The Health Bureau announced today (March 20) that the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme (CDCC Pilot Scheme) will be expanded to provide blood lipid testing starting from March 28. In addition, starting from April 15, over 20 additional service points will be introduced across the city to provide dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services for eligible District Health Centre/Express (DHC/DHCE) members who have not participated in the CDCC Pilot Scheme.
Expansion of CDCC Pilot Scheme screening service scope to blood lipid testing
The Government launched the CDCC Pilot Scheme in November 2023 to subsidise eligible participants through pairing with a family doctor of their choice to undergo diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT) screening, as well as attending doctor consultation and receiving laboratory services in the private healthcare sector on a co-payment basis, with a view to achieving "early prevention, early identification and early treatment". Starting from March 28, the scope of screening under the CDCC Pilot Scheme will be expanded to include blood lipid testing in addition to DM and HT screening to achieve full coverage of the "three highs", with a view to implementing the policy initiative as set out in "The Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address", allowing more citizens to comprehensively assess and manage their cardiovascular disease risk factors through the Scheme.
The eligibility criteria for the CDCC Pilot Scheme will remain unchanged (i.e. Hong Kong residents aged 45 or above with no known medical history of DM or HT). The Government subsidies for consultation visits, and the co-payment amount to be paid by the participants will remain at the current level. If participants are diagnosed with hyperlipidaemia, they are entitled to a maximum of four subsidised consultation visits in the first year, and a maximum of two subsidised consultation visits annually from the second year onwards. If they are also diagnosed with prediabetes or suffering from DM or HT, they are entitled to a maximum of four or six subsidised consultation visits per year respectively. The arrangements for subsidised consultation visits will be similar to the current arrangement. Healthcare professionals will also arrange for the participants to receive dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services under the district health network according to their clinical conditions and needs.
The basic-tier drug list of the CDCC Pilot Scheme covers basic drugs for treating chronic diseases (including anti-diabetic drugs, anti-hypertensive drugs and lipid-regulating drugs) as well as episodic illnesses. Participants prescribed with drugs on the list will not be required to pay for such medication. Participants who are confirmed with no sign of DM, HT or hyperlipidaemia upon screening can receive follow-up and assistance in setting health management goals from the DHC/DHCEs, and will be arranged to participate in activities to promote healthy lifestyles according to their health needs to maintain good health.
The Government has announced earlier that the Primary Healthcare Commission will expand the CDCC Pilot Scheme to designated General Out-patient Clinics under the Hospital Authority in three phases, providing preventive screening and healthcare services for the underprivileged group. Relevant services will also cover blood lipid testing from the same date.
In addition, starting from April 15, podiatry services of the dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services under the CDCC Pilot Scheme will be enhanced. Podiatrists will conduct foot assessments for participants with DM and/or HT and provide treatment plans on problems such as foot ulcers, peripheral vascular disease, neuropathy or foot deformities.
Expansion of dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services to DHC/DHCE members
Following the provision of dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services for participants in the CDCC Pilot Scheme by the Government since January 20, the DHC/DHCEs will also introduce dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services at over 20 service points across Hong Kong to provide personalised chronic disease management, pain management and rehabilitation services to their members who have not participated in the CDCC Pilot Scheme from April 15.
The dedicated nurse clinics will provide initial assessments on osteoarthritis of knee and back pain, basic self-management and dietary advice and counselling, muscle and joint function assessments, as well as checking of common women's health issues to members in need. Occupational therapists will provide assessment of capabilities in daily life and personalised functional therapy activities for patients with knee osteoarthritis, back pain and stroke, as well as advising patients and their carers on assistive devices and home environment improvements to reduce fall risks and enhance their self-management and self-care ability in daily life. Chinese medicine practitioners will provide acupuncture and acupressure treatment for patients. Physiotherapists will provide clinical consultations and appropriate intervention treatments including pain relief modality, electrotherapy and manual therapy for complex cases (such as individuals suffering from both overweight and joint pain). Speech therapists will provide assessment and training to patients with difficulties in swallowing, speaking or communication due to stroke, and provide advice on feeding and dietary improvement to the patients suffering from stroke or their carers. Dietitians will design personalised meal plans and provide targeted nutritional guidance to participants. The addresses and service hours of relevant service points will be uploaded to the DHC website (www.dhc.gov.hk/en/healthcare_service_providers.html) on the service effective date.
The co-payment model will be adopted for DHC/DHCE members receiving dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services. Eligible individuals will receive partial subsidies from the Government and pay a designated co-payment fee for services. The co-payment fee for DHC/DHCE members and CDCC Pilot Scheme participants receiving dedicated nurse clinic and allied health services are set out in the Annex.
The CDCC Pilot Scheme has received a positive response since its launch, and over 100 000 participants have joined the programme to date. As at March 12 this year (provisional figures), about 62 700 participants have completed screenings, of which around 24 200 (nearly 40 per cent) have been diagnosed with prediabetes, DM or HT and have entered the treatment phase. The Government will continue to promote the CDCC Pilot Scheme to encourage citizens to prevent and manage chronic diseases proactively, thereby enhancing the overall health of the general public.
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