Chronic Disease Co-care Pilot Scheme to implement annual consultation co-payment adjustments and expand service targets
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Under the co-payment model of the CDCC Pilot Scheme, the Government provides a partial subsidy, while participants are required to pay a certain amount of co-payment fee, with a view to encouraging citizens to bear the primary responsibility for their own health. Family doctors are allowed to determine the consultation co-payment fees for the screening phase (not more than $120) and the treatment phase on their own, and have the fees adjusted once annually according to the established mechanism.
Comparing the current situation with that after the co-payment adjustment for the treatment phase on September 1, the service points charging the Government-recommended consultation co-payment fees at $150 or below remain at approximately 65 per cent (617 service points), while the median co-payment remains at $150. Among the current 971 participating service points, 874 of them (i.e. 90 per cent) will keep their existing co-payment fees unchanged. Eight service points will reduce the co-payment fees (reductions ranging from $30 to $150 and the median is $75), while the remaining 89 service points will increase their co-payment fees (increases ranging from $20 to $300 and the median is $50). Overall, the rate of increase of the consultation co-payment fees for treatment phase is 3.1 per cent in the coming year. Regarding the co-payment fees for the screening phase, there will be one service point reducing the fee from the Government-recommended $120 to $100. The updated list of consultation co-payment fees for screening and treatment phases has been uploaded to the dedicated website of the Scheme for public reference. Relevant information on the webpage for searching family doctors will also be updated on September 1.
Moreover, to dovetail with the Government's direction of primary healthcare development, the Health Bureau will invite suitable GOPC patients and existing GOPC PPP Programme participants by post, starting next month and early next year respectively, to join the CDCC Pilot Scheme. The co-payment fees and service arrangements for all patients opting to join the CDCC Pilot Scheme will be the same as other CDCC Pilot Scheme participants.
The HA launched the GOPC PPP Programme in 2014 to subsidise patients being followed up in GOPCs to receive private primary healthcare services in the community. The GOPC PPP Programme only provides doctor consultations and related services, with currently around 50 000 participants who are mainly diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT) patients. They are required to pay co-payment fees for the outpatient services.
The CDCC Pilot Scheme provides a more comprehensive range of services to citizens as compared with the GOPC PPP Programme, for example, covering multidisciplinary services (including dedicated nurse clinics, optometrists, podiatrists, physiotherapists and dietitians), service co-ordination and other health management courses arranged by the District Health Centres, as well as the incentive mechanism. More chronic diseases will also be covered in the future.
While the GOPC PPP Programme is expected to end in 2028, the programme office will maintain communication with the participating doctors and will follow up with the patients individually on their future choices and related arrangements.
The CDCC Pilot Scheme has been well received by members of the public since its launch, with over 150 000 citizens joining the scheme to date. As at August 20 this year (provisional figures), over 90 000 participants have completed screenings, of which around 40 per cent have been diagnosed with prediabetes, DM, HT or hyperlipidaemia, while 36 000 of them have entered the treatment phase. The Government will continue to promote the CDCC Pilot Scheme to encourage citizens to prevent and manage chronic diseases proactively, thereby enhancing the overall health of the general public.
For more details of the CDCC Pilot Scheme, members of the public may visit its dedicated website (www.primaryhealthcare.gov.hk/cdcc/en) or call the hotline at 2157 0500. Dedicated staff of the hotline will answer calls from 9am to 9pm from Mondays to Saturdays.
Ends/Thursday, August 28, 2025
Issued at HKT 17:15
Issued at HKT 17:15
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