MOH Releases New Private Sector Fee Benchmarks To Manage Rising Hospital Cost in Singapore

Singapore is known for its high-quality healthcare system but the hospital cost in Singapore, including hospital fees, has been increasing over the years. There are also differentials in the cost of medical treatment in Singapore and other countries in Southeast Asia that are due to various factors.

As part of its larger strategy to manage the rising hospital cost in Singapore, the Ministry Of Health (MOH) released new benchmark fees for the private healthcare sector on Wednesday (June 14, 2023). This includes hospital fees, and surgeon and anesthetist professional fees. 

The newly released benchmarks were recommended by an independent Fee Benchmarks Advisory Committee (FBAC), chaired by Dr Wee Siew Bock, and accepted by MOH. 

What Are Fee Benchmarks?

The Ministry Of Health (MOH) fee benchmarks are the recommended charges for doctor and hospital fees in the private healthcare sector. These fee benchmarks do not apply to public hospitals.

As an example, the hospital fee benchmark for a cataract surgery is S$2,900 to S$4,400

The private sector’s hospital cost in Singapore comprises two categories – the hospital fees and doctor fees. Hospital fees include room charges, surgical facilities and equipment, medications, nursing services, and others. Doctor fees on the other hand, includes professional fees of the surgeon and anesthetist, as well as doctors’ inpatient attendance fees

The New Fee Benchmarks

The new introduced benchmarks are as follows:

1. Hospital fee benchmarks for 29 common surgical procedures and 8 common medical conditions
2. Surgeon fee benchmarks for 2,100 procedures (With this, all 2,100 procedures which can tap on MediShield Life and MediSave will now be covered.), anesthetist fee benchmarks for 500 procedures, and doctors’ inpatient attendance fee benchmarks.

You may download the full list of fee benchmarks from the MOH website. 

It is to note that some fee components of the hospital fee benchmarks could be charged by the treating doctor, but billed through the hospital. This could vary across hospitals and doctors, even for the same procedure or medical condition.

Adjustments To Existing Fee Benchmarks

The MOH also made adjustments to existing and new doctors’ professional fees by growth factors due to the current hospital cost in Singapore and inflationary pressures faced by doctors. This is in consideration of manpower, rental, and other operating expenses in the past years.

How To Use Fee Benchmarks?

According to the MOH, you may ask your doctor and hospital the following questions before admission:

• What is the Table of Surgical Procedures (TOSP) code or provisional diagnosis for my admission? What is the treatment or procedure for, and are there non-surgical interventions that I could consider?
• What is the expected range of doctors’ and hospital fees for admission, and how do they compare to the MOH fee benchmarks? 
• Are there any components of fees that would be charged by the doctor but not covered by his professional fees and billed through the hospital instead?
• What is the breakdown of fees? Are there any other charges that I should be aware of? 

It is to note that the fee benchmark is a range, and actual hospital costs in Singapore charged by doctors or hospitals may vary depending on different factors.