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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) will launch the first phase of the revamped Patient Billing and Revenue Collection (PBRC) System at Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) and the Kowloon Central Cluster (KCC) on January 7 to bring greater convenience to public hospital patients.
The HA spokesman today (December 28) said the rollout will be conducted in phases with QMH and KCC (including Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kowloon Hospital, Hong Kong Eye Hospital, Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital, Rehabaid Centre) in the first phase and the remaining clusters and hospitals in 2013/14 so to ensure the smooth transition of the HA-wide billing system.
"Upon implementation of the new system in all public hospitals, charges in all hospitals and treatment episodes for an individual patient within the billing period can be consolidated in a single bill and be settled at any hospital shroff, alongside other payment methods such as 7-Eleven convenience stores and Internet banking services," the spokesman explained.
A newly introduced monthly summary statement will also provide patients with a concise overview of all unsettled bills for services used in any public hospitals.
The spokesman pointed out that the system changeover will start on January 1 and take one week to complete. While settlement can still be made as usual from January 1 to 6, the calculation of hospital charges will revert to manual operation. Patients discharged during that period will be updated for any adjustments needed when the system resumes full operation on January 7.
"An information video and poster have been produced to keep the public informed and help them understand the key features of the new billing system. The HA would like to appeal for public understanding for the possible inconvenience caused in the changeover week," the spokesman added.
Ends/Friday, December 28, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:25
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