From 1 Jan 2007,
the Medisave for Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) will
be extended to three additional diseases - high blood pressure,
lipid disorder and stroke. This will help such patients pay for
the out-patient treatment of their chronic conditions at
participating clinics. The use of Medisave for Chronic Diseases
first started on 1 October 2006 with diabetes and implementation
has been smooth.
To date, Medisave
claims for outpatient treatments have reached 22,000 episodes,
with about $2 million withdrawn from Medisave. (In November,
there were 8,000 claims and $750,000 Medisave utilised). We expect
the utilisation of Medisave to increase as the scheme gains
familiarity with patients and providers. On average, these
patients have used their Medisave to pay for about 60% of their
medical treatment costs.
The General
Practitioners (GPs) play an important part in CDMP. To date, 700
GP clinics and GP groups have signed up. This is half of the 1,400
GP clinics in Singapore. We will continue to engage the GP
community and encourage more to participate in the Programme, so
that their patients can also benefit.
The four chronic
diseases included under Programme affect about 1 million
Singaporeans. Through CDMP, the Ministry aims to increase the
level of care of these diseases through the promotion and
extensive use of systematic, evidence-based chronic disease
management programmes. The use of Medisave will help to reduce
out-of-pocket cash payments for outpatient bills, making them more
affordable to patients.
Under this Programme,
patients are encouraged to work with their doctors, particularly
their Family Physicians, to actively manage their diseases,
through regular monitoring, appropriate medical treatment and
lifestyle changes. They will be given patient education folders,
which will include background information on chronic diseases,
patient booklets for recording of vital clinical indicators to aid
self-monitoring, and answers to frequently asked questions. With a
more proactive approach to the management of these chronic
diseases, complications can be avoided or delayed for many
years.
To help patients and
their family members keep track of the amount of Medisave used
under this Programme, CPF Board has created a separate account
summary for the CDMP. They can log on to the CPF website (www.cpf.gov.sg)
with their SingPass to view the statement. Alternatively,
participating clinics can check the Medisave balances under the
CDMP on behalf of their patients upon request. Participating
clinics can be identified by the orange-coloured CDMP decal
(sticker). Patients can also check for participating GP clinics
near their homes by logging on to the HPB website at
www.hpb.gov.sg.
The CDMP is a national
effort to change the way we manage chronic diseases from episodic
care to a life-long holistic care. Good management of chronic
diseases can help to lower healthcare costs in the long-run for
patients.
For more information
on the Programme, the public can refer to the HPB website (www.hpb.gov.sg)
or call the HPB hotline at 1800-223 1313.