• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.153-160
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• 2012

This study investigates how discrete choice analysis can be applied to health care operations. Discrete choice analysis helps to understand the complex decision-making process of purchasing expensive medical equipments by identifying relative weights that decision makers impose on each attribute through simple virtual choice experiments. We also verified the usefulness of applying discrete choice analysis to the purchase of medical equipments with empirical evidence.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.22-39
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between estimated profit and utilization of medical equipment upon purchasing and actual results at one teaching hospital in Seoul, Korea Medical equipments over $100,000 from 1992 to 1997 were selected and results were as follows: 1. Twenty equipments out of thirty exceeded estimated profits and the difference was 3.98 billion won and ten equipments did not reach the estimated profits and 5.5 billion won was the difference. Diagnostic equipment exceeded the estimated profit which surgical equipment didn't. 2. Eleven equipments exceeded estimated utilization, which showed 100%. In the mean time, eighteen equipments didn't reach the estimated utilization, which was 71%. Diagnostic equipment showed the less estimated utilization than surgical equipment 3. Twenty-one equipments showed the 6.83 billion won profits and nine equipments showed the 1.6 billion won deficits. Diagnostic equipment was more profitable than surgical equipment. Finally. diagnostic equipment helped improving hospital management than surgical equipment. 4. Main factors which showed the big difference from the initial plan were lacking reasonable estimated method, no evaluation system for purchase, emphasis in medical treatment, excessive expenditure in maintenance, duplicated investment for medical equipment and leadership commitment. As a result. Substantial planning is required from the requesting department in consideration of estimated profit and utilization and systematic quality control is needed to confirm. Also, One-sided decision making should be avoided to purchase a high cost medical equipment and efforts should be made in examining carefully and developing a reasonable analytic method.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.177-180
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• 2010

Purpose: As PET test came to be covered by the pay system of medical insurance (July 1, 2006) and the needs for it becoming increased for laboratory purpose, it became necessary to purchase expensive medical equipments to solve those problems. However, as most of equipments that are operated by cyclotron are very expensive as to amount from tens of millions up to hundreds of millions of won, it is difficult to purchase those equipments from the point of medical organizations. It may be possible to self manufacture those equipments with least costs if their parts functions that meets the operators demands. The Nuclear Medicine department of National Cancer Center (NCC) is trying to manufacture and use equipments that can be made with least costs, including introducing 2 medical equipments that can improves the operator's works. Materials and Methods: Example 1: Self production of radioisotope($^{18}F$) divider was fabricated. The NCC's Nuclear Medicine department acquired one acrylic panel, seven 3-way valve, tubing etc. that can be found in the market to make the main body of divider in cooperation with biomedical engineering, and placed them inside hot cell, and installed switching box outside of hot cell to make it possible to control them from outside. This main body of divider were placed in radioisotope transfer line that are manufactured in the cyclotron. Example 2: Self production of $^{18}F$-FDG automated divider was fabricated. The NCC's Nuclear Medicine department used cavro pump syringe that consists the main body of divider in cooperation with biomedical engineering, biomedical engineering developed programs that divides a certain amount. $^{18}F$-FDG automated divider is placed inside hot cell, and cable chords were used in the equipment, and then it was connected to PC outside hot cell to make it possible to control the $^{18}F$-FDG automated divider. Results: From the NCC's Nuclear Medicine department tests that were carried out from March, 2007 until now, we found out that radioisotope can be sent to radiopharmaceuticals composite module we want, and from the tests that are carried out at NCC's Nuclear Medicine department using $^{18}F$-FDG automated divider since August, 2009 it was possible to distribute radiopharmaceuticals into vial intended. Conclusion: Through the two examples above, we found out that costs can be reduced by self manufacturing expensive equipments from NCC's cyclotron room with least costs. Also, it decreased radiation exposure dose on workers, and set up problem solving processes in cooperation with lots of parties related.