Page 82 - 2022 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report

municipal governments can conduct surveys to gauge user satisfaction from time to time.
B. Using a deduction system, municipal governments are entitled to stop giving new assignments to contractors that have accumulated enough minus points. A serious enough violation may lead to termination of contract and transfer of service users to another provider. This exit mechanism is designed to protect the rights of service users.
(3) Improving Service Quality and Keeping Up Management:
A. Making good use of reporting to the long-term care payment audit system: Municipal governments shall check such reports against the service records of long-term care institutions and caregiver registrations on a regular basis. Upon detection of irregularities (such as numbers of services rendered, concentrated sums, or higher-than- average figures), they shall take the initiative to investigate and offer guidance for improvement when warranted.
B. When it comes to matching long-term care services, municipal governments shall also establish a service quality appraisal and management mechanism. To urge municipal governments to take such guidance and management seriously, the MOHW is ready to include the said appraisal and management mechanism and their investigations of irregularities in its health administration evaluation in 2022.
3. Municipal governments shall go over population and other data of all the administrative regions in their jurisdiction before planning allocations of long-term care resources based on local supply and demand conditions. They shall consider the size of each region, population density, and resources distribution in assigning areas for outsourcing long-term care services, thereby balancing regional development.
4. Drawing on evaluation to induce service quality improvement: In 2021, the MOHW includes "family care quality management" and "local governments' mechanism" in its evaluation of health administration performance. As such, local governments are encouraged to undertake related measures. In terms of family care quality management, local governments must establish indicators of irregularity as well as conduct spot checks regularly and compile records. They shall also analyze, and review inspection results. If irregularities are detected, and they must present remedial strategies when warranted.
3. Program for Attaining Service Excellence at Long-Term Care Institutions
Long-term care institutions have long been a mixed bag in terms of service quality. Even households that can afford it often find institutions of reasonable quality unavailable and thus inaccessible. In 2020, the MOHW implemented the Program for Attaining Service Excellence at Long-Term Care Institutions. Four quality gauges were introduced for five types of long-term care institutions: senior citizens' welfare institutions (excluding security beds), institutions for the physically or mentally disabled (excluding those offering early intervention), general nursing homes, and psychiatric nursing homes. The said gauges are compliant in reporting requested information, improvement of public security, provision of reasonable personal space, and enhancement of care quality. Those meeting all the requirements would be rewarded. In 2021, there were granted to 1,402 institutions.
▏Section 2
User Satisfaction with Long-Term Care 2.0
In January 2022, the MOHW commissioned a telephone poll to assess the performance of service providers during household visits. Canvassing long-term care recipients in 2021 or their families, the survey collected information about user perspectives and experiences for future policy making, thereby increasing service quality and better meeting people's needs. The overall satisfaction rate came in at 93.7%.
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