Pilot Project for Customized Home Rehabilitation Therapy to Begin in January Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] A pilot project providing customized home-visit rehabilitation therapy to patients who require rehabilitation for a certain period after being hospitalized and treated at rehabilitation medical institutions and discharged home will be conducted for two years from January next year to December 2024.

On the 23rd, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it held the 22nd Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee (HIPS) meeting to discuss the 'Phase 3 Promotion Plan for the Rehabilitation Medical Institution Fee Pilot Project.'

Rehabilitation medical institutions are designated hospitals that strengthen the rehabilitation medical delivery system connecting acute, recovery, maintenance phases, and the community, and provide intensive treatment for patients discharged from acute phase institutions. There are 45 such institutions nationwide.

In this pilot project, rehabilitation medical institutions will operate home-visit rehabilitation teams with internal staff, and physical and occupational therapists will visit patients' homes to provide rehabilitation therapy considering the patient's condition and living environment. The home-visit rehabilitation team consists of doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and social workers. The initial home-visit rehabilitation therapy is conducted by a team of two therapists or one therapist and one social worker, and subsequent visits may be conducted by a single therapist depending on the patient's condition.

Rehabilitation medical institutions will prioritize establishing home-visit rehabilitation plans at the time of discharge or after discharge and provide home-visit rehabilitation therapy twice a week (60 minutes per session) for up to 90 days (3 months). Depending on the patient's functional status at the end of the home-visit rehabilitation period, an additional 30 days (1 month) may be added.

Additionally, a management fee will be established to enable two-way sharing of patient status between the rehabilitation team within the medical institution and the home-visit team.

A Ministry of Health and Welfare official stated, "Through this pilot project, securing continuity of rehabilitation therapy will help reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions and support patients' return home, which will contribute to reducing overall medical costs and social burdens."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.