BEIJING — China has added 15 provincial-level regions to a pilot system that supports cross-provincial settlement of outpatient bills, bringing the number of such regions to 27, the National Healthcare Security Administration said on Feb 1.

A total of 663 medical institutions and pharmacies in the 15 regions, including Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, have been included into the medical insurance system for direct reimbursements, said the administration.

Between its inception in 2018 and the end of 2020, the pilot system incorporated more than 10,000 medical institutions and more than 10,000 pharmacies across the country.

Over 3 million settlements of outpatient bills were made during the period, the administration added.

An official app was also made available to people from the country's 22 provincial-level regions to register for the service, according to the administration.

Before the pilot program was launched, patients had to return to the locality where they were enrolled to be reimbursed.