Patients' endorsement is our strength to keep moving forward!

By Andrew T. Huang, MD

This year, my birthday was just a few days apart from the Lunar New Year, so I received many well-wishes. Honestly, at my age, whether it's celebrating a birthday or the New Year, I'm grateful to have lived another day, but I'm also reminded that my time is getting shorter and I need to hurry up and complete the tasks I haven't finished in my life.

I must say, for over thirty years, my only concern has been the sustainable development of Hsing Hospital. Thirty-four years ago, the hospital started from scratch with a mission to create a quality work environment for medical staff and a friendly, safe, and quality-assured healthcare setting for patients.

I believe by encouraging our staff to excel in their professions and allowing them to perform their duties efficiently and accurately, we can provide the best care and achieve the best medical outcomes for our patients.

It's comforting that, five years after the hospital's establishment, Hsing Hospital pioneered the synergistic effect of multidisciplinary team medicine, which was reflected in the 55% average five-year survival rate of our patients, about twice the national average at that time.

After more than thirty years of continuous experience accumulation and improvement, the average five-year survival rate for all patients at Hsing Hospital has now reached 75%, about 20% higher than the national average.

Here, I must point out that cancer patient care requires input from various specialties and higher professional demands. Therefore, in the United States, Medicare (CMS) pays about 20% to 40% more to cancer specialty hospitals than to general hospitals.

However, in Taiwan, the payment system under national health insurance is crude. Whether it's a quick consultation for a cold or a 40-minute visit for stage 4 cancer, outpatient fees are the same at 200 points, and ward fees are paid according to the hospital's level. Because Hsing has fewer beds, it's categorized as a regional hospital, receiving lower payments than medical centers.

The pay-for-performance system is particularly disadvantageous for us, mainly focusing on cancer patient care. While doctors in most medical centers see hundreds of patients, our doctors average only about twenty. Therefore, under Taiwan's health insurance system, operating Hsing has been extremely challenging for over thirty years. I remember when health insurance was first introduced, a prominent figure in Taiwan's hospital management publicly said that Huang Dafu's approach would not last a few years.

Fortunately, his prediction did not come true. Nearly thirty years after the implementation of health insurance, Hsing Hospital still stands in the Guandu Plain. Regrettably, besides investing energy in running Hsing Hospital, I also spent a lot of effort on health insurance reform, but never made significant progress. Promoting health insurance in the right direction remains an extremely important task I have yet to complete in this life.

Before completing this task, I worry that my colleagues will become discouraged by the continuing deterioration of Taiwan's medical environment and lose their passion for striving for patients.

There's always a way out. Before the New Year, Dean Zheng Shouxia of the National Taiwan University School of Public Health released the "Pioneer Study on the Operational Model of Inpatient Medical Experience Survey" conducted under the commission of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It revealed patient satisfaction reports (PRHQ) for all hospitals in the country, including medical centers, regional hospitals, and district hospitals. Hsing ranked highest in the nation.

Patients encourage us to keep going the right way. This is a great encouragement to the Hsing team, who have worked hard for over thirty years to prioritize patient welfare, and the best New Year's gift.

Our efforts have been felt by patients. They tell us we're doing it right! We must continue on the right path.