According to the NHIA's plan, starting in 2025, the pre-approval assessment for the access to NHI-reimbursed cancer drugs will be conducted online in a double-blind format. This change aims to improve both the efficiency and fairness of the assessment. In the future, AI tools will be introduced to assist experts in reviewing applications, further enhancing the decision-making process.

Dr. Chiu Tai-Yuan, Minister of the MOHW, stated in a NHIA meeting that cancer has been the leading cause of death in Taiwan for 42 consecutive years. Increasing the cancer survival rate is an important public health issue, encompassing everything from screening to treatment. The NHIA and hospitals are working closely on the national cancer prevention plan to improve the digital infrastructure for cancer treatments.

One of the key aspects of digital transformation is realizing the interchangeability of existing medical data. According to Dr. Chiu, the pre-approval assessment for the access to cancer drug based on electronic medical records will help integrate and share patients' diagnosis and treatment information, thereby improving doctors' prescriptions.

Dr. Shih Chung-Liang, the Director-General of the NHIA, highlighted the preliminary results of the digital transformation in cancer treatment, which include the digitalization and interchangeability of records for NGS applications, severe injury certificate applications for cancer patients, pre-approval applications for using cancer drugs, and tracking of cancer cases. This digitalized information can be used to support HTA for new cancer drugs, clinical trials, medical studies, new drug R&D, and more.

In 2024, the NHIA piloted a scheme to conduct the pre-approval assessment for the use of cancer drugs based on electronic data. Forty hospitals have enrolled in this pilot scheme. Starting in 2025, the pre-approval assessment will be conducted in a double-blind and online format. The NHIA also plans to introduce AI-assisted assessment tools in the future.

Dr. Shish Chung-Liang stated that paper-based assessments are time-consuming and troublesome, as they require doctors to personally visit NHIA offices to do the assessment. In contrast, online pre-approval assessments will utilize AI tools to assist with Stage 1 screening, ensuring the completeness of applications. It also allows doctors to conduct reviews online, eliminating the need for travel. The target review time is set at three days.

Dr. Shih highlighted that this digital transformation of cancer treatment is patient-centered, aiming to improve the efficiency and transparency of the treatment process. It also seeks to create an ecosystem for precision medicine and to establish a digitalized real-time cancer-related information bank. Dr. Shih believes that this new approach will enhance medical standards and quality in Taiwan.

【2024-12-30 / Central News Agency】