• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.106-128
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• 2007

The Korean health care system is under great controversy. Over the last 30 years, main goal of health policies was to pursue equal access of health care services. However, another goal of health policies laid on efficiency and Quality of care, it had lower priorities. Superficially, controversy stems from priority setting among goals of health care system, equity, efficiency and quality. At a deeper level, arguments arise from disagreement and confusion about the values of Korean health care system. One of the value spectrums believes that health care is the basic right of human beings, therefore it should be produced and distributed on need approach, and needs are known to be decided by professionals. If we accept need approach, health care is a pubic good. Another value of spectrums considers that health care should be distributed on demand approach. Demand approach means that health care is a consumption good on the positive economics, while normative judgement believes that health care is a public good. In equity aspect, health care is considered as a public good. Over the last several years, some of scholars proposed health care reform based on the principle of competition which is based on demand approach. Others argue that the competition principle based on demand approach is not appropriate for the reform proposal, because health care has to be approached on need base. If we do not make explicit values we should adopt, consensus building for reform is nearly impossible. From this perspective, this article will review an ideology and reality in health policies in Korea.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.15-24
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was done to define nursing behavior in neonatal intensive care units so as to estimate resource-based relative value-. Method: Participating in this study were 292 nurses in neonatal intensive care units. The study surveyed physical and mental labor, stress and time involved in nursing work. Tool used in this study was a nursing labor per relative value tool. For analyzes, the relative value of each nursing behavior was calculated, where the mean value of the three components, labor intensity and component-by-component explanatory power were in percentage terms. Results: 1. Nursing behaviors in neonatal intensive care unit were classified and defined at three levels: 5 main domains, 17 mid-domains, and 42 small domains. 2. The per component explanatory power of intensity involved in nursing labor showed physical effort to be 32.45%, mental 32.86%, and stress 34.69%. 3. The reliability of nursing labor factors was very strong, Cronbach's alpha value of 0.96. Conclusion: In this research, which is a first in defining nursing behavior in neonatal intensive care units, individual nursing behavior were broken down using resource-based relative value for nursing cost, and each nursing behavior was successfully translated to a numerical value.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.68-80
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• 2013

Background: This study investigates improvements in non-value-added nursing activities in clinical work, in order to improve the efficiency and quality of nursing activities. Methods: The study was performed as a quality improvement project at a tertiary general hospital. The nursing activities that needed improvements were categories into admission care, discharge care, supply management, diagnostic work-up related activities, and others. The nursing time and frequency of non-value-added activities were compared across nine nursing units before and after implementation of the quality improvement program. Post-implementation patient and nurse satisfaction were subsequently analyzed. Result: Post-implementation, the time spent on non-value-added nursing activities was reduced and patients and nurses were satisfied with the improvements. Discussion: Reducing non-value-added activities in nursing can increase the work efficiency and ensure time for patient care, thus improving the quality of nursing care. For further study, accurate surveys on nursing activities based on nursing time are required.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.389-397
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• 2022

Objectives: This study examined the effect of out-of-pocket (OOP) payment reduction on the potential utilization of low-value magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) across income groups. Methods: We conducted an experimental vignette survey using a proportional quota-based sample of individuals in Korea (n=1229). In two hypothetical vignettes, participants were asked whether they would be willing to use MRI if they had uncomplicated headache and non-specific low back pain, each before and after OOP payment reduction. To account for the possible role of physician inducement, half of the participants were initially presented with vignettes that included a physician recommendation for low-value care. The predicted probability, slope index of inequality (SII), and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated using logistic regression. Results: Before OOP payment reduction, the lowest income quintile was least likely to use low-value MRI regardless of physician inducement (36.7-49.6% for low back pain; 30.5-39.3% for headache). After OOP payment reduction, almost all individuals in each income quintile were willing to use low-value MRI (89.8-98.0% for low back pain; 78.1-90.3% for headache). Absolute and relative inequalities concerning potential low-value MRI utilization decreased after OOP payments were reduced, even without physician inducement (SII: from 8.15 to 5.37%, RII: from 1.20 to 1.06 for low back pain; SII: from 6.99 to 0.83%, RII: from 1.20 to 1.01 for headache). Conclusions: OOP payment reduction for MRI has the potential to increase low-value care utilization among all income groups while decreasing inequality in low-value care utilization.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.426-435
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• 2000

Objectives : To determine the relationships among quality, satisfaction, value and purchase intention in health care service. Methods : The data were gathered from out-patients who had used hospital services. They were asked to assess service quality, satisfaction, service value, and purchase intention. A total of 557 usable questionnaires were gathered. The data were analyzed using SAS version 6.12. The analysis methods employed in the study were confirmatory analysis and covariance structural analysis. Results : Service quality exhibited a significant and positive relationship with satisfaction, service value, and purchase intention. Furthermore, satisfaction had a significant and positive relationship with purchase intention. And finally, service value had a significant and positive relationship with both satisfaction and purchase intention. Based on these findings, it is evident that satisfaction was a mediator between service quality and purchase intention. Also service value played a mediating role between service quality and satisfaction. Conclusions : These results suggest that service quality is an antecedent of satisfaction and sonics value, and exerts a stronger influence on purchase intentions than satisfaction and service value do. Thus, managers may need to emphasize service quality in health care.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.441-452
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• 2011

Purpose: Identify the factors that influence following up control and reuse intention of patient who used dental health care institution after dental heath care service and in order to prepare the method which improve the quality of dental health service which dental heath care institution service afford. Methods: Data were collected through random sampling from June 20th to August 20th 2010 (for 60 days). Once we explained the purpose of our survey to people who experienced the dental service within one year, we distributed the questionnaires to someone who volunteered to respond and they answered all questions by themselves based on the actual experience of dental health care organizations. Even if the survey was conducted for 610 people, only 585 properly answered questionnaires were analyzed because responses which had many unanswered questions and had errors in responsive way were excluded. Results: Result of multiple regression analysis, the value of dental clinic service, the following up control after dental treatment, the technique and kindness of dentist, the environment of treatment, type of dental service and the kindness of dental staff is significant main cause to intention of reuse dental clinic. Conclusion: In order to increase the rate of patient reuse, enhance the value of service with following up control after health treatment and the high quality of dental health service.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.59-83
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• 2013

Recently, the importance of the health care industry is increasing due to the rapid changes in the population structure caused by decreasing in fertility rate and aging population. Therefore expansion of government investment in R&D of the health care industry is needed as the demand of health care is increasing. This study attempts to examine the economic impacts of national research and development for the health care industry using an inter-industry analysis. Specifically, the study investigates production-inducing effect, value added inducing effect, and employment-inducing effect of the health care industry based on demand-driven model. These analyses pay particular and close attention to the health care industry by taking it as exogenous rather than endogenous. Here we present results. First, the production-inducing effect and value added inducing effect was high in common real estate and business services and finance and insurance sector. Second, employment-inducing effect of the health care industry showed the highest levels in wholesale and retail sector, followed by the real estate and business services, agriculture sector. Third, the actual 2009 health care industry-related national R&D investment embracing on the production-inducing effect and value added inducing effect. The health care industry R&D induces the production of 4,932 billion won and the value added of 2163 billion won.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.148-155
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• 2012

Since the reformation of the National Health Insurance Act in 2000, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) in the Republic of Korea has performed quality assessments for healthcare providers. The HIRA Value Incentive Program (VIP), established in July 2007, provides incentives for excellent-quality institutions and disincentives for poorquality ones. The program is implemented based on data collected between July 2007 and December 2009. The goal of the VIP is to improve the overall quality of care and decrease the quality gaps among healthcare institutions. Thus far, the VIP has targeted acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and Caesarian section (C-section) care. The incentives and disincentives awarded to the hospitals by their composite quality scores of the AMI and C-section scores. The results of the VIP showed continuous and marked improvement in the composite quality scores of the AMI and C-section measures between 2007 and 2010. With the demonstrated success of the VIP project, the Ministry of Health and Welfare expanded the program in 2011 to include general hospitals. The HIRA VIP was deemed applicable to the Korean healthcare system, but before it can be expanded further, the program must overcome several major concerns, as follows: inclusion of resource use measures, rigorous evaluation of impact, application of the VIP to the changing payment system, and expansion of the VIP to primary care clinics.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.19-33
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to explore the meaning and contents of high-quality aged care facilities and provide basic data for evaluation of service quality in such facilities. Methods: The focus group interviews and participants consisted of two user groups, for a total of 16 family caregivers of the elderly living in facilities and four service provider groups, for a total of 26 chief managers and caregivers working in aged care facilities. All interviews were recorded and transcribed as they occurred. Content analysis was used and debriefing notes were referred to in order to analyze the data. Results: Four themes of a high-quality aged care facility emerged from the analysis; 1) a place to rest for comfortable later years; 2) systematic value-based management; 3) providing professional care; 4) comprehensive service provision in response to diverse needs. Conclusion: The findings of the study showed the importance of client centered care and ethical mindset of providers, which had not been included in the existing quality evaluation programs. Based on these results, medical treatments, end-of-life care and more comprehensive and extended services including family care need to be provided in facilities to ensure good quality aged care.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.155-172
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• 1995

This study is an empirical analysis on the equity in the delivery of heatlh care under the Korean Medical Insurance Corporation System. The purposes of this study are to find out effects of income on the health care utiliztion and measure the income-related inequity in the distribution of health care. This study was carried out based on the fact that the health insurance program has been organized to achieve the equity objective, "equal treatment for equal needs". Of 41, 828 insured persons who had been diagnosed in the 1993 Health Screening Test and utilifzation data from 1, January 1993 through 31, December 1993 were derived from the Benefit Managment File. Inequity was measured by means of I) share approach, ii) standardization concentration curve approach, iii) inequity index, iv) test for inequity. The major findings were as follows : 1. The expenditure shares of the top two quintile groups exceeded their morbidity shares, whereas the opposite was true of the bottom three quintile groups, Which showed a positive HI$_{LG}$ inequity index, suggesting the presence of some inequity favoring the rich group. 2. Compared with other residential areas, the rural area showed the highest positive HI$_{LG}$ irrespective of need indicatior applied. 3. Standardized expenditure concentration indices adjusted by age, gender and need structure were also found to be positive, and therefore still indicated that there has been inequity favoring the rich after the standardization. 4. The Loglikelihood Ratio (LR) test for the statistical significance of income-related inequity of medical care utilization was carried out using the logistic regression model. The resulting loglikelihood ratio test statistic value was 176, which did exceed the 0.5 percent critical value of the chi-square distribution with 28 degrees of freedom, which is 50.993. Therefore, the null hypothesis of no income-related inequity of medical care utilization was rejected at the 99.5 percent confidence level. 5. The Regression based F-test has been carried out for analyzing the income-related inequity of medical expenditure in terms of age, gender, morbidity indicators as explanary variables. The hypothesis of the absence of income-relate inequity was rejected for all need indicators at the 95% confidence level.nce level.