Discharged severe burn patients offered timely integrated high-intensity rehabilitation care plans 

The Formosa Fun Coast Dust Explosion injured a total of 499 people. As of September 8th, 171 patients remain hospitalized, with most others having been gradually discharged. 
In this accident, the victims had burns over an average 44% of their body. For the patients recently discharged from the hospital, many of them had burns to 50-60% of their bodies and had received skin grafts. In addition to facing scarring and contracture, these patients also require high-intensity integrated care and rehabilitation treatment. On September 9th, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHI) announced the implementation of the "National Health Insurance Post-Acute Care Integrated Care Plan." This will provide timely high-intensity rehabilitation services, and assist in providing care to patients after their acute medical treatment. 

This plan extends the post-acute care method to all burn victims, so that they can go to a location near the community where they live to receive multi-disciplinary, high-intensity integrated rehabilitation medical treatment services. These services include orthopedic, rehabilitation, physical, occupational, and speech therapy as well as psychiatric, social work, nutrition, case management, and burn injury consultation and education. This plan encourages hospitals to provide day-care services to provide burn patients with individually tailored rehabilitation services, monitor the quality and effectiveness of the care they receive, and help them with life reconstruction. This will allow patients to regain their physical and mental functions and return to society as soon as possible. For discharged patients that experience difficulties in returning home or receiving home care, they may choose to receive inpatient rehabilitation integrated care. 


List of Hospitals Providing Services 
Currently, the number of hospitals that have already registered to participate in this plan totals 71 (detailed list attached), of which 31 of the hospitals had admitted patients from the Formosa Fun Coast Dust Explosion. After the plan is announced, NHI will continue to accept hospital applications. The administration has requested that those medical centers that received acute burn cases should make preparations for the discharge of patients and conduct proper evaluations to provide patients with follow up medical care services. Currently, there are 71 hospitals participating in this plan throughout the 19 cities and counties in Taiwan. 40 of these hospitals provide both day-care and inpatient services, 22 only provide day-care services, and 9 only provide inpatient services. After an evaluation from the acute burn treatment team, burn patients that cannot take care of themselves due to deficiencies in bodily functions caused by burn injuries (Barthel index ≦ 80 points), or if their wounds have not healed properly after two months will receive treatment from the aforementioned hospitals. Patients who have difficulties in returning home or receiving home care will receive inpatient services, while patients that can be discharged will receive day-care services. It is estimated that 500 people will benefit from this plan each year. 

Burn victims of the Formosa Fun Coast Dust Explosion that remain in the hospital or have been discharged can undergo an evaluation by an acute burn treatment team or return to an outpatient doctor for evaluation. From there, patients may then choose to visit a participating hospital near where they live to receive appropriate post-acute care treatment. For cases that do not meet the criteria to be admitted, they may use the hospital to assist in finding general outpatient rehabilitation services. This plan will cooperate with the "627 Burn Injury Project Management Center" as well as meet the "one person, one case" strategy as proposed by the Executive Yuan to provide discharge planning service plans and relevant assessments. This will assist in the recovery of burn patients and allow for the smooth return of patients into the community to rebuild their lives.