Health Insurance Board tells providers it will reject claims for unneeded tests

Health Insurance Board tells providers it will reject claims for tests patients do not need

The Health Insurance Board has told the hospitals and clinics it contracts that it will reject claims for tests that do not match an insured patient's symptoms or clinical need, OnlineKhabar reported on Saturday. The board issued the order as a five-point directive. It names vitamin D, vitamin B12 and thyroid tests as examples.

People who take medicine regularly are to get up to three months' supply at a time. The board decided that at a meeting, the report said.

Providers that break the rules face action under section 12 of the Health Insurance Act and rule 19 of its regulations. That action may include cancelling a provider's agreement, the board warned. The report gives no date for the directive and none for when the rules apply.

The board has pushed on this before. In January it warned it could suspend or cancel agreements over unnecessary referrals, Kantipur reported. In July it asked insured people not to demand tests they do not need and doctors not to order them, according to Hamro Patro.

Why it matters: The report does not say how many providers hold contracts with the board, or what happens to claims already filed.

Banks plan to keep some branches open on Dashain holidays except Tika Day

Most banks plan to open selected branches for two to three hours a day over the Dashain holidays, mostly between 11am and 2pm, The Kathmandu Post reported on Saturday. Tika Day is the exception. Some banks will still open a few branches that day.

The branches are to take deposits, pay out cash, issue cheque books and handle SMS and internet banking along with remittance payments and transfers. Deposits have no limit. Withdrawals and remittance payments are capped, and the limits vary by bank. Surendra Raj Regmi, vice-president of the Nepal Bankers' Association, said the aim is to keep basic banking available over the holidays.

Why it matters: The report names no bank, gives no withdrawal limits and does not say whether the central bank issued any instruction.

Planning commission report puts flood damage to education at Rs 4.61 billion, Post reports

A National Planning Commission report puts the Bhotekoshi flood's damage to the education sector at Rs 4.61 billion and proposes a five-year recovery plan costing more than Rs 3 billion, The Kathmandu Post reported. The plan has not been approved.

China begins preparing to reopen the Tatopani crossing, Kantipur reports

Chinese officials have begun coordinating with the local administration to reopen the Tatopani crossing, Kantipur reported on Saturday. Staff at the Nepali offices were told on Friday to be ready, the chief of the Tatopani Immigration Office told the paper. No date has been fixed.

China closed the crossing to imports and exports in late August until further notice, citing landslide risk, The Kathmandu Post reported then. More than 45 containers of Dashain goods are held at Nyalam on the Chinese side, a trader told Kantipur.

Why it matters: Nepal imported goods worth Rs 47.48 billion through Tatopani last fiscal year, out of Rs 425.24 billion from China, The Kathmandu Post reported in September.

Tara Air and Summit Air suspend Pokhara-Jomsom flights from October 19 and 21

Both airlines on the Pokhara-Jomsom route are stopping flights, Kantipur reported on Saturday. Tara Air's notice suspends its flights from Kattik 2 (October 19) until further notice and cites unavoidable circumstances. Summit Air told travel agents it will not fly the route from Kattik 4 (October 21) until next season.

Summit said many passengers had cancelled tickets after the floods and demand had fallen. Tara gave no other reason. The two are the only airlines on the route, the paper said.

Why it matters: The route runs about six months a year and is suspended in the monsoon and winter, according to Rising Nepal. Neither airline has said how ticket holders will be refunded or rebooked.

Gorkha road office aims to reopen the flood-cut Khorlabesi road in 8 to 10 days

The Gorkha Road Project aims to reopen the Khorlabesi road, cut by the Budhi Gandaki flood, in 8 to 10 days, Kantipur reported. Temporary repairs began on Thursday with three machines. Chumnubri is getting relief by helicopter.

Loss and Damage Fund calls an extraordinary meeting on Nepal for October 22, Post reports

The Loss and Damage Fund's board has called an extraordinary meeting for October 22 to support Nepal, The Kathmandu Post reported. In September the Fund's co-chairs wrote to Nepal's ministers that they were ready to explore possible support, the Post reported then.