• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.113-124
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• 2013

Purpose: Purposes of this study were to develop a reliable and valid checklist to assess and manage post-stroke dysphagia and to identify its utilization. Methods: The first step was to develop checklist through systematic literatures reviews, to test the content validity from 11 clinical experts, and to test the construct validity and the internal consistency from 97 patients with post-stroke dysphagia. The second step was to identify clinical use of the checklist from the same 97 patients. Results: A total of 18 items compromised the assessment checklist and 64 items for intervention checklist. Internal consistencies of assessment checklist and intervention checklist were .84 and .98, respectively. In both checklists, level of utilization of general appearance was the highest, while that of early signs of aspiration was the lowest. The utilization levels of two checklists were significantly higher among patients who were less than 60 years old, and had liquid diet, facial paralysis, and previous history of aspiration pneumonia. Conclusion: We found that the checklists were reliable and valid. Further study is needed to develop specific strategies to improve nurses' use of assessment and intervention checklists for post-stroke dysphagia.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 2020

Background: The purpose of this study is to analyze the current status and factors of elderly patients' hospitalization for hip replacement, knee replacement, and general spine surgery. Methods: National health insurance data in 2018 was provided by the National Health Insurance Service. We used multiple regression to analyze factors associated with the medical utilization of hip replacement, knee replacement, and general spine surgery in elderly patients over 65 years old. The dependent variables are the length of stay and total health expenditure. The independent variables are the demographic-social factors (sex, age, region, insurance type, income level) and surgery-related factors (institution type, location of the hospital, surgery classification). Results: The most common factor affecting surgery was the location of medical institutions. Compared with the medical institutions located in metropolitan, the length of stay in rural medical institutions was higher and total health expenditure was lower. The lower quartile of income, the higher the length of stay and total health expenditure. In addition, the variables of age, type of health insurance, and type of medical institution were statistically significant. Conclusion: In this study, we confirmed the effect of sociodemographic factors and medical institution factors on the Healthcare Utilization of spinal and joint surgery.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.131-144
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• 2015

Objectives : This study investigated the health care utilization patterns and length of stay (LOS) determinants of fracture patients with workers' compensation insurance (WCI) and national health insurance (NHI). Methods : The discharge summary data of 4,394 WCI fracture patients were compared to 28,874 NHI patients. Health care utilization characteristics were compared with a logistic regression analysis, and the LOS determinants were identified with linear regression analysis. Results : The average LOS of the WCI fracture patients was 2.4 times higher than that of the NHI patients. WCI patients used more small or medium sized hospitals, and were more frequently admitted through the emergency room. Females, older patients and patients admitted through emergency room had a significant positive impact on LOS. Conclusions : Healthcare utilization by the WCI fracture patients may include medically unnecessary hospital stays. Therefore, policy makers need to respond appropriately to the inefficient use of health resources by WCI patients.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.1504-1510
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• 2010

According to a research analysis of the factors which affect the medical utilization fee after an increase of health insurance benefits for patients with serious illnesses based on 225 patients over 6 months, both before and after the increase of benefits, from January, 1st, 2005 to June 30th, and also from January, 1st, 2006 to June 30th. In terms of genders, 67.8% of males were affected, whereas only 32.2% of females were effected, a much higher rate of men than women. Men also had higher rates before and after the increase of benefits. Out of 5 categories related to medication and treatment, radiation testing was the most expensive at about 5,300,000, operation fees were 590,000, and costs of other testing approximately 200,000 with the least expensive category being 120,000 for medication. By looking at the relationship between the fees and increase of benefits, medication was a hospital charge (p<0.01), injection fees were hospital charges (p<0.01), operation fees were hospital charges (p<0.01). Medication fees (p<0.01) and injection fees (p<0.01) were found to be related.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.261-269
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to present the effective management strategy of RI based on the results of research on the causal relationship between the regional medical care capacity and the hospital management performance by calculating the RI of the general hospitals in Korea, This research has significance. The results of this study are as follows: First, statistically significant differences were found in Number of beds and recurring profits in urban areas by the general characteristics. Second, the correlations between the RI and the variables of the regional medical use are as follows: Recurring profit ratio, New Outpatient Visits, Operating Margin, Daily Outpatient Visits per 100 Beds, Daily Inpatient Days per 100 Beds, and Average Charge per Inpatient Day. Based on the results of this study, the significance of this study is as follows. First, we calculated the affinity for local medical use, which is the index of local medical utilization. Secondly, it is analyzed according to internal and external environmental factors such as city size, hospital size, etc. It can be said that the hospital provided basic data for establishment of hospital management strategy to increase the utilization rate of local medical care.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.29-43
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to provide basic material about the improvement method of the hospital evaluation system by grasping recognition, corresponding behavior to evaluation, influence and problems about the hospital evaluation system with respect to the employee of mid sized hospitals having relatively poorer environment. In this study were used 518 questionnaires to hospital employee working at 20 general hospitals in Pusan, Kyungnam with less than 500 beds and having experience of the hospital evaluation during 2005~2007. As a result of the research, they felt the investigation tool used for the hospital evaluation has too many items and it could be difficult to reflect characteristics of each hospital. It appeared that utilization of the report result after the hospital evaluation was helpful for grasping a part necessary for hospital improvement and the present level of hospitals and increase of interest about medical service quality improvement of the a hospital director or hospital employee. They trusted the result of the hospital evaluation to some degree, and recognized it helps the patients to select a hospital and increase rights-to-know. Hospital employee recognized the necessity and showed high interest and participation, but they didn't sympathize in the propriety and the feasibility of the hospital evaluation items. High degree evaluated hospital employee receive hospital evaluation system positively and think hospital services to be improve after taking hospital evaluation. The hospital evaluation should make the hospital to effort to achieve medical quality improvement to its purpose. Also, systematic reformation will be necessary to reflect characteristics of the hospital that has relatively small scale or locates in poor environment.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.49-76
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• 1994

Small area variations in health care utilization have long been studied as an important issue related to boto cost containment and quality assurance. This study was conducted to investigate if variations in hospital services across small geographic areas in Korea existed. The claims data of the fiscal year 1992 obtained from the regional health insurance societies were used for the study. Main findings of the research can be summarized as follows : 1. Extremal Quotients(EQ) of hospital expenditure per capita and hospital days per capita varied among diagnosis types. The EQ ranged from 2.05(cataract) to 41.67(pneumonia) in hospital expenditure per capita and from 1.86(cataract) to 45.89(pneumonia) in hospital days per capita. The diagnosis groups which showed high variation were pneumonia, cephalo-pelvic disproportion, gastritis and duodenitis, fracture of rib, and acute bronchitis. Those which showed low variation were acute appendicitis and cataract. 2. The EQ level of admission rate was different in terms of diagnosis types, ranging from 2.57(catarct) to 44.45(pneumonia). The variations were high in medical disorders such as pneumonia, oephalo-pelvic disproportion, gastritis and duodenitis and acute bronchitis, while relatively low in surgical conditions such as acute appendicitis and cataract. 3. As an indicator of service intensity, the EQ of expenditure per admission ranged from 1.67(acute appendicitis) to 31.27(essential hypertension). The diagnoses which had high variation were essential hypertension, gastric ulcer, whereas those which had low variation were cephalopelvic disproportion and acute appendicitis. With regard to hospital days per admission, the EQ ranged from 1.55(acute appendicitis) to 28.13(gastric ulcer) by diagnosis types. The diagnosis groups with showed high variation were gastric ulcer, essential hypertension, and acute bronchitis, whereas those with low variation were cephalo-pelvic disproportion, intervertebral disc disorders, and acute appendicitis. Both the expenditure and hospital days per admission showed lewwer variations than the expenditure per capita, hospital days per capita and admission rate. 4. Comparing patterns of variation in utilization indices, diagnoses such as essential hypertension, gastric ulcer, fracture of rib showed higher variations in expenditure per admission than in admission rates, whereas diagnoses such as pneumonia, cephalo-pelvic disproportion and gastric ulcer showed higher variations in admission rate than expenditure per admission. These findings suggest that wide variations existed in several diagnoses groups across small areas in Korea. Further research should be performed to investigate factors related to small area variations including provider behavior.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.7-15
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• 2014

Purpose: This study is to propose direction for healing environment design in hospital architecture considering the characteristics of elderly patients. The primary goal of a public hospital is providing cheap health care and quality service chance to the underprivileged and elderly in the dead zone. Compared to the rapid increase of the aged population and chronic diseases, Ministry of Health & Welfare is currently planning model of health promotion hospital in development plans of local based public hospital. Due to the increased elderly medical expenses, elderly patients' high utilization is considered. Methods: The literature on the design factors of healing environments were investigated. based on this, analyzed drawings of surveyed hospitals ward in architectural characteristics and observe and evaluate directly healing environment design through field surveys. Results: The design of hospital environment affects patient's therapeutic effect. There is no any official formula for hospital design but environment that architect create could be a big part of the healing process. To increase the quality of the environment, apply the characteristic factors and harmonize well as a human-centered healing environment. Implications: Healing environment design for the elderly is first necessary condition due to high proportion of elderly patients.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.101-109
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• 2012

This study purposed to analyze the differences of cost, length of stay, and number of visits between patients who referred from clinics to a general hospital and patients who directly visit a general hospital. Study sample included 402 patients (177 patients who were not referred from clinics, 225 patients who referred from clinics) who visited the Dept. of Gastroenterology in a university hospital in Daejeon from January to June in 2007. Cost and patients' information were collected from Hospital Information System and medical record. SPSS v.12.0 was used for the statistical analysis. Multiple regression analysis found that for inpatients, location variables and malignant tumors of digestive organs had a significant influence on cost variable. For outpatients, a referring hospital type and visiting month had significant influences on total cost, and sex and visiting month (February) had significant relationship with number of visit. The study results help to understand the differences of patient care depending on whether they were referred from clinics or not. Hospital managements could use the results for marketing purposes, and it could provide valuable information for increasing the competitiveness of hospital in a given market.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.21-40
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• 1999

One Diagnosis Related Group(DRG) pilot study participating hospital was measured and analyzed to see if there were any changes after the DRG program. It was implemented in consideration of medical service utilization, hospital charges, and non-covered medical service charges by insurance in all Cesarean section cases by reviewing medical records for 3 years, including 1 year before pilot study as well as 1 and 2 years after, respectively. The results were as follows: First, the use of intramuscular antibiotics decreased statistically significantly, whereas intravenous use did not. Second, the administration period and charges of antianemic medication decreased significantly, where the prescription was appropriate. Third, the length of hospital stay decreased statistically significantly. Fourth, there were significant statistical differences in cost sharing between the insured and the insurer: cost sharing of the insured was reduced, whereas the share of the insurer increased. However, there was no change in the quality of care. Fifth, there were no statistically significant changes in the Cesarean section rate. As a result, if the fee schedule is reasonably high, hospitals can provide quality care. This DRG pilot study resulted expected outcomes: by paying a higher fee schedule than fee-for-service, then hospitals can provide quality care to their patients and increase hospital profits.