• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.1295-1301
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• 2015

Background: Cancer imposes a significant economic burden on individuals, families and society. The purpose of this study was to estimate the economic burden of cancer using the healthcare claims and cancer registry data in Korea in 2009. Materials and Methods: The economic burden of cancer was estimated using the prevalence data where patients were identified in the Korean Central Cancer Registry. We estimated the medical, non-medical, morbidity and mortality cost due to lost productivity. Medical costs were calculated using the healthcare claims data obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance (KNHI) Corporation. Non-medical costs included the cost of transportation to visit health providers, costs associated with caregiving for cancer patients, and costs for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Data acquired from the Korean National Statistics Office and Ministry of Labor were used to calculate the life expectancy at the time of death, age- and gender-specific wages on average, adjusted for unemployment and labor force participation rate. Sensitivity analysis was performed to derive the current value of foregone future earnings due to premature death, discounted at 3% and 5%. Results: In 2009, estimated total economic cost of cancer amounted to $17.3 billion at a 3% discount rate. Medical care accounted for 28.3% of total costs, followed by non-medical (17.2%), morbidity (24.2%) and mortality (30.3%) costs. Conclusions: Given that the direct medical cost sharply increased over the last decade, we must strive to construct a sustainable health care system that provides better care while lowering the cost. In addition, a comprehensive cancer survivorship policy aimed at lower caregiving cost and higher rate of return to work has become more important than previously considered.

• 한국의료질향상학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.120-131
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of implementing a clinical pathways (CPs) on the clinical outcomes and costs of patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients who were newly diagnosed with primary breast cancer at the Samsung Medical Center between 2014 and 2019 (N=8482; 2931 patients in the pre-path and 5551 patients in the post-path). Clinical outcomes included reoperation during hospitalization, readmission, and emergency room visits within 30 days of discharge. The cost data for each unit were obtained from an activity-based management accounting system. We performed an interrupted time series analysis. Results: The post-path period showed a significantly shorter hospital length of stay (LOS) than the pre-path period (6.3 days in pre-path vs. 5.0 days in post-path; -1.3 days' difference; p=.001), and fewer reoperations during hospitalization and within 30 days after discharge than the pre-path period. After adjusting for inflation rates and relative value scores, the model demonstrated savings of $146 per patient in the post-path for total costs, and $537 per patient for patient out-of-pocket costs (p=.001). Conclusion: CPs can help reduce costs without compromising the quality of care by reducing the number of reoperations, readmissions, and complications.

• 대한간호
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• 제36권3호
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• pp.49-69
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• 1997

The urgent needs to establish hospice care systems in Korea arise from the following reasons: 0) a drastic increase in chronically ill patients with the increase of aged population: (2) rapid changes in living environment from the traditional habitation (e. g., Many Koreans living in apartment complexes, which is the most popular form of modern residence in recent years, prefer to die in the hospital.): the overall increase in patients with advanced cancer: (4) recent trends in early discharge of terminally ill patients from the limited hospital facilities to accomodate other medical insurance beneficiaries; (5) easy acceptance of euthanasia owing to the recent social atmosphere that belittles the dignity of human life; (6) medical and nursing care of AIDS patient in terminal stage; (7) and the problem associated with inhumane medical care system, overtreatment, and groundless fears against narcotics. Terminally ill patients were used to be treated in the hospital in the past. In these days, however, they are forced to have home cares with little assistance from the qualified medical personnel because of insufficient hospital facilities, which are even short for the need of emergency patients and provide priority cares to medical insurance beneficiaries with other acute problems. And yet, neither are there any administrative organizations nor systematic medical studies that deal with the level of terminally ill patient's need, their family's problems and resources of hospice care systems in Korea. Thus, most patients are not able to get appropriate medical care at the terminal stage of their lives. The objective of this study is to make comprehensive database for various hospice care organization currently in operation, link them through medical information system, and develop an easily accessible hospice care model that meets the need of most Korean people. Our survey results may be summarized as follows: Nationally there are 40 organizations that provide partial or full hospice care. However, these organizations are not linked to any formal medical service network. Furthermore, the objective of hospice care, care principles, personnel with appropriate training, educational programs, standard for care, costs, consulting service to patients' family members, the extent of medical care from professional staff members, status of hospice facility, and management of those institutions are neither clearly defined nor organized compared to the international hospice care standards. The surveys on patients of terminal stage. grouped in hospice and non-hospice care patients. reveal what they want visiting nursing care to help their pain control. psychological. social and spiritual demands. While the more than 90% of hospice care patients want to reduce their pains. the non-hospice care patients. in addition to their desire for pain control. demanded more psychological. social and spiritual helps as well. The results of this research could be utilized to 0) define the standard of hospice care. (2) provide the guidance for hospice medical care costs. (3) establish the database of hospice care systems. (4) develop softwares. (5) build communication network through Medinet. and (6) provide an organized visiting home nursing care system. These information should be a valuable resource to many medical staffs who are involved in cancer therapy. nursing care. and social welfare programs.

• 대한간호학회지
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.449-457
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• 2004

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze economical efficiency of home care service by comparing a cost-utility ratio(CUR) between home care and hospitalization. Method: The analytic framework of this study was constructed in 5 stages: Identifying the analytic perspectives, measurement of costs, measurement of utility, analysis of CUR, and sensitivity test. Data was collected by reviewing medical records, home care service records, medical fee claims, and other related research. Result: The mean of the annual total cost was 23,317,636 Won in home care and 73,739,352 Won in hospital care. QALY was 0.389 in home care and 0.474 in hospital care, so CUR was 299,712,545 QALY in home care and 777,841,266 QALY in hospital care. Conclusion: The findings affirmed that home care had an economical efficiency in the aspect of utility compared to hospitalization. Therefore, the findings of this study can be used to develop a governmental health policy or to expand the home care system. In addition, the cost-utility analysis framework and process of this study will be an example model for cost-utility analysis in nursing research. Therefore, it will be used as a guideline for future research related to cost-utility analysis in nursing.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.51-59
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• 2023

Purpose: We evaluated the status of patients enrolled in South Korea's pediatric palliative care pilot project based on the experience of a single center. This study examined factors related to end-of-life services and differences in medical costs. Methods: The medical records of 120 patients referred by a pediatric palliative care team were analyzed retrospectively. Data from July 1 to February 28, 2022 were collected and analyzed using the chi-square test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Volunteer programs and psychological support (100%), family support and education (99.2%), and financial support through institutional linkage (62.5%) were provided to the participants. In the deceased group, there were no significant differences in general characteristics, which included age, gender, primary disease, religion, duration of hospitalization in an intensive care unit (ICU) and non-intensive care unit (non-ICU). However, the ICU group had fewer opportunities to access individual pain and physical symptom management than the non-ICU group and there were limitations in linking with external resources. Medical expenses were significantly different for the ICU group, with a 3-times higher average cost than the non-ICU group. Conclusion: Although an individualized approach is needed for each patient in pediatric palliative care, psychosocial care is essential. In addition, if early intervention for end-of-life pediatric patients is available from a palliative care team, the cost burden of medical care for patients and their families should be minimal.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제81권3호
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• pp.241-246
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• 2018

Background: The "Tuberculosis Relief Belt Supporting Project (Tuberculosis Patient Management Project for Poverty Groups)" is a national program for socioeconomically vulnerable tuberculosis (TB) patients. We sought to evaluate the clinical and socioeconomic characteristics of poverty-stricken TB patients, and determined the need for relief. Methods: We examined in-patients with TB, who were supported by this project at the National Medical Center from 2014 to 2015. We retrospectively investigated the patients' socioeconomic status, clinical characteristics, and project expenditures. Results: Fifty-eight patients were enrolled. Among 55 patients with known income status, 24 (43.6%) had no income. Most patients (80%) lived alone. A total of 48 patients (82.8%) had more than one underlying disease. More than half of the enrolled patients (30 patients, 51.7%) had smear-positive TB. Cavitary disease was found in 38 patients (65.5%). Among the 38 patients with known resistance status, 19 (50%) had drug-resistant TB. In terms of disease severity, 96.6% of the cases had moderate-to-severe disease. A total of 14 patients (26.4%) died during treatment. Nursing expenses were supported for 12 patients (20.7%), with patient transportation costs reimbursed for 35 patients (60%). In terms of treatment expenses for 31 people (53.4%), 93.5% of them were supported by uninsured benefits. Conclusion: Underlying disease, infectivity, drug resistance, severity, and death occurred frequently in socioeconomically vulnerable patients with TB. Many uninsured treatment costs were not supported by the current government TB programs, and the "Tuberculosis Relief Belt Supporting Project" compensated for these limitations.

• 대한간호학회지
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.562-571
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• 2016

Purpose: In this study the costs and benefits of a home health care program were examined to evaluate the economic feasibility of the program. Methods: The study participants included 349 patients in the community who had been registered at a home health care center for 5 years. The costs and benefits of the program were analyzed using performance data and health data. The benefits were classified as the effects of pressure ulcer care, skin wound care and catheters management. The program effect was evaluated on the change of progress using transition probability. Benefits were divided into direct benefit such as the savings in medical costs and transportation costs, and indirect benefits which included saving in productivity loss and lost future income. Results: Participants had an average of 1.82 health problems. The input cost was KRW 36.8~153.3 million, the benefit was KRW 95.4~279.7 million. Direct benefits accounted for 53.4%~81.2%, and was higher than indirect benefits. The net benefit was greater than 0 from 2006 to 2009, and then dropped below 0 in 2010. Conclusion: The average net benefit during 5 years was over 0 and the benefit cost ratoi was over 1.00, indicating that the home health care program si economical.

• 한국병원경영학회지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.15-26
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• 2010

Stroke is a high-risk disease. The future of the medical environment is that the proportion of elderly population is increasing, the average life expectancy is being increased, while the fatal rate of stroke will be low. These situation will due to the financial burden on medical insurance. The most important factor that affects on the medical costs of stroke patients is the length of stay. In this study the mean length of hospital for stroke stay was 21.81days(37.97days for intracerebral hemorrhage, 18.89 days for cerebral infarction). The payment per case of stroke was 6.86 million won(12.6 million won for intracerebral hemorrhage, 5.72 million won for cerebral infarction). The payment per case of intracerebral hemorrhage was 2.2 times more than that of cerebral infarction. The payment in the day of hospitalization was the highest and until the second day medical costs was high. After the third day medical costs tended to decline, after that seemed to show an almost constant level. The length of hospital stay was found to be the most important determinant of inpatient charges for stroke. Accordingly rational management of the length of stay will be beneficial to health care consumers, providers, states.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권13호
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• pp.5389-5393
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• 2014

Background: A clinical pathway (CP) can standardize and improve perioperative care for a number of interventions. In hepatic surgery, however, pertinent evidence is very limited. This study was conducted to implement a CP for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients undergoing hepatectomy, and to evaluate its effects on hospital costs, length of hospital stay (LOHS) and early clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods: Medical records for HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy were retrospectively reviewed before implementation of a CP (the non-CP group) from March 2012 to August 2012. This information was compared with the data collected prospectively from patients after implementation of the CP (the CP group) between September 2012 and April 2013. Hospital costs, LOHS and early clinical outcomes were evaluated and compared between groups. Results: There were no significant differences in terms of patient clinical characteristics between the two groups. For clinical outcome measures, no significant differences were found in postoperative complications, mortality and readmission rate. The hospital costs were significantly reduced from 24,844 RMB in the non-CP group to 19,761 RMB in the CP group (p<0.01). In addition, patients of the CP group also had shorter LOHS compared with the non-CP group (8.3 versus 12.3 days, p<0.001). Conclusions: The CP proved to be an effective approach to minimize hospital costs and LOHS with hepatectomy for HCC without compromising patient care.

• 한국병원경영학회지
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.1-17
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• 2017

목적: 상용치료원(usual source of care)은 아프거나 건강문제에 대한 조언이 필요할 때 주로 방문하는 특정 개인의원, 보건소, 혹은 기타 장소로, 상용치료원 보유는 예방서비스를 제공을 더 받게 되며, 보건의료에 대한 전반적인 만족도가 높고, 입원율을 감소시키며 의료급여자의 의료비를 감소시킬 수 있다. 이 연구에서는 당뇨병을 보유하고 있는 20세 이상을 대상으로 상용치료원 보유 여부에 따른 대상자의 현황을 파악하고, 의료이용 횟수 및 의료비의 차이와 이에 영향을 미치는 특성을 분석하였다. 방법: 이 연구는 제7차 한국의료패널 자료를 이용하였다. 상용치료원 보유여부에 따른 의료이용 횟수와 의료비를 비교하기 위해 분산분석을 실시하였으며, 상용치료원 유형에 따른 의료이용 횟수와 의료비용에 영향을 미치는 요인을 파악하기 위해 Tobit 분석을 수행하였다. 결과: Tobit 분석결과, 상용치료원을 보유한 경우 보유하지 않은 경우보다 외래의료비는 증가했으나 입원의료비는 감소하였다. 상용치료원을 보유한 경우 보유하지 않은 경우보다 외래이용횟수와 입원횟수가 증가했으나 통계적으로 유의하지 않았다. 함의: 지속적이고 포괄적인 의료서비스가 제공되는 상용치료원을 당뇨병 환자들이 보유하게 되면, 외래 예방서비스의 이용을 통해 장기적으로 입원의료비의 감소를 기대할 수 있을 것이다.