Notice by Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning and Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Strengthening the Administration of Rational Use of Chinese Patent Medicines

    All district-level health and family planning commission and the medical institutions,

　　With the aim of further strengthening the rational use of Chinese patent medicines, improving the level of application of Chinese patent medicines and protecting the medication safety and effectiveness of the masses, the following measures are made in accordance with Pharmaceutical Administration of PRC and Guiding Principles on Clinical Application of Chinese Patent Medicines, which are to be seriously implemented.

　　First, to strengthen the commentary on Chinese patent medicine prescriptions. The medical institutions should place the commentary on Chinese patent medicine prescriptions as an important part of the prescription commentary of their own units, including dialectical medication, medication dose, medication methods, routes of administration, solvents, rationality of joint medicine use and medicine combination, and the rationality of medicine replacement or discontinuation in the treatment process; particularly, should pay attention to the rationality of combined use of TCM decoction with Western medicine to prevent the abuse of Chinese patent medicine and its toxic side effects. In principle, the same Chinese medicine prescription issued shall include no more than 2 kinds of Chinese patent medicines, and the only one type of medicine in the same sub-category of Chinese patent medicines.

　　Secondly, to implement the classification monitoring of the Chinese patent medicines in use. The medical institutions should integrate the full-process management of Chinese patent medicine into the hospital information system, make dynamic monitoring, abnormal warning, separate sorting and focus supervision of Chinese patent medicines put in clinical application according to the departments, varieties and personnel respectively, clarify the Chinese patent medicine cost control indicators in the average costs per person-time of various clinical departments, especially focus on the monitoring of the Chinese patent medicine varieties put in quantity into clinical application and priced higher, make strict prescription comments on the Chinese patent medicine varieties in abnormal use, conduct relevant investigation of the varieties, resolutely cancel the problematic varieties, and report those events having adverse social impacts to the competent health and family planning and TCM authorities which may conduct in-depth investigation and serious treatment according to the relevant provisions.

　　Thirdly, to strengthen the application of the commentary results of Chinese patent medicine prescriptions. The medical institutions shall publish and rank the commentary results of the Chinese patent medicine prescriptions within them on a monthly basis, which may serve as the important basis for excellent evaluation, advanced evaluation, promotion, employment and performance appraisal of the departments and medical staff. The clinical departments and the doctors rated among the top in prescription commentary shall be praised and rewarded; the medical institutions shall criticize any units or individuals making non-standard use of Chinese patent medicine prescriptions and make economic penalties to them; and even may cancel the Chinese patent medicine prescriptions-making rights of those physicians continuously making unreasonable prescriptions, conduct an off-job training for the doctors involving serious circumstances, and report any medical practitioner involving illegal acts to the competent health and family planning (TCM) authority for administrative penalties.

　　Fourthly, to conduct the classification management of Chinese patent medicines. The medical institutions shall develop the medication directories of Chinese patent medicines respectively according to the ordinary Chinese patent medicines, Chinese patent medicines containing toxic herbs, and Chinese patent medicine injections, and prepare Chinese patent medicine clinical application guidelines combined with the actual institutions, to guide clinical physicians how to make the rational selection and use of Chinese patent medicines. The medical institutions should strengthen the management effort of Chinese patent medicines containing toxic herbs, and Chinese patent medicine injections, so as to ensure the medication safety.

　　Fifthly, to improve the trainings on the use of Chinese patent medicines and the granting of the prescription-making right. The medical institutions shall strengthen the trainings for medical practitioners on the rational use of Chinese patent medicines, and according to the classification of Chinese patent medicine, trained and qualified doctors are awarded the appropriate Chinese patent medicine prescription right. Grade-B or higher hospitals may make relevant trainings for and then conduct assessment of their physicians according to the Beijing unified Chinese patent medicine training requirements, and grant corresponding Chinese patent medicine prescription right for those trained physicians proved qualified in such assessments. Those physicians from other medical institutions are trained and assessed by a relevant agency organized or entrusted by the competent district health and family planning commission. Those trained physicians proved qualified in such assessments shall be awarded the right to prescribe Chinese patent medicines. In principle, only those doctors with the attending physician or higher professional title can have the right to prescribe Chinese patent medicines containing toxic herbs, and Chinese patent medicine injections.

　　Sixthly, to establish the blacklist of illegal organizations and staff. The health and family planning (TCM) authorities at all levels should include those medical institutions, doctors, Chinese patent medicine varieties and TCM enterprises in violation of relevant provisions into the blacklist, and make timely release to the whole community; shall give priority to the medical institutions compliant with the application requirements of Chinese patent medicines in the selection of major projects; in the case of the medical institutions continuously making the irrational use of Chinese patent medicines, the competent health and family planning (TCM) authority shall make such punishments as bad behavior record points, suspended verification, suspended operations for rectification, and even the revocation of "medical agency practice license", depending on the seriousness of the circumstances, and investigate and affix the responsibility for the main persons in charge of medical institutions and other responsible persons; The competent health and family planning (TCM) authority shall make the punishments to noncompliance physicians, such as giving a notice of criticism, failure in regular assessment, suspended practice and the cancellation of "Physician Practice Certificate" depending on the seriousness of the circumstances, and may also expose their noncompliance or violations to the public.

　　Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning

　　Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine

　　March 20, 2017