Many places are vigorously promoting the entry of chronic disease medical insurance into pharmacies, and the incremental market can be expected in the future

In recent years, in order to reduce the drug burden of patients, the state has accelerated the inclusion of more and more life-saving and emergency-saving drugs into the medical insurance catalogue through medical insurance negotiations, and the price has been greatly reduced and included in medical insurance reimbursement
.

It is worth mentioning that as more and more chronic disease drugs are included in medical insurance, chronic disease medical insurance has also begun to open up
to designated retail pharmacies.

It is reported that since September 1, the designated retail pharmacies for chronic diseases in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, have begun to implement normalized acceptance, and then declared quarterly, which is carried out at the same time as the designated declaration of ordinary pharmacies, and the designated retail pharmacies for chronic diseases are not limited
by the number.

Theoretically, a designated retail pharmacy that voluntarily applies can undertake chronic disease settlement business
as long as it is eligible.

This also means that the chronic disease medical insurance in Xi'an has been fully liberalized to the designated pharmacies in the
city.

At present, more than 1,000 pharmacies in Xi'an have applied
.

Industry analysts believe that in the chain pharmacies in the northeast and northwest regions, the sales and quantity of chronic disease drugs account for a relatively high proportion, and the market demand base for chronic disease drugs is large
.

Today, Xi'an, located in the northwest, has fully liberalized the medical insurance qualification for chronic diseases to designated pharmacies in the city, which means that the city's pharmacies are expected to achieve performance growth
with the help of policy dividends.

In fact, since 2021, the "dual-channel" policy promulgated by the state and the successive introduction of policies on "special chronic disease designated retail pharmacies to enjoy medical insurance overall payment treatment" have opened up the demand for prescription drugs, especially outpatient special diseases and outpatient chronic disease drugs, at the retail end, bringing growth space to the retail industry
.

For example, in order to facilitate the purchase of drugs by patients with chronic diseases and improve the satisfaction of patients with medical treatment, since last year, Hubei Yidu Medical Insurance Bureau has begun to further optimize the diagnosis and treatment services for patients with chronic diseases and actively plan the declaration of
designated retail pharmacies.

Through the early voluntary application, acceptance and review, on-site assessment, public announcement, system interface transformation and other work processes, 51 designated retail pharmacies were identified to be included in the service agreement management
of slow-gate designated pharmacies.

From 1 May, chronically ill patients can bring their personal Medicare card and prescriptions from doctors with Medicare physician qualifications to enjoy direct reimbursement services for drug purchases at these pharmacies
.

In addition, Hubei Xiaogan has also formulated the "Work Plan for the Selection of Designated Pharmacies for Chronic Disease Designated Pharmacies for Employees at the Municipal Level" in accordance with the "Interim Measures for the Fixed-point Management of Medical Security in Retail Pharmacies"
.

As soon as the selection announcement was issued, applications from more than 80 pharmacies were immediately received
.

In order to open up the fast track for approval, the Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau and the Municipal Market Supervision Bureau have broken through information barriers, so that the "proof of no violation of the law" originally provided by the market entity can be mutually recognized online, and the "market entity running errands" into "information running"
.

The two also jointly formulated a memorandum of cooperation on the service management of medical insurance designated pharmacies and explored the establishment of a long-term management mechanism
.

At present, after qualification review, on-site verification, results publicity and other links, the discipline inspection and supervision team has supervised the whole process, 44 pharmacies have been shortlisted, and an agreement has been signed with the Municipal Medical Security Service Center on July 29 to be included in daily management
.

The pharmacy has newly opened a chronic disease service area to enjoy free blood pressure and blood sugar measurement services
.

The industry believes that the continuous liberalization of designated retail pharmacies for chronic diseases is a favorable policy for the majority of chronic disease patients, and it will be more convenient to
purchase chronic disease drugs with medical insurance.

In the future, from hundreds of pharmacies to thousands of pharmacies, it is expected that more and more pharmacies at their doorstep will be able to purchase drugs for chronic diseases and directly settle for medical insurance
.

Disclaimer: Under no circumstances does the information herein or the opinions expressed in this article constitute investment advice
to any person.