The Ministry of Health and six other departments jointly issued the "Guidelines for Centralized Procurement of High Value Medical Consumables (Trial)"

The "Plan and Implementation Plan for Deepening the Reform of the Medical and Health System during the 12th Five Year Plan" (Guo Fa [2012] No. 11) clearly requires "actively promoting the centralized procurement of high-value medical consumables and medical devices". In accordance with the requirements of deepening the reform of the medical and health system, in order to standardize the centralized procurement of high-value medical consumables in various regions, six departments including the Ministry of Health have studied and formulated the "Work Specification for Centralized Procurement of High Value Medical Consumables" (hereinafter referred to as the "Work Specification"). The relevant information about the preparation work is explained as follows:
1、 Background of centralized procurement of high-value medical consumables
Before 2004, there were many problems in the purchase of high-value medical consumables in various regions, such as low concentration ratio, high purchase price, large price difference between regions, heavy burden on enterprises, frequent irregularities in purchase and sales, and irregular behavior of intermediary agencies. In order to standardize the procurement behavior of high-value medical consumables in medical institutions, manage commercial bribery, and effectively reduce the burden of medical expenses on patients, in August 2004, our department organized a pilot project for the procurement of three types of high-value medical consumables, including cardiac intervention consumables, artificial joints, and pacemakers, from tertiary medical institutions in 8 provinces and cities, including Beijing. Through centralized procurement, the prices of the above-mentioned high-value consumables have significantly decreased.
From 2008 to 2009, on the basis of pilot work in 8 provinces and cities, our department entrusted the International Cooperation and Exchange Center of the Ministry of Health to carry out two rounds of centralized procurement work for some key high-value medical consumables in China, mainly involving high-value medical consumables such as cardiac pacemakers, cardiac interventions (including peripheral interventions, menstrual interventions, and electrophysiology). In 2010, we carried out supplementary work for new products. Through centralized procurement, the purchase prices of four types of high-value medical consumables have been further reduced, reducing the burden on patients. At the same time, it has also explored models and accumulated experience for the centralized procurement of high-value medical consumables in various regions. According to relevant requirements, starting from 2010, the centralized procurement of high-value medical consumables will be organized and implemented by each province (district, city).
In accordance with the requirements of deepening the reform of the medical and health system, various regions actively explore the centralized procurement of high-value medical consumables. Many provinces (regions, cities) such as Sichuan, Ningxia, Jiangsu, Hubei, Zhejiang, etc. have carried out centralized procurement of some high-value medical consumables on a provincial basis based on local conditions, achieving good social results.
2、 The process of preparing the 'Work Specification'
To further guide the centralized procurement of high-value medical consumables in various regions, based on a comprehensive summary of the experience in the centralized procurement of high-value medical consumables across the country and some provinces, we have carried out the preparation of the "Work Specification". During the drafting process, we held multiple thematic symposiums to comprehensively solicit opinions and suggestions from relevant experts, some provinces, medical institutions, industry associations, and enterprises, and formed a draft of the "Work Norms" for soliciting opinions.
On September 21, 2012, we officially solicited opinions from the public on the draft of the "Work Norms". We received a total of 65 feedback on revisions from various sectors of society. After sorting out, we adopted all reasonable suggestions and ultimately formed the "High Value Medical Consumables Centralized Procurement Work Norms (Trial)".
3、 The main content of the Work Norms