• Health Policy and Management
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 1992

This study compares the physician payment of national fee schedule for Korean Medical Insurance with that of the United States based on Resource Based Relative Value Scales (RBRVS) which Hsiao developed in 1988 for the Medicare reimbursement. Through the comparison of two fees schedules, this study is purposed to evaluate the appropriateness of relative values which assigned to each physician services of Korean fee schedule. A total of 264 physician services are selected for the comparison. The ratio of Korean schedule to RBRVS is selected as an index of appropriateness. It the score of index shows large variation among services, the relative value of Korean fee schedule is inappropriate with U.S. RBRVS which was developed recently. The Ratios of Korean schedule to RBRVS are widly variated ; the range of those is 8.1 to 379.3. In subgroups which are regrouped to controll systematic differences between two national fee schedules, these ratios are also variated. Services which are relatively less compensated are management/evaluation services, while services which are relatively more compensated are invasive and imaging services. By the way, the service classification of Korean fee schedule is unclear, specially in management/evalutaion services. Therefore, Korean Medical Insurance fee schedule should be modified to be more balanced and rational.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.76-87
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• 1998

This study analyzed the effect of foreign currency exchange rate on the increasing rate of medical care cost by items of fee schedule of Korean Medical Insurance. This study uses the data of cost analysis including cost of imported goods and the data of for a university hospital National Federation's Medical Insurance for a trend of claim. The method of cost analysis is as same as that used in the study of the development of Korean RBRVS(Resource Based Relative Valus Scale). The main findings of this study are as follows; 1. The proportion of imported goods in cost related to Medical Insurance fee schedule is 7.93%, and in case of substitution of available domestic goods 6.96%. 2. If foreign currency exchange rate changes from 800wen per $1 to 1,300won, the affecting rate of Medical Insurance fee schedules is 5.00%. If the imported goods will be substituted with available domestic goods, the rate 4.35%. Our results can be used a data for updating Medical Insurance fee schedule. But this result is limited to be generalized, because this study used the cost analysis for a university hospital.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.122-136
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• 2022

Purpose: This study attempted to recommend a revision of inpatient nursing fees based on analyzing current and appropriate staffing levels. Methods: Staffing grades and their inpatient nursing fees as of the first quarter of 2022 were analyzed. Nurse managers and staff nurses answered surveys about the current and appropriate staffing levels, working days, and monthly salary. A total of 101 nurse managers and 588 staff nurses working in general wards at tertiary hospitals and general hospitals participated in the study. Results: The results showed that grade 1 staffing was found in 73.3% of tertiary hospitals and 63.7% of general hospitals. The current staffing ratios of tertiary hospitals and general hospitals were 1:9.3 and 1:10.4, respectively. The appropriate staffing ratios according to nurse managers and staff nurses at tertiary hospitals were 1:7.6 and 1:7.0, respectively, and 1:8.7 and 1:8.8 in general hospitals, respectively. The average estimated annual working days of staff nurses were 235.2 days in tertiary hospitals and 240.0 days in general hospitals. The median monthly salary for staff nurses was 4.957 million won in tertiary hospitals and 4.140 million won in general hospitals. The new staffing grade system was suggested from 1:6 (Grade 1) to 1:12 (Grade 5). The new inpatient nursing fee schedules were recommended to be paid based on nursing hours per patient day of each grade. Conclusion: The new staffing grade and inpatient nursing fee schedules are expected to increase staffing levels, improve the quality of nursing care, and provide a better work environment for nurses.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.312-326
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• 2023

Purpose: This study attempted to analyze the staffing level and critical care nursing fees of intensive care units at tertiary and general hospitals and to provide a professional judgment-based recommendation on staffing level and critical care nursing fee schedules. Methods: Staffing grades and critical care nursing fee schedules for the first quarter of 2017~2020 and the fourth quarter of 2020~2022 were analyzed. A survey was conducted on nursing managers and nurses about the current and appropriate staffing levels. A total of 77 nurse managers and 708 nurses working in Intensive Care Unit(ICU)s at tertiary and general hospitals participated in the study. Results: Grade 1 staffing increased from 25.6% in 2017 to 92.1% in 2022 at tertiary hospitals and from 0.8% in 2017 to 28.4% in 2022 at general hospitals. The current staffing ratios of tertiary and general hospitals were 1:2.21 and 1:2.77, respectively. The appropriate staffing ratio according to nurse managers and nurses was 1:1.00 in patients with more than a ventilator application and 1:2.00 in patients without any ventilator application in tertiary hospitals, and it was 1:1.25 in patients with more than a ventilator application and 1:2.00 in patients without any ventilator application in general hospitals, respectively. Conclusion: The appropriate staffing level was suggested from 1:1.0 to 1:2.0. The new nursing fee schedules were suggested from 1:1.0 (Grade 1) to 1:3.0 (Grade 5) and recommended to be paid based on the staffing grade, minimum number of nurses, and standard annual working days. It is expected to increase staffing levels and provide a better nursing work environment.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.65-88
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• 1997

In Korea, telemedicine is still under the beginning stage, but we expect that the developing 'Information Highway' will make this technology more common place and more easily used in coming soon. Currently, three hospitals are providing telemedicine services with their subsidiary hospitals which are far away from their remote place. However, the fee schedule of telemedicine services are not well-settled down, of course not reimbursed through current health insurance system. This study aims to develop new payment system for medical services provided through telemedicaine system. To design appropriate fee schedule for telemedicine services, we, first, review the current insurance payment system and telemedicine system both in domestic and foreign countries focusing on its payment system. A framework of telemedicine payment system is proposed in following steps based on information we acquired from this stage. Second. We decide the span of cost items which should be covered by telemedicine payment scheme. In hear, we suggest payment method for telemedicine services should be designed as dual structure which are telemedicine fee that should be reimbursed through payment scheme and any costs related to capital investment that should not be covered by payment system. Which is, payment system for telemedicine services should cover only service-related costs and any costs related to capital investment should be generated through third party such as government, health insurance association, etc. Finally, we suggest new fee schedules for telemedicine services. The key issues on developing telemedicine fee schedules are related with the determination of appropriate additional rate($\alpha$). The reasonable additional rate($\alpha$) must determine through careful evaluation of any additional efforts(e. g. : additional work hours which are related to providing telemedicine services). This study shows the process of how to determine appropriate additional rate($\alpha$).

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.5-14
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• 2008

Purpose: To examine the current fees for nursing care and propose the strategies for improvement. Method: The number of subjects for this study was 86, including 36 chief executives of the nursing department, 14 of the health insurance department and 33 nursing managers. Data were analyzed by SPSS WIN 12.0 program. A researcher-developed questionnaire with 30 items was utilized. Results: 61% hospital had improved the nursing management fee grade after adoption of the differentiated nursing management fee schedules. After grade improvement, the time for direct nursing care increased. Also, the patient health outcome, nurse's job satisfaction were improved and more nurses were employed in general nursing units. Many subjects addressed that ICU and more nursing units were needed to adopt the differentiated nursing management fee schedules and "bed to nurse ratio" needed to be changed to "patients to nurse ratio" and specialized by the nursing units. Conclusion: The health policy in reference to fees for nursing care needs to get improved further in order to provide the quality-assured nursing care.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.68-89
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• 1993

This study was conducted to develop a model of a fee schedule for nursing services.'Regardless of the demand for skilled and professional nursing service today, the Korean health insurance system does not furnish a chapter for the nursing service fee schedule. A nation-wide survey of hospital nursing service fee schedules was to provide practical and realistic data about how the variety of nursing services are being charged. From September 1990 to April 1991, data from the fee schedule used by twenty hospitals located in eight large cities which are designated large medical regions in the Korea Health Care and Patient Referral System were collected. Nursing services and the fees charged for them were analyzed. The nursing services were subjected to a secondary analysis with referrence to reports on “nursing services to be charged in Korea”. The total number of nursing services recommended by the literatures was 177 : finally 141 types of nursing services were selected by investigator as chargable nursing services. In addition, data on managerial characteristics of the hospitals were collected to discover influential variables for a nursing fee schedule model. Under the assumption that all the managerial characteristics of the hospitals influenced the fee schedule, the following model was tested : Fee of nursing services (C) = f(A₁, A₂, A₃, A₄, A/sub 5/, A/sub 6/, A/sub 7/, A/sub 8/,) When, A₁ = number of nurses A₂ = the first salary of a nurse educated in a four year A₃ = scale of nursing management division A₄ = location of the hospital A/sub 5/ = the type of hospital management (profit / non-profit) A/sub 6/ = number of hospital beds A/sub 7/ = years of hospital operation A/sub 8/ = number and kinds of clinical divisions The results showed that the model should be built as follows : C = f (A₁, A/sub 4/, A/sub 5/) Each nursing service was applied to the fee schedule with consideration for the professional level and time-taken to provide the services. Detailed fee schedules were presented in the related tables. Of the 141 kinds of nursing services, 24.8% were chargeble to the Korea Health Insurance, 32.6％ of the nursing services were being paid directly by the patienty. The rest of nursing services (42.6％) were not being charged to any source. It was recommened that the Korea Health Insurance Reimbursement system should add a classification system for nursing services that can be used in the national health care program. Further study is needed about how to include 32.6% of the nursing services now being paid for directly by the patients in the health insurance system.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.195-196
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• 1995

• The Journal of the Korean life insurance medical association
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.15-17
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• 2014

All Korean people are eligible for National Health Insurance(NHI). But large non-coverage of NHI is a big problem. The origin of this problem is from medical fee schedules. NHI calculate all hospital income including insurance medical practice, non-insurance medical practice and non-medical income(i.e. a funeral hall, a parking lot, stores in hospital).

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1998.10b
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• pp.256-257
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• 1998