During the COVID-19 pandemic, non-face-to-face medical consultations were conducted without distinguishing between initial and follow-up visits. However, from the 1st, a pilot project emphasizing the principle of follow-up visits has been implemented, causing confusion in the industry. Meanwhile, the government has reaffirmed its stance on the follow-up visit principle.
On the 7th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated in a press release, “The principle is that doctors should examine patients face-to-face,” and reiterated, “Non-face-to-face consultations are a means to complement such face-to-face medical care.” The ministry further explained, “Most of the bills submitted to the National Assembly also specify this, and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends implementing non-face-to-face consultations under the condition that they supplement, not replace, face-to-face medical services between doctors and patients.”
Non-face-to-face consultations, temporarily permitted during the COVID-19 pandemic, were not legalized and almost became illegal from the 1st when the COVID-19 crisis level was downgraded to ‘alert.’ However, the government continued them as a pilot project. In this pilot project, conditions such as the principle of follow-up visits and exceptional allowance for initial visits were imposed, leading platform companies to protest, saying, “There is great confusion on the ground.” In this context, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s announcement indicates a willingness to listen to the difficulties faced in non-face-to-face medical services but emphasizes that the principle of follow-up visits and non-face-to-face consultations as a supplementary means to face-to-face care cannot be changed.
The Remote Medical Industry Council, composed of non-face-to-face medical platforms, reported on the 5th that “the rejection rate of non-face-to-face consultation requests increased fivefold after the pilot project,” citing difficulties in distinguishing between initial and follow-up visits on the ground. In response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, “For follow-up non-face-to-face consultations, patients who have received face-to-face care within one year for chronic diseases or within 30 days for other conditions must inform the medical institution, and the institution should verify whether the patient has received face-to-face care based on medical records. This is no different from face-to-face consultations.” It also added, “In cases where initial non-face-to-face consultations are possible, the medical institution should verify necessary documents such as certificates via video and conduct the consultation, recording the details in the medical records.”
The ministry also cited a Supreme Court precedent issued on November 5, 2020. It stated, “Medical acts performed remotely via telephone or other means to patients in remote locations are violations of the Medical Service Act unless there are special circumstances,” and added, “Considering the Supreme Court precedent and the nature of the pilot project, fully permitting non-face-to-face consultations through the government’s pilot project is practically impossible.”
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said, “Therefore, the government started the pilot project limited to follow-up patients for whom non-face-to-face consultations can be considered safe and medically vulnerable groups (residents of remote areas, elderly or disabled persons with mobility difficulties, etc.) for whom non-face-to-face consultations are unavoidable,” and “We will work with the National Assembly to ensure that non-face-to-face consultations can be legalized as soon as possible.”
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