Guidelines on doctors’ fees could be reinstated

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http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/guidelines-doctors-fees-could-be-reinstated?singlepage=true

Doctors’ fee guidelines could be reinstated and, this time, the hope is that laws governing them will be amended to override competition regulations here.

The Singapore Medical Council (SMC) — the body that regulates and registers doctors — is internally reviewing the guidelines and principles for “determining ethical and reasonable medical fees”.

Subject to its final proposal, the Council agreed in principle that “perhaps the Medical Registration Act should be amended to include a provision to override any competition commission concerns on setting of fees and to allow SMC (or another body) to set fees”, the report stated.

No timeline was given and, when contacted, the SMC confirmed its review but did not elaborate.

The issue of fee guidelines for doctors has been a contentious one. Last year, the Court of Appeal ruled that the S$24 million that surgeon Susan Lim had charged a Bruneian royal had gone beyond what should be morally charged, and suggested that the SMA publish actual fees charged in the private sector.

The judgment led some to question what the “ethical limits” were, as well as the need for objective benchmarks.

The SMA could not respond to TODAY’s queries by press time, but the association — which represents the majority of doctors here — had last October supported private healthcare provider Parkway Pantai’s publishing of fees for 30 common procedures offered at its four hospitals, based on actual patients’ bills.

Mr Seah Seng Choon, executive director of the Consumers Association of Singapore, said there should be an independent body consisting of various stakeholders to oversee any adjustments in fee recommendations, if fee guidelines must be re-introduced.