Hospitals to get higher anesthesia fees for 487 high-risk pediatric surgeries starting in April

Starting in April, anesthesia fees for 487 high-risk pediatric surgeries will be increased by 100 percent by applying the special compensation system for public purposes.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held the Health Insurance Policy Review Committee and approved the “Plan to Strengthen Compensation for Pediatric High-Difficulty Surgery,” which included this and other points.

The ministry explained that strengthening compensation for essential medical treatment in pediatric surgery is necessary, considering the resource input and difficulty of pediatric surgery, as well as the growth and development stages that require surgery.

In brief, the plan adds 319 items to the current 284 items of high-difficulty pediatric surgery, expanding it to 603 items. When included in the high-difficulty pediatric surgery category, the compensation will be increased by 1,000 percent for children weighing less than 1,500 grams, 400 percent for newborns and children under one-year-old, and 200 percent for children between one and six years old.

In addition, the ministry has selected 487 items among the most difficult pediatric surgeries and added 100 percent to the anesthesia fee for those surgeries. The additions will be made by applying public policy fees.

The ministry estimates that the compensation enhancement plan will require 42 billion won ($28.8 million) in additional financial resources annually, including 34.6 billion won for surgery and 7.4 billion won for related anesthesia fees.

It plans to implement the plan in April after revising the related computerized billing system and administrative notices by March.