OBJECTIVES: Medical service items and pharmaceuticals are parts of health technologies. However, the management of new medical service items is quite different from that of new pharmaceuticals in China. This study aims to map and compare the provincial management of new medical service items in China in order to inform national-level coordination.

METHODS: Literature review was used to collect policy documents and research articles related to the management of new medical services at national level and provincial level of China. After conducting cross-province mapping of key variables such as the definition of new medical service items, management body, applicant institution, approval process, pricing, and transferal to regular items, we explored the potential effects of the recent national pilots of deepening medical service price reform on the management of new medical service items.

RESULTS: The management of new medical service items was decentralized to provincial level in China. The practices of defining new medical service items differed across provinces. In most provinces, public hospitals were the applicant institutions for new medical service items, and the Healthcare Security Administration were responsible for the approval process with the support of the Health Commission, professional organizations and specialists with clinical, financial, and pricing expertise. The approved new medical service items would typically undergo a 2-year trial period, followed by the decision of transferring to regular items and medical insurance reimbursement. The recent national pilots of deepening medical service price reform categorized the medical service items into two types and introduced new dynamic pricing adjustment mechanism, which may have profound influence on the management of new medical service items.

CONCLUSIONS: The management of new medical service items shared many common practices across provinces in China, while varied to some extent and also carried forseeable uncertainty because of the ongoing national pilots of deepening medical service price reform.