Govt working to revise rates for CGHS empanelled hospitals

In a good news for lakhs of beneficiaries under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), the Government is in the process of revising the rates of medical procedures offered by empanelled hospitals and diagnostic centres and giving them early payment assurance to encourage more medical institutions join the scheme.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has floated e-tenders for empanelment of hospitals and decided that the rates of various medical procedures would be fixed by an average of rates quoted in e-tenders instead of the old system where the lowest quotation became the rate.

Rates of all medical procedure centres under CGHS would be revised by April next year.

Not just that, the Government is also revising its policy by providing empanelled hospitals assured upfront payment of 70 per cent of the total bill within five days of its presentation and balance admissible amount within a maximum period of 30 days.

The direction for a 10 per cent deduction in case of early/cash payment to hospitals under CGHS has also been done away with, highly-placed sources in the Ministry told PTI.

"These measures will put an end to the problems of delayed payments which discourage hospitals from getting empanelled under the scheme," a Health Ministry official said.

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