• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.25 no.4 s.40
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• pp.357-373
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• 1992

After medical insurance came into effect in Korea, health care system has undergone tremendous changes. Changing patterns of newly established clinics is one of them. To investigate changes and trends, a total of 10,184 clinics which were newly established from 1981 to 1990 were analysed. Data were obtained from the file of contracting medical facilities of the Federation of Medical Insurance Societies. The proportion of newly establishied clinics has increased gradually, so that they amount to 13% of the total medical facilities in Korea. Meanwhile, the number of newly established medium-size hospitals and general hospitals have decreased. The number of newly established clinics per 100,000 populations has increased in the all areas, but the rate of increase has decreased in the cities except in 6 major cities in 1990. The rate of increase in newly established clinics surpasses that of population increase. This study has identified the trend of young physicians' early driving into their solo medical practice than before. This indicates chance of the medical specialty training nowadays toughen due to the limited openings in residency programs. However, the sex ratio of physicians at newly established clinics has not changed. The decreasing tendency to open medical practice without beds and the increasing size of clinics are found in this study(The size has been measured in terms of medical manpower, of beds, and of medical equipment in this study). Two thirds of general practitioners have opened their clinics without beds, although such trend has been less in the case of specialists. All three indicators show increasing size, especially in the case of rural clinics. However, among them, the number of medical equipments has increased most significantly from 8.9 items in 1981 to 12.9 in 1990.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.124-136
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• 2010

Objective:: This study aimed to examine the customers' utilization of and satisfaction with oriental medical clinics in South Korea. Method: The data for this study were collected from 1,208 patients of 391 oriental medical clinics through a mail questionnaire survey from September to December 2008. The collected data were analyzed by the frequency analysis and $X^2$-test. Results: The results of the study were as follows. First, the most important reason that patients used oriental medical services was to get both oriental and western medical services simultaneously, because they thought such approach would be more effective for treating their diseases. Second, two important reasons that patients visited oriental medical clinics were "the reputation of and trust in the oriental medical clinics" and "the recommendation of their family and friends". Third, many patients of the oriental medical clinics have concerns about the "high prices and the outcome of oriental medical services". Fourth, the most preferred oriental medical service was "acupuncture". Fifth, it was found that 75% of the respondents were satisfied with the services they had received. They told that the outcome of the care and the kindness of the clinics' staff were very important factors that have an impact on their satisfaction. Conclusion: The study results imply that oriental medical clinics have to make an effort to strengthen their reputation and trust in the community through the scientific validation of oriental medicine, differentiated services mixed with traditional value, customer relationship management, reasonable and acceptable price of the services, staff education, and continuous quality improvement.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.79-91
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• 2011

Objectives: The purpose was to study the market of traditional Korean medical devices and survey, list and number medical devices in traditional Korean medical clinics. Methods: we researched in three ways. 1. We investigated the list of devices regarded as traditional Korean medical devices in 'Report on production, export, and import of medical devices.' 2. We investigated the statistics of medical devices equipped in traditional Korean medical clinics through the website of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service. 3. We surveyed medical devices in traditional Korean medical clinics by mail. Results: 1. We could not directly investigate the market for traditional Korean medical devices because they were not categorized as such ('traditional Korean medical devices'). 2. The number of medical devices in traditional Korean medical clinics has increased alongside the increase of traditional Korean medical clinics. 3. Traditional Korean medical clinics hold over 64,962 medical devices and have below 50 percent of traditional Korean medical diagnosis devices. 4. Meridian function testing machines, pulse diagnosis devices, and yangdorak showed ranking of equipment-ratio equal to ranking of insurance fees. Conclusions: Traditional Korean medical device regulations should be enacted following definitive and concrete Korean traditional medical concepts by the Korean traditional medical society.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate incomes and costs of the medical clinics by using secondary data. Methodology: The medical incomes and costs were estimated from 405 clinics operated by sole practitioner providing out-patient services among all clinics subject to the Medical Cost Survey on National Health Insurance Patients in 2017, excluding dental clinics and oriental medical clinics. The incomes and costs of the medical clinics were reflected with incomes and costs of health insurance benefits and were calculated by types of medical services (i.e., basic care, surgery, general treatment, functional test, specimen test and imaging test). The costs were classified as follows: labor costs, equipment costs, material costs and overhead costs. Secondary data was used to estimate the incomes and costs of the medical clinics. For allocation bases for costs for each type of the medical service, the ratio of revenue from health insurance benefits by types of medical services was applied. However, labor costs were calculated with the activity ratio by types of medical services and occupations, using clinical expert panel data. Finding: The percentage of health insurance income for all medical income was 73.1%. The health insurance cost per clinic was 401,864 thousand won. Labor cost accounted for the largest portion of the health insurance income was 191,229 thousand won (47.6%), followed by management cost was 170,018 thousand won (42.3%), materials cost was 35,434 thousand won (8.8%), and equipment costs was 5,183 thousand won (1.3%). Practical Implications: This study suggests a method of estimating incomes and costs of medical clinic services by using secondary data. It could efficiently provide incomes and costs to assess an appropriate level of the health insurance fee to the clinics.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.54-90
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• 2006

Medical clinics are core institutes that cover the primary medical care in Korea. Financial viability of the clinics is essential for them to conduct their roles and functions, and can be improved by increasing their operating profitability. On this ground, this study aimed at finding important factors that affect the operating profitability, and thereby at suggesting strategic alternatives that can contribute to the improvement of the profitability. Operating margin was set as a dependent variable, and such factors as general management conditions, number of visits, medical revenue, marketing activities, input resources, medical cost as independent variables. Nineteen hypotheses related to the variables were established and tested using data collected from 138 sample clinics for the year 2003. The results of the study are as follows : Firstly, such variables as percent ratio of the depreciation plus rent costs to total administration costs, type of clinical department manifested whether medical, surgical, or quasi-surgical, percent ratio of the interior facility investment to total fixed assets, and total number of outpatient visit are important factors that affect, positively or negatively, the medical profitability of the clinics. Secondly, following measures are needed to be established and implemented to improve the medical profitability. (1) Administration costs share 53.2% of the total medical costs, and depreciation plus rent costs 16.3% of the total administration costs. This implies that such measures as reinforcement of marketing activities, establishment of the cooperative utilizing system of the facility and equipment, or group practice are needed to increase cost-effectiveness. (2) Occupancy rate of the clinics with inpatient bed is as low as 45.5%, causing high fixed costs and low medical profitability. For its improvement, the resource input structure should be reorganized. Thirdly, in the future, a study that can increase sample representativeness of the study and explanation power of the variables should be performed for each type of clinical department to find more specific determinant factors and to contribute to the improvement of the medical profitability of the clinics.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.129-143
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• 2000

With increasing number of dental patients, it is also increasing patient's desire to get better medical service. As the concern for improvement of dental medical service quality is growing, satisfaction degree of dental patients is becoming very important. This study was to investigate difference of patients' satisfaction degree concerned with installation of dental labs and the reason. The data for this study were collected through Self-Administered Questionnaires from 284 patients who had visited dental clinics more than two times. The results are as follows: Female respondents ratio was as twice much as male ones. And 54.2% of the respondents were found out to have completed university education. Dental clinics with dental labs scored higher than others in patients' satisfaction and recommendation willingness degree. Dental clinics without dental labs scored higher in patients' revisiting willingness degree. With simple Correlation Analyses it was found out that the most influential variable concerned with patients' general satisfaction degree was medical facility in dental clinics with dental labs, dentist ability to cure in dental clinics without dental labs. There were some discrepancies with other subordinate variables. Through Stepwise Multiful Regression Analyses it was found out that the most influential variable with patients' general satisfaction degree was dentist ability to cure in total and dental clinics without dental labs and medical facility in dental clinics with dental labs. There were also some discrepancies with other subordinate variables.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.133-141
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• 2008

l. Objectives This study aims to know the coefficient of five Sasang constitution diagnosis factors' concordance in and among Oriental Medical Clinics, which are important to diagnose Sasang constitution, 2. Methods We collected 701 subjects in Oriental Medical Clinics, who were diagnosed by experts, and they marked the priority order of Sasang constitutional factors in paper. 3. Results 1) The concordance of priority order about Sasang constitutional factors was significantly associated within Oriental Medical Clinics. 2) The concordance of priority order of Sasang constitutional factors was not significantly associated among 12 Oriental Medical Clinics, so we find out that each medical clinics has a different point of view of deciding the rank of diagnosis factors. 3) We show that the factor of Sasang constitutional drug response was the most important one to confirm Sasang constitution and factors have a different order according to clinic type and qualification of experts 4. Conclusions Sasang constitution expect has their own view in diagnosis priority order and that was different among them.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was to examine whether a health care model that provides comprehensive medical services based on population groups to members of the medical cooperative is applicable as a policy alternative in terms of medical use and cost. Methods: Data were derived from National Health Insurance claim data in 2019. We compared the medical volume and expenses of patients who visited social cooperative-type medical clinics with other patients, control group who visited other clinics in a local area. Results: The average number of visit days was 25.3 days in social cooperative-type medical clinics, more than 24.2 days in the control group (p=.004). However, the average medical cost per visit was KRW 46 thousand in social cooperative-type medical clinics, which was significantly lower than KRW 51 thousand in the control group (p<.001), and the total medical cost was also KRW 16.1 billion in social cooperative-type medical clinics and KRW 16.9 billion in the control group. Conclusion: We identified that a population-based health care model might change patients' behaviors to health care services and decrease total medical cost. Further population based experiment is needed to develop alternative healthcare model.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Veterinary Clinics Conference
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.268-268
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• 2009

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.187-204
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• 2014

Objectives This study examined the perception and current utilization of Korean medical clinics in South Korea, focusing on university students in their 20s who live in Seoul. In addition, this study investigated methods for improving positive perception on korean medical clinics. Methods The questionnaire consisted of preference, reliability, professionalism, and modernity of korean medical clinics based on previous researches. The data was collected from 203 students of 6 different universities in Seoul through a direct survey from 4th September to 7th September 2013. The collected data were analyzed by the frequency analysis. Results According to the survey, the university students in Seoul have few chances to visit korean medical clinics, and they do not have enough information about korean medical treatment. Also, only few of them have recognized existence of research on korean medical treatment, and most of them request that korean medical care need to be scientifically proven. Conclusion The study implied that if the perception of preference, reliability, professionalism, and modernity regarding korean medical clinics develops by promoting research achievements, an increasing number of university students in their 20s will take korean medical care.