提升遥距医疗管治研究报告：促进消费者信任与创新

19August 2025 Content 1.Background2.Study Findings3.Views of Stakeholders4.Regulatory Regimes in Other Markets5.Recommendations Part 1BACKGROUND Telehealth Enhances Access to Care Growinghealthcareneeds •The population of Hong Kong is facing an ageing demographic characterised by increasedlongevity,alongwithariseinthepercentageofindividualssufferingfromchronicdiseases.Thisdemographicshiftismountingunprecedentedpressureonthehealthcaresystem. Thepotentialoftelehealth •With ongoing technological advancements,telehealth can offer patients more convenient,affordableandqualityaccesstohealthcareserviceswhilealsoimprovingefficiency. •Climatechangemaycontributetothespreadofinfectiousdiseases,makingphysicalvisitstohealthcarefacilitieslessfeasible;insuchscenarios,telehealthcanplayacrucialroleinensuringcontinuedaccesstohealthcareservices.•Telehealthmightextendtocross-boundaryusageinthefuture,yettherearechallengessuchascross-boundaryliabilityanddatatransferissues,particularlywhenhealthcareservicesoperateacrossdifferentjurisdictions. Telehealth Enhances Access to Care (Cont’d) Strategicdirection Global DefinitionoftelehealthbytheWHO •The WorldHealthOrganization(WHO)urgedatthe71stWorldHealth Assembly in 2018 the use of digitaltechnologiesforhealth,andhassetoutaGlobalDigitalHealthStrategytoprovideguidanceforMemberStates’effortsinthearea. •Asat2021,120ofits194MemberStateshaddevelopedsuchstrategiesandpolicies. “Thedelivery of healthcare services,wherepatients and providers areseparatedbydistance. Telehealthusesinformationandcommunicationtechnologies for theexchangeofinformationforthediagnosisand treatment of diseasesandinjuries,research and evaluation,andfor the continuing education ofhealthprofessionals.” HongKong •Comparedwithothermarkets,HongKonghasadoptedaratherprudent approach to leverage telehealth in itshealthcaresystem.•Torealisethefullpotentialoftelehealth,itwillrequireadedicatedandintegratedapproach. Scope of the Study Whilethescopeoftelehealthservicesvariesamongdifferentplaces,telehealthbroadlyrefersto“teleconsultation”and“telemonitoring”services.ThisStudyprimarilyfocuseson“teleconsultation”intheprivate sector,under the broader umbrella oftelehealthapplication. 13healthcareprofessions*arerequiredto undergostatutoryregistration/enrolmentinordertopractiseinHongKong.Amongthoseofferingtelehealthservices,theStudy focuses on medical practitioners andChinesemedicinepractitioners(CMPs)(collectivelyreferredtoasMPsinthisStudyunlessotherwisespecified),only for whom guidelines ontelemedicinearecurrentlyavailable. Theterms describing the provision of healthcareservicesbyinformationandcommunicationtechnologies,suchas“telemedicine”,“teleconsultation”,and“virtual care”are referred as“telehealth”inthisStudy. *13 healthcare professions include medical practitioners,dentists,nurses,CMPs,physiotherapists,occupationaltherapists,medicallaboratorytechnologists,optometrists,radiographers,chiropractors,dental hygienists,midwives andpharmacists. Adoption of Telehealth in Hong Kong TheoutbreakofCOVID-19pandemicledtoquarantineandsocialdistancingmeasures,acceleratingtheadoptionoftelehealthservices. Private•TelehealthserviceshavebeenprovidedbyMPsindividuallyorthroughprivate Public healthcarefacilities(PHFs),telehealthplatformsandinsurancecompanies. •Marketsize/sharestatisticscouldnotbeassessedduetotheabsenceofanexhaustivelistofserviceproviders. •InJan2021,theHospitalAuthority’s(HA)mobileapplication“HAGo”launchedfeaturesenablingtelehealthforsuitablepatients. •According to a LegislativeCouncil paper, as of Jan 2025,>265,000 “telemedicine”caseshad been conducted. HA Go •Telehealth has been introducedin various clinicservices, suchas Geriatric, Palliative Medicine,Psychiatric and Diabetic, aswell as Allied Health clinic ofvarious disciplines,e.g.ClinicalPsychology, Physiotherapy andSpeech Therapy. TheCouncil received 7 complaint cases related to telehealth services from Jan 2020 to Jun 2025,with non-delivery/refund(57.1%)beingthemostcommonreasonforcomplaints. Regulatory Framework on Telehealth in Hong Kong TelehealthisstillinthedevelopingstageinHongKong,andtheGovernmentandprofessionalmedicalorganisationshavegraduallyintroducedregulatoryframeworksandguidelinesontelemedicinesince2019. Amongthetelehealthserviceproviders,onlyPHFsandMPsaresubjecttorelevantregulatoryframeworks/guidelinescurrently.Meanwhile,thereisnospecificmonitoringauthoritygoverningtelehealthplatformsoperatedbynon-PHFsandinsurancecompanies,whicharenotsubjecttothe“premises-based”PrivateHealthcareFacilitiesOrdinance(Cap.633)andrelevantguidelines,butrelyonethicalguidelinesforMPs. Codes of practices for PHFs Keyhighlightsrelatedtotelehealth: •DepartmentofHealth(DH) Establishment of policies and procedures to ensure overallstandard of caredelivered by“telemedicine”is notcompromised as compared with in-person service. •Code of Practice for Private Hospitals(CoP for PH) (2024)(Para.12.9.1-12.9.4)•Code of Practice for Day ProcedureCentres(CoP for DPC