This is the question we receive most often by phone. Your health insurance card names a different hospital as your place of initial registration, so can you bring it to Ky Hoa Dental for a dental visit? Here is a clear answer.
- A health insurance card registered for initial examination and treatment elsewhere does not automatically mean it cannot be used at Ky Hoa Dental.
- Current inter-level referral arrangements allow patients to attend another facility in defined circumstances, with the fund still paying at the benefit level recorded on the card.
- Because every card and every beneficiary category differs, the surest approach is to call the hotline, read out the information on your card and have staff confirm your entitlement before you come.
- Bring a valid health insurance card (paper, VssID or a level 2 VNeID account) plus photo identification, and any referral letter or old medical record book you may have.
A great many people call us with the same query: "My card is registered at another hospital, can I bring it to Ky Hoa for a dental visit?" It is a fair question, because we are all used to the idea that you must attend wherever your card is registered. Health insurance rules have changed a good deal in recent years in ways that favour patients, so the answer is no longer as rigid as it once was. Below, Ky Hoa Dental sets out the position.
What is a place of initial registration?
Every health insurance card carries a line naming a medical facility. That is your place of initial registration for examination and treatment, the facility recorded by the social insurance agency as responsible for receiving, managing and providing your primary health care.
You choose that place from the list of facilities accepting registration in your locality, and it can be changed during the periods allowed by the regulations. Many people simply take whatever their employer registered on their behalf, or chose a hospital near a former home and never got round to updating it. So having a card that names one place while you live near another is extremely common.
The key point: that line records your place of initial registration. It does not mean you may only ever attend that one facility for the rest of your life.
What do inter-level referral arrangements mean?
Put simply, inter-level referral arrangements are the mechanism that allows a health insurance cardholder to seek examination and treatment at a facility other than their place of initial registration while still having the health insurance fund pay according to the scope and benefit level recorded on the card, in the circumstances that current regulations permit.
The mechanism exists to solve exactly the difficulties people face: working far from home, having recently moved, falling ill while in another locality, or simply wanting somewhere closer and more convenient. Instead of travelling back to the facility named on the card, you can attend another facility that holds a health insurance examination and treatment contract.
That said, the rules on inter-level referral vary by the professional and technical level of the facility and by the particular category of case. Every card and every beneficiary category has its own situation. This is why we always advise you to call our hotline, read out the information on your card and have your specific entitlement confirmed before you come, rather than guessing. A short call saves a wasted journey.
Why can Ky Hoa Dental accept health insurance cards?
The answer lies in how we are set up. Ky Hoa Dental is the dental specialty department of Ky Hoa Medical Center, that is, part of a general clinic rather than a standalone dental practice. The centre holds a health insurance examination and treatment contract signed with the social insurance agency, so patients can use their health insurance card here for the examination and treatment of dental disease.
The conditions under which a medical facility may sign a health insurance examination and treatment contract are set out in Articles 17 and 18 of Decree 146/2018/ND-CP (as amended and supplemented), covering requirements on the operating licence, professional scope, staffing and the application file for the contract. This is also why most private dental practices do not accept health insurance cards: they either fall outside the category or have not signed such a contract. For more detail, read our article on whether private dental clinics accept health insurance.
The centre operates under licence No. 00449/HCM-GPHĐ, at 266A - 268, Duong 3 Thang 2, Hoa Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
What to bring, and how to be certain of your entitlement
Three things are enough:
- A valid health insurance card - the paper card, the card on the VssID app, or a level 2 VNeID identity account. Our reception staff can look up any of these.
- Photo identification such as your citizen identity card, to confirm the card belongs to you.
- Any related documents: a referral letter, a follow-up appointment slip, your old medical record book or current prescriptions. If you live with an underlying condition, these matter all the more.
The surest approach is still to call first. Ring our Hotline 028.3868.1097 or message Zalo 082.299.3377, read out the card number and the beneficiary category on your card, and our staff will look it up and confirm your specific entitlement, as well as book you a time so you wait less. The centre is open Monday - Saturday, 06:30 - 17:00 (closed Sunday), so Saturday works if you are at work during the week.
What does the card cover for a dental visit here?
The general principle of health insurance is that it pays for treatment of disease and not for cosmetic wishes. The items usually within the covered scope are: examination and treatment of decay, pulp inflammation, gingivitis and periodontitis; fillings for decayed teeth; root canal treatment; extraction for disease; and scaling where treatment is indicated.
Whitening, cosmetic crowns, braces, dental implants, dentures and routine scaling on request fall outside the covered scope. You can still have them, but at service prices, which you can see in advance on our price list. For a breakdown of each item, see our article on what health insurance covers for dental visits.
The benefit level depends on the category recorded on your card and may be 80%, 95% or 100% of the cost within the entitled scope, in accordance with the Law on Health Insurance. Whichever category you fall into, our staff will state clearly what you will pay before treatment begins.
Some situations we see often
Here are a few common scenarios to help you picture it.
- Working away from your home province: the card is registered in your home province while you live and work in Ho Chi Minh City. This group most often relies on inter-level referral arrangements, and is also the group that should call ahead to confirm entitlement.
- Recently moved home: the card still names a hospital near your old address. You may want to change your place of initial registration during the next permitted period for convenience later on.
- Parents bringing a child: children with a health insurance card, including student health insurance, are entitled to benefits for treatment of dental disease just as adults are. Parents bring the child's card along with their own identification.
- Older adults with underlying conditions: mention it when booking so the dentist can hold a joint consultation with an internal medicine doctor within the centre, particularly where an extraction or another procedure is needed. See our article on tooth extraction for patients with heart disease or diabetes.
In short, a card registered elsewhere does not automatically mean it cannot be used at Ky Hoa. Current inter-level referral arrangements allow patients to attend another facility in defined circumstances, and our centre holds a health insurance examination and treatment contract. All that remains is one phone call so our staff can confirm the specific entitlement on your card. Do not let uncertainty keep an aching tooth waiting any longer.
Frequently asked questions
My health insurance card is registered at another hospital. Can I claim insurance for a dental visit at Ky Hoa Dental?
In many cases yes, under the current inter-level referral arrangements for health insurance examination and treatment, because Ky Hoa Medical Center holds a health insurance examination and treatment contract. Every card and every beneficiary category has its own situation, so please call Hotline 028.3868.1097 and read out the information on your card to have your specific entitlement confirmed before you come.
What are inter-level referral arrangements for health insurance?
This is the mechanism allowing a health insurance cardholder to seek examination and treatment at a facility other than their place of initial registration while the insurance fund still pays according to the scope and benefit level recorded on the card, in the circumstances that current regulations permit. The rules vary by the professional and technical level of the facility and by category of case, so the surest approach is to call ahead.
What should I bring if my card is registered elsewhere?
Bring a valid health insurance card (paper, VssID or a level 2 VNeID account) along with photo identification. If you have a referral letter, a follow-up appointment slip, an old medical record book or current prescriptions, bring those too for our staff and the dentist to review.