The National Health Commission held a press conference on the afternoon of the 16th to brief on efforts to promote the high-quality development of integrated medical and elderly care. Wang Haidong, Director of the Department of Aging Health of the National Health Commission, said that surveys show more than 90% of elderly people in China choose to age at home. In recent years, the National Health Commission has focused on advancing the development of home- and community-based integrated medical and elderly care services.

First, community initiatives are being carried out to enhance the capacity of home- and community-based integrated medical and elderly care services. A community action to improve integrated medical and elderly care capacity has been organized, relying on community (township) service institutions for medical care and elderly care to enhance service capacity and increase service supply, with a focus on providing integrated medical and elderly care services to elderly people who are disabled, have chronic diseases, are of advanced age, or have disabilities. Community (township) medical and health institutions and elderly care institutions are encouraged to plan jointly and build adjacent facilities. Medical and health institutions with the capacity to do so are supported in adding elderly care beds. A pilot program for "Internet Plus Nursing Services" has been launched to increase the supply of home-visit nursing services. Family doctor contracting is being carried out with elderly people as a priority group, providing home-visit services to disabled elderly people in need.

Second, the content of home- and community-based integrated medical and elderly care services is being enriched. Basic public health elderly health management and elderly health and integrated medical and elderly care service programs are being carried out. Primary-level medical and health institutions provide

· health management services to 127 million people aged 65 and above.

· integrated medical and elderly care services such as rehabilitation guidance and nutrition improvement guidance to more than 54 million elderly people.

· disability assessments to more than 12 million elderly people.

· nursing guidance and other services to 6 million disabled elderly people.

Medical and health institutions are supported in providing eight types of home- and community-based integrated medical and elderly care services to elderly people, including health education, health management, medical rounds, home sickbeds, home-based medical care, traditional Chinese medicine, psychological and mental support, and referrals.

Third, the sustainability of home- and community-based integrated medical and elderly care services is being ensured. The pricing policy for "home-visit service fees" has been clarified. Public medical and health institutions providing home-visit medical services to elderly people charge according to the method of "medical service price + home-visit service fee," which has motivated public medical and health institutions to provide home-visit medical services to elderly people. Provinces such as Fujian, Henan, and Shaanxi have already added a "home-visit service fee" pricing item in relevant medical insurance policy documents to support the provision of home-visit medical services to elderly people.