; persons using SARS-CoV-2 testing services who pay such costs by themselves and cases where such costs are covered by the state budget under the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, except for the cases specified at Point b of this Clause;

b) This Circular does not apply to costs for taking and preserving samples, carrying out tests and returning SARS-CoV-2 test results in the community that are covered by the state budget under the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases.

Article 2. Structure of prices for SARS-CoV-2 testing services

Structure of prices for SARS-CoV-2 testing services stipulated in this Circular includes:

1. Direct costs for taking and preserving samples; carrying out tests and returning of SARS-CoV-2 test results.

2. Costs for payment of salary according to ranks, allowances, and contributions under the regime applicable to public non-business units as prescribed by the state according to the base salary specified in the Government’s No. 38/2019/ND-CP dated May 09, 2019, prescribing the base salary for cadres, civil servants, public employees and armed forces; excluding COVID-19 prevention and control allowances for health staff and officers.

3. Costs for biological products used for SARS-CoV-2 testing (rapid test biological products, immunoassay biological products, reaction test biological products) according to actual use and purchase price in accordance with the law on bidding.

Article 3. Prices for SARS-CoV-2 testing services

1. Price for SARS-CoV-2 testing services in case it is covered by the health insurance fund:

a) SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test for single sample:

Service price includes direct costs and costs for salary payment as prescribed in Column 1, Section I in Appendix attached to this Circular, plus costs for biological products used for SARS-CoV-2 testing as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 2 of this Circular. The maximum payment is VND 78,000/test.

b) Testing for SARS-CoV-2 by automated or semi-automated immunoassay analyzers for single sample:

Service price includes direct costs and costs for salary payment as prescribed in Column 1, Section II in Appendix attached to this Circular, plus costs for biological products used for SARS-CoV-2 testing as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 2 of this Circular. The maximum payment is VND 178,900/test.

c) Testing for SARS-CoV-2 by Real-time RT-PCR technique:

- Single sample testing: Service price includes direct costs and costs for salary payment as prescribed in Column 1, Section III in Appendix attached to this Circular, plus costs for biological products used for SARS-CoV-2 reaction testing as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 2 of this Circular. The maximum payment is VND 501,800/test.

- Pooled sample testing: Service price includes direct costs and costs for salary payment as prescribed in Column 1, Section IV in Appendix attached to this Circular, plus costs for biological products used for SARS-CoV-2 reaction testing as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 2 of this Circular, in which biological products used for reaction testing shall be divided equally according to the number of pooled samples. The maximum payment must not exceed the price for pooled sample testing specified in Column 2, Section IV in Appendix attached to this Circular.

2. Price for SARS-CoV-2 testing services in case it is not covered by the health insurance fund:

a) For state-owned medical examination and treatment establishments at provinces and centrally-run cities, and medical examination and treatment establishments affiliated to ministries and central agencies that are located in localities, except for the cases specified at Point b of this Clause: The determination of the price shall comply with Clause 1 of this Article, in which, the price includes direct costs and costs for salary payment (excluding biological products used for reaction testing) as prescribed by the competent local authorities but must not exceed the maximum price framework for SARS-CoV-2 testing services as prescribed in Column 1 in Appendix attached to this Circular;

b) For medical examination and treatment establishments affiliated to the Ministry of Health, special hospitals and level-1 hospitals affiliated to ministries, central agencies, and state-owned health establishments providing preventive medical services: The price shall comply with Clause 1 of this Article.

Article 4. Guidance on payment

1. In case health establishments transfer samples to another health establishment eligible for testing:

a) For the case within the payment range of the health insurance fund: Costs for transferring to para-clinical services shall be paid according to the law on health insurance;

b) For the case without the payment range of the health insurance fund: Costs shall be paid according to the prices for SARS-CoV-2 testing services conducted by testing units under this Circular and costs for purchasing biological products used for testing of testing units under the law on bidding.

2. In case of taking samples or testing using materials and biological products granted from the pandemic prevention and control sources covered by the state budget, or supported, sponsored by agencies, organizations, and individuals free of charge, state-owned health establishments shall exclude costs for supported testing materials and biological products when settlement and finalization with social insurance agencies or state budget.

3. In case costs for testing are higher than the maximum price specified in Column 2 in Appendix attached to this Circular, the state-owned health establishments may account such costs into the independent funding source and other lawful funding sources of the units and are not be collected from users of testing services.

4. In case the result of pooled sample testing is positive, and the tests to detect the positive sample are required, the costs of carrying out the test shall be calculated on specific case to ensure the principle of non-duplicate costs.

Article 5. Effect

1. This Circular takes effect on February 21, 2022.

2. The Circular No. 16/2021/TT-BYT dated November 08, 2021 of the Minister of Health prescribing prices for SARS-CoV-2 testing services shall cease to be effective from the effective date of this Circular.

Article 6. Reference provision

In cases where any of the documents referred to in this Circular is amended, supplemented, or replaced, the newest one shall prevail.

Article 7. Organization of implementation

1. Health establishment shall be responsible for purchasing supplies, chemicals and biological products for SARS-CoV-2 testing in accordance with the law regulations on bidding, regulation of the Resolution No. 79/NQ-CP dated July 22, 2021 of the Government on procurement of drugs, chemicals, supplies, equipment and means for COVID-19 prevention and control, the Resolution No. 86/NQ-CP dated August 06, 2021 of the Government on urgent COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures to implement the Resolution No. 30/2021/QH15 dated July 28, 2021 of the 15^th National Assembly, ensuring the quality, thrift, efficiency, avoiding waste and negative issues.

2. When performing periodic testing for their health staff, and testing for their patients and patients' relatives in accordance with professional regulations, state-owned health establishments must pool samples according to the Ministry of Health’s guidance and in line with the situation of the units, ensuring thrift and efficiency.

3. In case of providing voluntary testing services upon request, testing services for organizations and enterprises under contracts: State-owned health establishments shall collect the payment from service users or demand the payment of organizations and enterprises, applying the prices applicable to subjects other than eligible health insurance fund beneficiaries and the cost of purchasing biological products for testing according to regulations.

4. Departments of Health of provinces and centrally-run cities shall, within their functions and tasks, strengthen the inspection and examination of, or report to provincial-level People's Committees to strengthen the inspection and examination of, the implementation of law regulations on prices and on bidding of state-owned health establishments in the localities, strictly handle violations, if any, prevent the unreasonable increase in prices for testing services.

Any difficulty and problems arising in the course of implementation should be promptly reported in writing to the Ministry of Health for consideration and settlement./.

For the Minister

The Deputy Minister

Tran Van Thuan

APPENDIX

PRICES FOR SARS-COV-2 TESTING SERVICES
(Attached to the Circular No. 02/2022/TT-BYT dated February 18, 2022, of the Minister of Health)

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