• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.73-93
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• 2006

This study aims at providing necessary informations for management decision-making to the hospital manager, such as ratios of fixed and variable cost to total operating expense, and variable cost ratio to operating revenues, and determinant factors affecting cost behavior. A study model and related hypotheses were established, data were collected from 41 private university hospitals for the 6years from 1998 to 2003, and regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. The results of the analyses and conclusions are as follows; First, labor cost and administration cost within the same number of beds have not only fixed quality of the cost, but variable quality of that. Also, the ratio of the variable costs to operating revenue of the metropolitan was estimated 76.9% and that of other area hospitals was 80.1%. Second, the major factors affecting the increase rate of the operating expense were the increase rates of the number of inpatients, the number of employee, and the number of hospital operating bed. This result implies that maintaining a optimal hospital bed size and efficient operation of the beds are important strategic factors of hospital management.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.43-62
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• 2010

This study provides an evidence on the determinants of the profitability of university hospital by analyzing university hospital-level data set of hospital performance during the year 2007 (32 university hospitals in total). For the study, a multiple regression model is employed in which profitability index obtained from the DEA computations, operating margin to total asset and gross revenue are used as the dependent variables, and a number of hospital operating characteristics are chosen as the independent variables such as ownership type, location, bed size, period of establishment, bed occupancy rate, admission ratio of outpatients, patients per medical specialist, personnel cost per patient, liabilities to total assets, current ratio, fixed ratio, total asset turnover, medical assistance rate and public indicator. First, the results indicate that the bed occupancy rate and liabilities to total assets are positively and significantly associated with operating margin to total asset. Second, number of beds, the bed occupancy rate and number of patients per medical specialist are positively and significantly associated with operating margin to gross revenue. Third, the bed occupancy rate, number of patients per medical specialist, liabilities to total assets, total asset turnover are positively and significantly associated with profitability index revealed from DEA.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.458-471
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• 2001

To evaluate the infra structure supporting hospital nutrition services, we conducted a survey on the unit of organization, unit of dietitians work system, number of personnel engaged on nutrition services, productivity of food service, management of dietitians works, computerization of nutrition services etc. Total ninety-six hospitals were participated in the survey, and they were varied in terms of hospital classification, location, number of beds and type of food service management. All of the large hospitals with more than 400 beds conducted nutrition services under the department of nutrition, but some of the middle and small hospitals with less than 400 beds conducted nutrition services under the other department such as administration. In most of the tertiary hospitals, the work of dietitians were separated in which food services and medical nutrition services were conducted independently by different dietitians, whereas, in most of general hospitals and all the hospital, food services and medical nutrition services were conducted by the same dietitians in all time. The numbers of dietitians and cooks per 100 beds were fewer in the large hospitals with more than 400 beds than the hospitals with less than 400 beds, and the number of cooking and meal serving assistants were the just opposit. The average productivity of food service was 44.5 meals per hour for each dietitian, 84.8 meals per hour for a cook and 7.0 meals per hour for a cooking and meal serving assistant. The productivities for dietitians and cooks tend to be higher in large hospitals than middle and small hospitals, whereas the productivities for cooking and meal serving assistants were just opposite. The large hospitals seemed to solve the problem on the lack of working personnels by hiring part-time workers and by utilization of computer system for their works. The pattern of daily work management in food service area was not much different between dietitians duties, but the pattern of daily work management in medical nutrition service area was different in a way which the analysis of patients nutrient intakes was almost not conducted by dietitians handling both food services and medical nutrition services. Therefore, this study demonstrates that there are significant differences in the infra structures conducting nutrition services among hospitals, suggesting that the strategies to improve this improve this structure in relation to the improvement of service qualities need to be investigated in the future. (Korean J Nutrition 34(4) : 458∼471, 2001)

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.10 no.11
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• pp.493-502
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• 2012

This study aimed to determine the management and environmental factors affecting medical expense reduction. For analysis, medical expenses were divided into hospitalization expenses and outpatient treatment expenses, and the rate of medical expense reduction was classified into initial and final reduction rates. Data were collected through a direct survey among 205 directors of independent health insurance review departments of hospital-level medical institutions in Korea. The results of the study are discussed below: In the analysis, differences in the initial and final reduction rates of hospitalization expenses and outpatient treatment expenses were compared. The results showed that, in hospitalization expenses, the initial and final reduction rates were both significantly affected by the following management factors: number of beds, number of departments, number of personnel reviewing health insurance cases, and total number of employees. Further, in outpatient treatment expenses, the initial and final reduction rates were both affected significantly by the following management factors: management of medical records, number of beds, number of departments, number of personnel reviewing health insurance, and total number of employees. The management factors significantly affecting both the initial and final reduction rates were higher number of beds for hospitalization expenses and electronic medical record management for outpatient treatment expenses. The environmental factors significantly affecting both the initial and final reduction rates of hospitalization expenses were a highly cooperative work environment, better implementation of indicator management systems, and overtime pay. Better implementation of indicator management system and a committee for handling medical expenses had significant effects on the initial reduction rate for outpatient treatment expenses. A highly cooperative work environment, better implementation of indicator management system, and overtime pay had significant effects on the final reduction rate for outpatient treatment expenses.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.441-452
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• 2013

The fish species composition of seagrass bed in Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia, was investigated every month from August 2009 to July 2011, using a seine net for fish caught. A total of 32 fish species belonging to 18 families under 6 orders were identified during the study period. Of these fish, Atherinomrus lacunosus, and Strongylura incise were the major dominant species representing 85.0% in total number of individuals. The number of species and individuals were high from August to December 2009, 2010. The biomass was highest in September 2010 and the diversity index was higher in September 2009, April, August 2010 and July 2011. The 14 dominant species could be divided into 2 groups of 3 individuals based on appearance patterns; (1) resident species and temporal species (9 species, e.g. Atherinomrus lacunosus), juvenile and adults living in seagrass beds and juveniles living only in seagrass beds; (2) temporal species (2 species, e.g. Hemiramphus lutkei), juveniles living only in seagrass beds; (3) temporal species (3 individuals, e.g. Caranx sexfasiatus). For some species, the appearance patterns were affected by water temperature. However, the relationships between sea currents, salinity, tide, and structure of fish assemblage remain unclear. Further studies that regularly monitor sea grass habitats are necessary to clearly understand the correlation between environmental factors and sea grass habitat use patterns in fish assemblages.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.221-228
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• 2015

Background: This study explored the relationship between hospital resources and services uses in outpatient/inpatient-based hospital service area (HSA) in Korea. Methods: Study hospitals included all acute care hospitals except tertiary hospitals. Inpatient and outpatient hospital claims from the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) program in 2010 were used to identify the service uses. Hospital resources and the degree of insurance premium in study areas were identified with the NHI corporation data. Study variables were computed by summing the service uses or hospital resources of study hospitals in each HSA. Service uses were represented by the total medical charges and number of visits/inpatient days. Hospital resources were measured by number of beds, number of doctors, and number of computed tomography (CT). The economic status of NHI enrollees in each HSA was controlled by the average monthly premium of NHI program per household in each HSA. The degree of using local hospitals was controlled with the localization index. Results: Analysis results showed that hospital resources such as beds, CT were statistically related to the service uses. And also localization index was found to have positive significant relationships with service uses. Conclusion: Hospital resources such as beds, CT had not only positive impacts on inpatient service uses, but also influences on the outpatient setting. Health policy makers will require monitoring and assessing the hospital resources in Korea.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.343-351
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• 2016

Background: This study aims to analyze the effects of insurance types on the medical service uses for heart failure inpatients using propensity score matching (PSM). Methods: 2014 National inpatient sample based on health insurance claims data was used in the analysis. PSM was applied to control factors influencing the service uses except insurance types. Negative binomial regression was used after PSM to analyze factors that had influences on the service uses among inpatients. Subjects were divided by health insurance type, national health insurance (NHI) and medical aid (MA). Total charges and length of stay were used to represent the medical service uses. Covariance variables in PSM consist of sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, Elixhauser comorbidity index) and hospital characteristics (hospital types, number of beds, location, number of doctors per 50 beds). These variables were also used as independent variables in negative binomial regression. Results: After the PSM, length of stay showed statistically significant difference on medical uses between insurance types. Negative binomial regression provided that insurance types, Elixhauser comorbidity index, and number of doctors per 50 beds were significant on the length of stay. Conclusion: This study provided that the service uses, especially length of stay, were differed by insurance types. Health policy makers will be required to prepare interventions to narrow the gap of the service uses between NHI and MA.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2011

Species composition and seasonal variation of fish assemblages in Sargassum beds in Gamak Bay was determined using fish samples collected monthly by a surrounding net from October 2008 to September 2009. A total of 21 species, 582 individuals and 5,345.1 g of fishes were collected during the study period and Perciformes accounted for 47.6 % of the total number of species. Takifugu niphobles, Engraulis japonicus and Lateolabrax japonicus predominated in number, accounting for 55 % of the total number of individuals. Higher number of species and individuals occurred in June and in September-October. Species were grouped into three by cluster analysis: A) dominant species such as Leiognathus nuchalis and Takifugu niphobles, B) fish collected mainly in spring such as Sebastes inermis, Chaenogobius heptacanthus, Pterogobius zonoleucus, Pholis nebulosa, and Trachyrhamphus serratus, and C) fish collected mainly in autumn such as Engraulis japonicus, Lateolabrax japonicus, and Hyporhamphus sajori.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.58-67
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to find out the fish species that appeared monthly through the fish stock survey of Minyang eelgrass beds in Tongyeong and compare them with the results of previous studies in the same area. This survey confirmed the species compositional characteristics of fish using surf net from March 2021 to February 2022. During the survey period, a total of 24 species, 8,679 individuals, and 3,714.42 g of the total fish were collected. The dominant species were Gymnogobius castaneus, G. heptacanthus, Chaenogobius gulosus, Pholis nebulosa, Rudarius ercodes which accounted for 95.9% of a total number of individuals collected. Similar to previous studies, most of the fish species that appeared were gobiidae, and in this study. Leiognathus nuchalis, which was selected as pollution indicator species, appeared for the first time.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.56-72
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence the performance and importance of clinical nutritionists. Methods: Ninety-nine nutritionists working in mental health institutions were assessed. Results: Factors affecting the performance of clinical nutritionists in certified hospitals were shown to have a significant positive effect on the description of treatment diet, status of clinical nutrition management, and presence of a nutrition counselor. The factors affecting importance were the number of permission beds and total work experience. Conclusions: In order to improve the accreditation system of mental hospitals, it is necessary to expand the scope of this study to include hospitals with fewer beds, and clinical nutrition management should be mandatory.