Core Viewpoint - The National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) has implemented a pilot program for disease-based payment management to enhance the standardization of medical insurance payments, transitioning from a fee-for-service model to a bundled payment approach [1][3]. Group 1: Payment Reform - The traditional fee-for-service model in China has led to excessive medical practices, prompting the NHSA to promote a disease-based payment system since 2019, which groups patients by similar conditions and sets a standard payment based on historical data [1][3]. - As of the end of 2024, over 90% of hospital discharges will be covered under the disease-based payment system, which aims to reduce unnecessary hospital stays and costs [6]. Group 2: Impact on Medical Institutions - The reform has led to more standardized medical practices, reduced time and costs, and shorter average hospital stays [3]. - Medical institutions can apply for special cases for patients with long hospital stays or high resource consumption, allowing for project-based payments or adjusted payment standards after NHSA review [5]. Group 3: Patient Experience - The payment reform does not impose restrictions on hospital stay durations, and NHSA has not set limits like "no more than 15 days per hospitalization," ensuring patients receive adequate treatment [6]. - Patients benefit from reduced personal financial burdens due to fewer unnecessary medical services, as the reimbursement is based on a percentage of the costs incurred [8]. Group 4: Day Surgery Promotion - The disease-based payment system encourages hospitals to adopt day surgery practices, with nearly 60% of tertiary public hospitals now offering such services, which can complete treatment within 24 hours [9]. - In Shandong Province, day surgery reforms allow patients to undergo simple procedures and be discharged within 24 hours, significantly reducing hospital stay durations and costs by approximately 30% [11][13].