• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.95-105
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the difference between direct and indirect nursing activity times according to the grade of nursing management fee. Methods: The subjects of this study were 324 working nurses at the time of 3rd grade and 319 working nurses at the 2nd grade of nursing management fee in one university hospital. Nursing activity time was measured in April and May, and in September and October of 2008 for comparison. The data were analyzed by SPSS win using frequency and t-test. Results: Direct nursing care activity time per one patient was significantly higher at 2nd grade than 3rd grade in day shift (t=-2.55, p=.012). Direct nursing care workload per one nurse was significantly lower at 2nd grade than 3rd grade in evening shift (t=2.21, p=.030), whereas indirect nursing care workload was lower at 2nd level in night shift (t=2.43 p=.016). Conclusion: The findings from this study showed that higher nurse-to-patient ratio can provide greater amount of direct nursing care activity for the patient. Also, it decreased workload of nurses. The higher nurse-to-patient ratio will be beneficial for promoting quality of nursing care as well as decreasing nurse's heavy workload.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.99-109
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was aimed to examine changes of hospital nurse staffing by hospital characteristics during 2008-2010. Methods: The study sample included 44 tertiary hospitals, 226 general hospitals, and 532 non-general hospitals that were operating during 2008-2010. Grade of nursing management fee was categorized from Grade 1(highest) to 6 (lowest) in tertiary hospitals, l or Grade 7 in general hospitals and non-general hospitals based on the nurse-to-bed ratio. For data analysis, ${\chi}^2$ and GEE were conducted. Results: For three years, the number of tertiary hospitals below Grade 2 were increased from 8 to 12, the number of those above Grade 4 were decreased from 15 to 6. The number of general hospitals above Grade 6 decreased from 123 to 86. Tertiary hospitals and general hospitals had more possibilities to improve nurse staffing grade than general hospital (OR 79.69, 95% CI 50.77~125.09, OR 11.25, 95% CI 8.15~15.53, respectively). Greater likelihood of improvement in grade of nursing management fee was found in university hospital or hospitals with 300 or more beds than other types of hospitals. Conclusion: Differentiating nurse staffing system by hospital type and increasing financial incentives according to the grades are needed to improve hospital nurse staffing.

• 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.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.40-52
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• 2015

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the increase in Grade of Nursing Management Fee of medical institutions and establish a reasonable government policy by examining which factors affect the increase of nurse staffing. Methods: Analyzing data collected from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service resource management department with targets of 1,104 medical institutions. The study period was 5 years from June 30, 2008 to June 30, 2013. SAS ver. 9.2 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA) was used for statistical analysis. The data was analyzed by a chi-square test and also conducted muiltivariate logistic regression analyses for variables of basic characteristics, human resource characteristics, and material resources. Results: Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of the rise in Grade of Nursing Management Fee among other hospitals compared to hospitals owned by government or universities was 0.264. The AOR in hospitals established after November 2006 compared to those before June 1995 was 2.383. The AOR in Gangwon, Chungcheng South, and Jeolla South Provinces compared to Seoul was 0.084, 0.036, and 0.194, respectively. The AOR in hospitals with more than 6.75 specialists per 100 beds compared to those with less than 6.75 specialists per 100 beds was 7.514. The AOR in hospitals with more than 17.48 nurse per 100 beds compared to those with less than 17.48 nurse per 100 beds was 3.300. The AOR in hospitals with 50% to 75% bed utilization, 75% to 90% bed utilization and more than 90% bed utilization compared to those with less than 50% bed utilization was 5.428, 9.884, and 10.699, respectively. The AOR in hospitals with one magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and more than two MRI compared to those with no MRI was 2.018 and 2.942, respectively. Conclusion: This result has showed policies to induce the rise in Grade of Nursing Management Fee among old hospitals and the incentive system for local medical institutions are needed. Also we need to develop a governmental policy for medium-small hospitals with low operation rate of beds and insufficient medical personnel and number of equipment in hospitals.

• The Korean Nurse
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.61-76
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• 1993

This study was done in order La provide basic data to a Fee System for hospital based Home Health Care services in Korea in the future. It was done by investigating activities provided to possible Home Health Care clients who could be discharged early from genera] hospitals and then estimating the nursing care fee according to each nursing activity based upon the time used for activity. The subjects of the study were selected by convenience sampling and consisted of 35 clients who might be clients for Home Nursing Care and were presently admitted to a medical- surgical ward of Y University Medical Center located in Seoul, Korea. The data collection period was from September 1, 1991 to September 30, 1991. The research in strum nets utilized for the study were a client selection criterial for Home Health Care developed by Choo(l991) and a check-list of nursing activity developed by researcher. The results of the study were as follows : 1. There were 44 different nursing activities provided in the seven days but the time was calculated for only 25 of the nursing activities. 2. Fees for the 25 different nursing activities were calculated by multipling the median of the average wage of a staff nurse having five years experience in an A grade general hospital to the Lime of the nursing activity. The results were compared with the insurance fee which the government recognized as an appropriate fee for that activity. The nursing activities with a lower calculated fee than the insurance fee were suction, catheterization, exercise education and dressing change. The nursing activities with a higher calculated fee than the government recognized fee were 1M injection and vital sign check. 3. There was a range of 1-15 nursing activities provided daily to the client. For the average number of nursing activities per day of 6.26 events the nursing care fee was calaulated at W 6136 per day. 4. Based upon the results of the study, a recommentdation for a Home Health Care fee per visit based on the nursing activities provided could be formulated for a Home Health Care fee system. It could be formulated as following: 1) Home health Care fee per visit $=[(direct{\;} nursing{\;}fee(direct{\;}nursing{\;}care{\;}time{\;}per{\;}activity{\;}{\times}{\;}average{\;}nursing{\;}wage)+indirect fee]{\times}average$ nursing activity per visit]+management fee+ materials fee+a travel fee In this way a nursing fee could be calculated based upon the result of the study of the nursing fees per visit. 2) Nursing activity fees per visit. = $([direct nursing{\;}care{\;}fee+indirect{\;}nursing{\;}fee]{\times}average$ number of nursing activities provided per visit] (W 6, 136) + travel fee(\ 5, 542) +management fee material $fee({\alpha})\{\;}16, 436+{\alpha}$ The nursing fee per visit as calculated in this research of $\{\;}15, 0000+{\alpha}$ could be adjusted according to the patient's condition or the use of high technology nursing care or according to the amount of time spent for travel. The nursing care fee per visit presented in this study can be validated through a Home Health Care demonstration project.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.9-18
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• 2017

Purpose : This study aimed to identify nurses' job satisfaction, patients' satisfaction, and direct nursing time according to the change in grade of nursing management fee. Methods : Descriptive design was used in this study. Nurses (n = 200) and patients (n = 200) were recruited from one university hospital in Busan. Four aspects were measured: direct nursing time, overtime, nurses' job satisfaction, and patients' satisfaction. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ${\chi}^2-tests$, and t-tests. Results : There was a significant difference in patient satisfaction (t = -2.09, p = .038) and direct nursing time (t = -4.77, p < .001) when the nurse staffing grade was changed from the level two to the level one. Conclusion : The findings from this study showed that a higher nurse-to-patient ratio can provide a greater amount of direct nursing time for individual patients and increase patient satisfaction.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.351-360
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to propose optimal hospitalization fees for nurse staffing levels and to improve the current nursing fee policy. Methods: A break-even analysis was used to evaluate the impact of a nursing fee policy on hospital's financial performance. Variables considered included the number of beds, bed occupancy rate, annual total patient days, hospitalization fees for nurse staffing levels, the initial annual nurses' salary, and the ratio of overhead costs to nursing labor costs. Data were collected as secondary data from annual reports of the Hospital Nursing Association and national health insurance. Results: The hospitalization fees according to nurse staffing levels in general hospitals are required to sustain or decrease in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7, and increase in grades 5 and 6. It is suggested that the range between grade 2 and 3 be sustained at the current level, the range between grade 4 and 5 be widen or merged into one, and the range between grade 6 and 7 be divided into several grades. Conclusion: Readjusting hospitalization fees for nurse staffing level will improve nurse-patient ratio and enhance the quality of nursing care in hospitals. Follow-up studies including tertiary hospitals and small hospitals are recommended.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1-16
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• 2010

As a cross-sectional study, this study was aimed to investigate and compare the job efficiency and satisfaction of nurses according to the hospital grade. Survey was conducted by mail on June 2009, and the respondents were 1,016 nurses working in 15 hospitals which are 9 high-grade general hospitals and 6 general hospitals. The percent of nurses acknowledging their hospital grades is 34.5%, and that is 20.5% at high-grade general hospitals. As the result of review of studies, it is concluded that under the circumstance that differential rates are contracted to calculate fees for hospital services and copayment of patients are according to nursing grades and hospital grades, the degree of nurses' awareness of insurance fees impact on their performance like recording of care and prescription. In order to improve nurses' performance, they need to be educated about the national insurance fee system. In hospitals with higher nursing grade and more beds, the levels of nursing quality and faithfulnes and their job satisfaction were higher. Nurses' awareness of their hospital nursing grade was related to the quality of nursing but not the faithfulness. Nurses working in higher nursing-grade hospital are more self-respect and satisfied at their jobs, and their job efficiencies are not significantly different. The current nursing fees based on the proper number of nurses per beds of nursing units should be changed to be based on the amount of job per nurse by their nursing protocol, and the nurse staffing standard should be differentiated between nursing grades. As the aspect of nursing, 24-hours patient care, it is difficult to improve nurses' job satisfaction, and in the other hand, that tends to depend on their income level. In the current circumstance, comprehensive research is required to investigate the propriety of 25% of the inpatient fees as the nursing management charge.