The centralized procurement of 5 categories of consumables is coming, with the lowest price linkage possibly being canceled.

Purchasing varieties include:

endoscopic stapler, neuro-specific coil, ultrasonic scalpel head, vacuum blood collection tube

2. Orthopedic trauma: locking compression plate system, regular plate system, intramedullary nail system, screws used individually.

Variety classification is as follows:

In terms of the selection rules, endoscopic staplers, neuro-specific coils, ultrasonic scalpel heads, vacuum blood collection tubes, separately chargeable screws, and orthopedic plates, still follow the common procurement model of the lowest price linkage. The quoted prices must not be higher than the lowest winning bid prices of the products in the centralized procurements across various provinces.

However, in the selection rules for bone plates and intramedullary nails, it is only stated that "the system quotation should not be higher than the original winning price of the same system in Jiangsu by the originally selected company in Jiangsu, to be considered as a potential winner," without mentioning the linkage to the lowest procurement price from other provinces. Currently, the document is a draft for comments, and it is uncertain whether this will be supplemented in the official document.

At present, the lowest price linkage model has been basically implemented in the procurement of consumables and online procurement. Previously, the low-price linkage was mainly declared by the enterprises themselves, but after a comprehensive upgrade of the procurement system, data interoperability has been achieved. Under this trend, any reduction in the price of consumables in one place will affect the national price of the product. Therefore, enterprises must consider the product pricing comprehively.

[Map: Cailian器械]

comprehensive governance of drug and consumable prices

Innovation field has new moves‍‍‍‍‍

Since 2018, the management of consumables prices has been continuously deepened.

As an important means of squeezing out the price水分of consumables, volume-based procurement has basically achieved full coverage of major categories. According to the plan of the National Healthcare Security Administration, the 6th batch of high-value medical consumables centralized procurement will be carried out in the second half of this year. At the same time, it is expected that around 20 specialized national alliance procurements will be conducted at the local level (including traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal decoctions, and high-value consumables, etc.). 注：在翻译过程中，“价格水分”是一个比较难以直接翻译的概念，通常指的是商品或服务的价格中不合理的部分或虚高的成分。如果需要更贴切的表达，可能需要根据上下文调整为如“unreasonable price components”或者“price bubbles”。但按照要求，这里直接翻译为了“price水分”。

At the local level, four medical consumables alliances are scheduled for centralized procurement by 2025. Hunan will lead the national joint procurement of high-frequency electric knife heads; Hebei will take the lead in the centralized procurement of aortic stents and abdominal aortic stents; Fujian will lead the national joint procurement of 1-2 categories of consumables; Heilongjiang will lead the centralized procurement of vena cava filters and ablation electrode consumables.

In addition, the comprehensive management of "consumables + services" pricing is being gradually advanced.

Not long ago, the field of central venous administration underwent such a round of comprehensive price management. In terms of consumables, the National Medical Insurance Administration guided the medical insurance departments of relevant provinces to hold talks with 68 domestic and foreign production enterprises and import agents, urging companies to actively reduce excessive markups in intermediate distribution channels, lower terminal listing prices, and promote relative coordination between centralized procurement winning bid prices and listing prices.

Taking the infusion port as an example, before the price regulation, the prices of high-pressure resistant infusion ports from various companies were concentrated between 5000 yuan and 10000 yuan. After the price regulation, most companies voluntarily committed to adjusting their sales prices to below 2700 yuan. At the same time, for individual companies whose prices after rectification are still significantly higher than similar products, a "red and yellow label" management is implemented. When medical institutions place orders on the centralized procurement platform, they are reminded of the price risk through pop-up warnings (it is still up to the medical institution to decide whether to continue purchasing).

At present, the country is vigorously promoting the compilation of guidelines for medical service price project initiation and guiding localities to standardize and integrate existing price projects. Notably, it also leaves more room for innovative technologies.

In the "Guidelines for the Establishment of Medical Service Price Items for Cardiovascular System (Trial)" released on March 7, it is clearly stated that new price items such as "Ventricular Assist Device Implantation Fee," "Ventricular Assist Device Removal Fee," and "Cardiac Implantable Device Fitting Fee" will be uniformly added nationwide, which benefits the clinical application and promotion of artificial hearts.

At the same time, the National Medical Insurance Administration has communicated individually with five domestic and foreign-funded manufacturing enterprises that have been approved for market release, guiding the companies to appropriately reduce the terminal listing price of "artificial hearts." Among them, Aerospace Tixin has committed to reducing the price to 499,000 yuan per set, lowering the overall cost of "artificial heart" implantation surgery from a million-level to around 700,000 yuan.

Currently, the governance of medical prices has entered a deep-water zone, and a more scientific and refined price revolution will continue. It is expected that in the future, the prices of consumables in innovative frontier fields will gradually decrease. At the same time, this will also promote the accelerated application of valuable innovative technologies in clinical settings, advancing the commercialization process.