China's Healthcare Security Administration Establishes New Pricing Items for Brain-Computer Interface Technologies
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 12 (Reporter Xu Penghang) – On March 12, it was learned from China's National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) that the authority recently issued the "Guidelines for Establishing Medical Service Pricing Items in Neurology (Trial)". Notably, the guidelines prospectively establish independent pricing items for brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies to accelerate the commercialization of these innovations.
In recent years, with advancements in artificial intelligence, neurobiology, and sensor technologies, brain-computer interface systems have seen rapid development. The creation of dedicated pricing items for BCI technologies aims to facilitate their clinical application and benefit patients.
The guidelines categorize BCI technologies into two main types: non-invasive and invasive. For non-invasive BCI systems requiring ongoing device adjustments, the document introduces a "Non-Invasive BCI Adaptation Fee" pricing item. For invasive BCIs, specialized pricing items including "Invasive BCI Implantation Fee" and "Invasive BCI Removal Fee" have been established.
The NHSA emphasized that this pricing framework prepares clear pathways for clinical implementation once BCI technologies mature. Following local implementation of these guidelines nationwide, standardized medical charging protocols for BCI applications will be established.
Additionally, the guidelines differentiate between "standard" and "complex" service tiers for high-value, high-risk procedures. Cases identified as complex through expert consensus will be directly classified under the "complex" pricing category.
