Karnataka: State Government sets expert committee to recommend on package rates for Private Hospitals

Bengaluru: Karnataka Hospitals are soon going to be find out what rates to charge for what procedures, as the state government has now made a move in this regard.

The State Government has set up an expert committee for recommendation of uniform package rates, classification, and standards of infrastructure in hospitals, and standard protocols for treatment in the context of Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Act.

The rules of the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Act were notified last year. Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that despite the continues protest by doctors against the amendment of existing KPME Act, the government had gone ahead and passed KPME (Amendment) Act, 2017.

The doctors' association and several hospitals came forward claiming the package rates to be low and unreasonable. They submitted their representations in front of the state government to find a way to new rate fixation.

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There were few hospitals that got empanelled in the Arogya Karnataka were compelled to follow the old package rates under the government health insurance scheme before being merged to form Arogya Karnataka. This had also resentment amongst the medical practitioners which had demanded a revision of the rates. Finally the government has made a move in this regard

Hindu reports that the uniform package rate committee formed is headed by the Principal Secretary, Department of Medical Education, the classification and standards of infrastructure committee is under the Health and Family Welfare Commissioner. The committee to fix standard protocols for treatment is headed by the director of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI).

Mallesh Hulumani, president of KPME Association, also nominated as a member of the rate fixation committee, informed the Hindu that the KPME Association and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have done cost accounting studies of various procedures and have come out with standard rates.

"We will place these studies before the committee during discussions. We hope the process will begin soon as the existing rates are low. With the terms of reference yet to be put in place, we are not sure when the committees will start functioning," he further added.