COVID-19: Extension of CHAS chronic subsidy and MediSave to video consultation for limited time
SINGAPORE — From Friday (3 April), the Ministry of Health (MOH) will introduce a time-limited and exceptional extension of the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) Chronic subsidy and MediSave for the regular follow-up of seven chronic conditions through video consultation.
The measure is to support the safe distancing measures the multi-ministry taskforce on the coronavirus has implemented and allow patients whose conditions are stable to avoid a physical visit to a clinic amid the COVID- 19 outbreak.
Currently, CHAS subsidy and MediSave are only available for physical consultations.
The extension applies to video consultations of seven selected chronic conditions under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP). Patients can tap on the prevailing CHAS Chronic subsidy and MediSave (MediSave500 and Flexi-MediSave) limits to offset the cost of video consultation, related drugs and investigations.
The chronic conditions are diabetes, hypertension, lipid disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and anxiety. Patients with these conditions can generally be managed through video consultations without physical examination if these conditions are stable. They account for a high proportion of patients who use CHAS and MediSave for their chronic treatments.
The extension will remain active until the de-activation of the Public Health Preparedness Clinic (PHPC) scheme by MOH.
Healthcare professionals who wish to provide video consultations which can be paid using CHAS subsidies and MediSave will need to undergo telemedicine e-training to familiarise themselves with the process. They will be given details separately.
Healthcare providers should only carry out video consultations for patients that providers had physical consultations with previously, so that they can confirm the patient’s suitability for video consultation before its use. If necessary, the provider should ask the patient to come into the clinic for a physical consultation.
The list of healthcare institutions providing CHAS Chronic subsidy and MediSave for video consultations of the selected chronic conditions can be found here. from 3 April. The number of providers will be progressively increased as more providers adopt video consultation.
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