• The Korean Journal of Urological Oncology
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.131-136
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• 2017

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the criteria of biochemical recurrence (BCR) and follow-up periods and methods with and without blood and imaging test of urologic oncology before established guidelines of prostate cancer in Korea. Materials and Methods: In December 2015, we sent the questionnaire to urologic oncologist in academic hospital and received the answer from 108 urologic oncologist (50%). Also, we analyzed the data of 1,141 patients underwent radical prostatectomy in 2005 from Korean Medical Insurance. Results: In follow-up, 72 physicians (66.7%) performed blood test every 3 months, 51 physicians (47.2%) performed imaging study in case of BCR. Bone scan was the most common imaging study in the follow-up (74 physicians, 68.5%). But, bone scan was only performed in case of BCR (43 physicians, 39.8%). The criteria of BCR was PSA 0.2 ng/mL (75 physician, 69.4%), 76 physicians (70.4%) was performed different follow-up according to risk of patients. In Korean Medical Insurance data analysis, PSA were performed average 2 times every year and magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, Bone scan were performed average 0.1, 0.2, 0.1 times every year, respectively. Conclusions: The criteria of BCR and the follow-up of prostate cancer patients in Korea were similar Korean prostate cancer guidelines. Blood and imaging test might be increased compared to 10 years ago, it is necessary to compare the Korean Medical Insurance data between 10 years ago and present.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.25-39
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• 1996

The Korean government has a new system for charging patient care for patients in hospital, on hold for the present(9 / 1995) but to start implementation in certain areas of patient care next year. From the latter half of next year the Ministry of Health and Welfare would like to start demonstration projects for hospitals who want to start using DRGs for frequently seen medical diagnosis and for patients with a course that is predictable and for whom non-insurance costs are minimal : such as the patient who has a delivery, cesarean deliveries, cataract surgery, tonsillectomy or an appendectomy, and apply the DRG system of payment for hospital care for these patients. The purpose of this study was to establish a recording system to give effective home health care to postpartum women and their newborns. Recently the government announced a DRG system to apply to postpartum women for pilot purposes starting next year. This gives impetus to the need to develop home care records that will allow for systematic recording and provide continuity and consistency in care across all health professionals and with in-depth communication between the professions to assure high quality care. There has been a rise in medical costs and a shortage of patient bed space in hospitals, particularly since the introduction of national medical insurance. The study focused on developing client selection criteria, a primary assessment tool, progress notes and nursing diagnoses applicable to postpartum and newborn clients. Selection criteria for home health care, assessment tool content, nurses progress notes and diagnoses were developed through a review of the literature, advice from professionals who are expert in home health care and actual practice in the use of recording tools through workshops. The recommendations based on the research results are as follows : 1) Replication and application of these tools is needed to test the validity of the tools 2) In order to have systematic nursing records standardization of records has to be done after nurses have had experience using them. 3) Reliability and validity of the tools has to be established through applicability to actual care situation.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.90-95
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• 2019

The Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention interpreted that recent outbreaks of scarlet fever in Korea since 2011 was resulted from the expansion of scarlet fever notification criteria. To suggest a relevant hypothesis regarding this emerging outbreak, a time series analysis(TSA) of scarlet fever incidence between 2002 and 2016 was conducted. The raw data was the nationwide insurance claims database administered by the Korean National Health Insurance Service. The inclusion criteria were children aged ≤14 years residing in Jeju Province, Korea who received any form of healthcare for scarlet fever from 2002 to 2016. The season was defined as winter (December, January, February; Q1), spring (March, April, May; Q2), summer (June, July, August; Q3), and autumn (September, October, November; Q4). There were seasonal variations with showing peak season on Q1 and Q3. And three phases as 2002 Q2~2005 Q2, 2005 Q2~2009 Q4, and 2010 Q1~2016 Q4 were found between 2002 and 2016. The results from TSA suggested that the recent outbreak of scarlet fever among children in Jeju Province might be a phenomenon from 'unknown birth-related environmental factors' changed after 2010.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.164-177
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• 2020

This study aims to compare the experience of selected countries in operating separate payment system for new healthcare technology and to find implications for price setting in Korea. We analyzed the related reports, papers, laws, regulations, and related agencies' online materials from five selected countries including the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, and France. Each country has its own additional payment system for new technologies: transitional pass-through payment and new technology ambulatory payment classification for outpatient care and new technology add-on payment for inpatient care (USA), an extra payment for materials with new functions or new treatment (C1, C2; Japan), an additional payment system for new special treatment materials (Taiwan), a short-term extra funding for new diagnosis and treatment (NUB; Germany), and list of additional payments for new medical devices (France). The technology should be proven safe and effective in order to get approval for an additional payment. The price is determined by considering the actual cost of providing the technology and the cost of existing similar technologies listed in the benefits package. The revision cycle of the additional payment is 1 to 4 years. The cost or usage is monitored during that period and then integrated into the existing fee schedule or removed from the list. We conclude that it is important to set the explicit criteria to select services eligible for additional payment, to collect and analyze data to assess eligibility and to set the payment, to monitor the usage or cost, and to make follow-up measures in price setting for new health technologies in Korea.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.93-110
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• 2003

Fiscal crisis in the medical insurance has put the pressure upon hospitals by increasing the rate of curtailment, since the implementation of the separation between prescription and dispensing of Drug. The purpose of this study is to analyze the curtailment for antibiotics, injected drug and other drugs expenditure before and after the system of separation between prescribing and dispensing. Data were gathered from 13 general hospitals and used for analysis of trends on antibiotics and injected drug expenditure, and curtailment in 2000-2001 at three months intervals. The results were as follows; The curtailment rate of antibiotics expenditure has been increased in outpatient and inpatient since 2000. The curtailed antibiotics cost and injected drug cost in outpatient under the prescription within the hospital and in inpatient increased. The ratios of curtailment versus expenditure had increased in antibiotics, injected drugs, anticancer drugs, antiulcer drugs, albumine, antiinflammatory drugs. These results suggest that claim review system in social health insurance were over-focused mainly to control the cost and it might to impede the validity of claim review function in health insurance system. Therefore, it's needed to develope the scientific and reasonable parameter & criteria for claim review of drug expenditure.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.3-12
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• 1981

To identify the changes in professional care patterns after the introduction of medical insurance in Korea, professional care in hospitals and clinics of two succeeding years were compared. The hospitals and clinics selected for this study were those which located in Seoul city. Hospitals were classified into 3 categories: university hospital, general hospital and hospital. The diseases selected for this study were acute appendicitis and normal delivery. They were selected because their disease courses are considered to be fairly stable. The variables used for this study were length of stay, total hospital costs, costs of each components of cares. The information used for this study was obtained from the official forms requested by the medical facilities to the Korea Medical Insurance Corporation. The two periods studied were 3 months of each year from March 1st to May 31st in 1979 and 1980, The total number of normal delivery studied was 289 in 1979, 301 in 1980 respectively and the acute appendicitis was 92 and 111 respectively. In order to compare the quantity of medical care between 2 study periods the insurance price scores of 1979 were converted to prices of 1980. For statistical test of difference between 2 periods T-test and Welch's test were used. The result of the study were briefly summarized in below. 1. No significant difference was observed in the average length of stay of both disease between two study periods in all types of hospitals. 2. No significant difference was observed in the average total hospital costs of both diseases in all types of hospital, but in the private clinic the average clinic costs was rather decreased significantly in 1980. 3. More cost decrease were seen than cost increase in 1980 in all types of facilities, More cost changes by items were seen in acute appendicitis than in normal delivery between two study periods. The total hospital costs can be devided into 2 portions: charges for drug and material and for physician. In normal delivery, costs for physician's charges was significantly decreased in almost all the hospitals and costs for drug and material were not changed significantly in all the hospitals in 1980. In the university hospitals, however, the costs for drug and material were increased significantly in 1980. The cost decrease for physician's charge were mainly due to the decrease in the costs of laboratory test, treatment and physical therapy. The increase in the costs for the drug and material in the university hospitals was mainly due to the increase in the cost for drugs for oral administration and injection. 4. The proportion of components of medical care in the hospital has not been changed significantly, however, the cost for injection in normal delivery was characteristically increased in 1980 in all hospitals studied. In general the proportion of the costs for drug and material was tended to increase and the costs for physician was tended to decrease in 1980. The increase in the costs for drug and material were considered to be due to increase in the cost for drugs for oral administration and injection. The decrease in the costs for physician were due to decrease in the costs of laboratory test, treatment and physical therapy. Above mentioned changes in hospital and clinic care patterns are considered to be mostly influenced by the review criteria set by the K.I.C. for the assessment of the fee request made by clinics and hospitals.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.285-301
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• 2010

Purpose: The study was aimed at qualitatively enhancing and promoting a home visiting nursing program established in Korea on July 1, 2008, as part of the Long-Term Care Insurance for the Elderly program. Methods: Structural, procedural and consequential aspects of home visiting nursing care wereclassified on the horizontal axis by applying the standard notions for the evaluation of medical care (Donabedian, 1998). At the same time, the home visiting nursing care service support system and the service provision system weredivided on the vertical axis with reference to the accreditation standards for home visiting nursing care organizations suggested by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO, 2008). The data were collected from June 4, 2008 to October 27, 2008, and were analyzed using SPSS ver. 15.0. Results: Twenty-two (proposed) standards, centered on the standard elements under the conceptual framework of the study, were developed, and comprised structural aspects (n=10), procedural aspects (n=6) and consequential aspects (n=6). Those criteria and indicators underwent two content validity surveys among groups of home visiting nursing care research and training experts. The research produced 22 proposed standards, 50 proposed criteria and 166 proposed indicators. Conclusion: The home visiting nursing care standards developed pursuant to the Long-Term Care Insurance for the Elderly Act and the applicability of these standards need to be verified by home visiting nurses. These proposed standards should prove useful in developing an assessment tool to encourage the qualitative enhancement of visiting nursing care in Korea.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.83-91
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• 2021

Various types of high-precision radiotherapy, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), tomotherapy (Tomo), and stereotactic body radiation therapy have been available since 1997. After being covered by insurance in 2015, the number of IMRT cases rapidly increased 18-fold from 2011 to 2018 in Korea. IMRT, which uses a high-beam irradiation monitor unit, requires higher shielding conditions than conventional radiation treatments. However, to date, research on the shielding of facilities using IMRT and the current understanding of its status are insufficient, and detailed safety regulation procedures have not been established. This study investigated the recommended criteria for the shielding evaluation of facilities using medical linear accelerators (LINACs), including 1) the current status of safety management regulations and systems in domestic and international facilities using medical LINACs and 2) the current status of the recommended standards for safety management in domestic and international facilities using medical LINACs. It is necessary to develop and introduce a safety management system for facilities using LINACs for clinical applications that is suitable for the domestic medical environment and corresponds to the safety management systems for LINACs used overseas.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.1-26
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• 2009

Objectives : To identify target areas and set priorities among those areas identified for national quality evaluation. Methods : Target areas were identified from: i) analysis of the national health insurance claims data, mortality and prevalence data ii) various group surveys, including representatives from 22 medical specialty associations, 19 physician associations, QI staffs in hospital, civil organizations, and commissioners of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service(HIRA) ⅲ) literature reviews and RAM(RAND/UCLA appropriateness method). The priority areas for national quality evaluation represented the full spectrum of health care and the entire life span. The criteria for selecting the priority areas were impact, improvability, and measurability. The priority areas were divided into three categories : short-term, mid-term, long-term. Results: Based on the group surveys and the data analysis, 46 candidates were selected as quality evaluation priority areas. 13 areas were selected as having a short-term priority areas: tuberculosis, community acquired pneumonia, stroke, ischaemic heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, chronic lower respiratory disease(asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), intensive care unit, emergency room, nosocomial infection, use of antibiotics, multiple medication and renal failure. This results suggested that we need to enlarge the target priority areas to the chronic diseases in short-term. Conclusions: The priority areas identified from the study will assist healthcare quality associated institutions as well as HIRA in selecting quality evaluation areas. It is required to develope and implement strategies for improving the quality of care within the next 5 years.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.195-218
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• 2017

The increase in medical expenses for convalescent hospitals is increasing abnormally, which puts enormous burden on the National health insurance finances. This is a phenomenon that has been associated with the social phenomenon of rapid aging. The fact that the convalescent hospitals are paid the fixed amount per day for hospitalization became the incentive for some hospitals to use the patients as means of making money. And these hospitals intend to get regular care or take medicines at other hospitals in order to reduce medical expenses, even when the medical fee is paid. In order to prevent such financial leaks, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service adjusted the patient group for inpatients in a hospital with the above behavior, and then cut the cost of medical care benefits. However, Above decision was canceled by the court on the grounds that there was no basis rule. However, based on the above case, I think that it can be an opportunity to draw up the problem and to improve of the Medical Fee System of hospital. The modified medical fee system can strengthen the medical function of the convalescent hospital. In addition, it seems reasonable to exclude admission for "physically disabled group". Even if admission is allowed for the physically disabled group due to social needs, it should be excluded from the National health insurance for the fianacial soundness and the sustainability of the system.