TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Starting on March 1, 2023, Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) will cover procedures performed by the robotic surgical system Da Vinci Surgical Systems.
The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) on Wednesday (Dec. 28) announced 17 robot-assisted surgeries will be covered by the NHI. It is estimated that nearly 1,000 people will benefit from this technology each year in the future and this will save an average of NT$90,000 (US$2925.16) per person.
During an NHIA meeting on Dec. 22, the decision was made to approve the use of the robotic arms for 17 procedures, such as liver resection, which removes cancerous tumors from the liver. The new policy is expected to go into effect on March 1, 2023.
NHIA official Chen Yi-chieh (陳依婕) told CNA the average cost for each operation is about NT$90,000. In the future, about 930 people will benefit each year, and the additional annual cost for the agency will be NT84 million. However, the public still has to pay for Da Vinci-related medical materials.
Chen pointed out that operations with the Da Vinci device are shorter in duration and involve smaller incisions, which can shorten the hospitalization time of patients. In recent years, the system has been used frequently in urology, digestive surgery, and thoracic surgery.
The NHI has covered radical prostatectomies and partial nephrectomies performed by the system since January 2016 and December 2019, respectively. In 2021, The Taiwan Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Taiwan Pancreas Society, and other medical associations called on the agency to include other coverage for other procedures, such as partial liver resection.
Chen said that a Health Technology Assessment of the medical technology found evidence of its safety and efficacy, and empirical data shows that it can help reduce the length of procedures and blood loss. Based on these findings, the committee on Dec. 22 unanimously approved health insurance coverage for the additional procedures.
According to Chen, only specially certified physicians will be allowed to operate the devices. In addition, healthcare facilities will be required to present a report within two months of the surgery on whether adverse reactions had occurred within 14 days after the operation, any intraoperative blood loss, and efficacy to facilitate clinical research into the systems.