Vietnam Ministry of Health proposes digital medical referrals via VNeID

The Ministry of Health is proposing amendments to Circular 01/2025/TT-BYT to streamline medical referral processes and improve benefits for health insurance participants. Key proposals include extending the validity of medical referral slips from 10 days to 20 days to better accommodate patients, particularly those managing chronic illnesses.

Under the new draft, patients could use digital versions of referral slips and follow-up appointment notices via the VNeID application, the health insurance assessment system, or electronic documents with digital signatures. QR codes on paper documents would also be valid for lookup. For patients with chronic diseases or those undergoing long-term treatment, referral slips between medical facilities could remain valid for one year.

The proposal also aims to address current logistical challenges, such as the lack of interoperability between diagnostic information and medical records from higher-level hospitals to local clinics. The Ministry intends to base patient transfers on professional requirements and the receiving facility's treatment capacity rather than traditional hospital rankings or technical tiers.