• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.379-381
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• 2019

Korea's healthcare is in great danger of sustainability. In 2020, the baby boomer will begin to be older, and there is no promise that the total fertility rate of 1.0 or less will rebound, and Korea's economic growth rate is predicted to be less than 2%. Together with these phenomena, Plan for Benefit Expansion in Nation Health Insurance (Moon Jae-in Care) will seriously threaten the sustainability of health insurance finance. In addition, health care in Korea has many problems: excessive medical utilization, rapidly increasing elderly medical costs, concentrating patients into big hospitals, low healthcare personnel but many healthcare facilities and equipment, bad quality of primary and mental care, and fast-growing health expenditure. For sustainability, healthcare of Korea should be reformed. The direction of the reform is people-centered and integrated healthcare in the community which is composed of empowering and engaging people, strengthening governance and accountability, reorienting the model of care, coordinating services, and creating an enabling environment.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.31 no.3 s.62
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• pp.481-489
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• 1998

Injuries and infectious diseases have been the most important public health problems since the beginning of human life. Injuries result in death of about 30,000 people each year in South Korea. In terms of years of life lost, injuries are considerably more costly than either heart disease or cancer. In terms of cost - both the direct costs of care and the indirect costs to individuals, families, and societies of a diminished life-injuries are among the most expensive of all social problems. The main purposes of this study are (1) to describe the outcomes as well as treatment process of brain injured patients and (2) to identify the factors impacting on length of stay during hospitalization and hospital fees. The research method used in this study was to review the medical records of five hundreds brain injured cases using systemic random sampling. The multiple logistic regression was administered to identify the factors impacting on the outcomes. The results are as follow : (1) the consultation .ate was found to be 72.9% while referral rate was 11.2%; (2) nearly 30% of the respondents were hospitalized over 30 days; (3) multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that the determinants influencing LOS were number of consultations, number of lab tests, and surgery; (4) the determinants of hospital fee were severity of brain injury, gender of patients, number of consultations, number of lab tests, and surgery.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.168-179
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• 2000

Background : Economic evaluation of clinical pharmacokinetic consultation services for theophylline, which is being widely used recently, is considered in patients for both proper care and cost efficiency. Mathods : This is a cost-benefit analysis of clinical pharmacokinetic consultation service for theophylline. Trial groups were chosen from 2 general hospitals which was performing clinical pharmacokinetic consultation- services in 1998. Control group was chosen from another one general hospital. The analysis includes 25 patients (sample patients) for trial group and 17 patients for control group. Results : On the basis of incremental analysis, it is estimated that the total (direct and indirect) annual costs of the clinical, pharmacokinetic services of theophylline for the patients in the trial group was about \65 million, whereas total annual benefits from those services was estimated to be about \551 million. The net benefits incurred to the sample patients, thus calculated, was about \485 million per year. In the analysis, we assumed that indirect benefits accruing to those services were non-existent. If that amount was included, the estimated net benefits would be much greater than the calculated one. Conclusion : We found that clinical pharmacokinetic consultation services for theophylline could produce more marginal benefits than marginal costs by those services from the social point of view. More controlled prospective trial in the future would be helpful for affirmation of the results of this study.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.345-366
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• 2014

Because the health care or medical sector has such characteristics as publicity, professionality, and exclusivity, it cannot be left to the free market system. As a consequence, the state has restricted the establishment of medical institutions in order to protect the life and health of people. Also, the medical law has regulated to permit the establishment of medical institutions by only medical personnel and a few corporate bodies and to ban the establishment of medical institutions under disguised ownership as well as double opening of medical institutions by medical personnel. Nevertheless, there are still many cases that non-medical personnel have dominantly established medical institutions under disguised ownership of other medical personnel or nonprofit corporation. Because they are willing to recover their investment costs as soon as possible, these illegally established medical institutions are likely to make patients undergo unnecessary tests or to perform the excessive treatments and, as a result, are likely to cause infringement on the health and lives of the people. In addition, even if the misconduct is uncovered, the rate at which the costs already paid is very low and, as a result, the damages are straightly connected to the people's loss. On the other hand, there are also increasing number of cases that medical personnel or nonprofit corporations are establishing medical institutions against the medical law regulations. The examples of this illegality are also the double opening of medical institutions and the establishment of medical institutions under disguised ownership by medical personnel or nonprofit corporations. And the damages in these cases may not differ from those in the above cases. In this study, regarding medical law regulations restricting opening a medical institution, I will review the intent of those regulations, the type of violations and criminal punishments, and the possibility of recovery from unlawful profit by the National Health Insurance Act. And then, I would like to find a way for rational improvement of each.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.102-127
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• 2004

The objective of this study is to analyze a current trend of and relating factors on profitability of the Korean Public Corporation Medical Centers(KPCMCs, hereinafter, hospitals) in Korea. There are 34 hospitals in Korea as of 2004. Among these hospitals some are red ink hospitals, others are black inks in terms of profitability. Data were collected by Korea Health Industry Development Institute(KHIDI) Statistics for Hospital Management 2000-2002 and Ministry of Health and Welfare(MOHW) financial data of public hospitals which was planned to coordinate public health care services roadmap in the long run. The samples are 32 hospitals. Profitability was measured in the aspect of profit rate with normal profit to total assets, and normal profit to gross revenues as dependent variables in respective. Independent variables were classified by general factors, i.e., location, intern/resident training, period of opening, number of beds, and managerial factors(current ratio, fixed ratio, liability to total assets, total assets turnover, personnel costs, materials cost, administrative cost), and finally factors related to patient treatment(average length of stay, bed occupancy rate, admission ratio of outpatients). The methods of analysis are correlation and multiple regression analysis. This study shows firstly, a lot of hospitals are optimal current ratio. Hospitals in upper 100% current ratio are 81.2%. And the personnel cost in total costs are high. Secondly, the trend of normal profit to gross revenues of hospitals are deteriorating gradually. And lastly, as a result of multiple regression analysis, the factors had on significant effect on normal profit to total assets are fixed ratio(+), liability to total assets(-), bed occupancy rate(+), admissions of outpatients(+), etc. And the factors had on significant effect on normal profit to gross revenues are current ration(+), fixed ratio(+), personnel cost(-), administrative expenses(-), admissions of outpatients(+), etc. In conclusion, to improve the profitability of hospitals, the efforts to reduce personnel cost and average length of stay might be needed. And also beds utilization rate need to be increased.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.81 no.2
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• pp.116-122
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• 2018

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious chronic condition with a global impact. Symptoms of COPD include progressive dyspnea, breathlessness, cough, and sputum production, which have a considerable impact on the lives of patients. In addition to the human cost of living with COPD and the resulting death, COPD entails a huge economic burden on the Chinese population, with patients spending up to one-third of the average family income on COPD management in some regions is clinically beneficial to adopt preventable measures via prudent COPD care utilization, monetary costs, and hospitalizations. Methods: Toward this end, this study compared the relative effectiveness of six indices in predicting patient healthcare utilization, cost of care, and patient health outcome. The six assessment systems evaluated included the three multidimensional Body mass index, Obstruction, Dyspnea, Exercise capacity index, Dyspnea, Obstruction, Smoking, Exacerbation (DOSE) index, and COPD Assessment Test index, or the unidimensional measures that best predict the future of patient healthcare utilization, cost of care, and patient health outcome among Chinese COPD patients. Results: Multiple linear regression models were created for each healthcare utilization, cost, and outcome including a single COPD index and the same group of demographic variables for each of the outcomes. Conclusion: We conclude that the DOSE index facilitates the prediction of patient healthcare utilization, disease expenditure, and negative clinical outcomes. Our study indicates that the DOSE index has a potential role beyond clinical predictions.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.236-247
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was to present improvement strategy and the problems of the nursing fee in national health insurance system. Methods: A total of 23 nursing activities performed by nurses were selected. Data were collected the relative value score and criteria of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Agency. Sixty clinical nursing experts panels were composed and nursing time surveyed self-reported method. The actual fee was calculated through the nursing time, relative value score and actual labor costs. Nextly, the labor costs analyzed was compared with that in the national health insurance. Results: Although the practices were mainly performed by the nurse, other occupations have been recorded as main practitioners and the time of the nursing activity is partially improperly reflected. Additionally, although the nurse practiced mainly in glucose (semi-quantitative) test, it was confirmed that the principal practitioner was described as a clinical pathologist. The the labor cost gap was estimated that is 9.3 times (median) and 11.9 times (average) in this analysis. Conclusion: This study suggests that it is necessary to legislate a policy that can improve the quality of clinical nursing by reinforcing the appropriateness and improving nursing fee through reflection of the actual time spent for nursing care.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.282-292
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• 2022

Background: Aging societies face social problems of increased medical expenses for older adults due to increased geriatric diseases. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the state change of multiple chronic conditions (MCC) and out-of-pocket medical expenses in the elderly aged 60 or older. Methods: The 2014-2018 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging data were used for 2,202 elderly people. Four status change groups were established according to the change in the number of chronic diseases. The association between the change of MCC and the out-of-pocket medical cost was analyzed using the generalized estimating equation model analysis. Results: The average out-of-pocket total medical costs were 1,384,900 won for participants with MCC and 542,700 won for those without MCC, which was a statistically significant difference (p<0.0001). Compared to the reference group (simple chronic disease, SCD→SCD), the change in multiple chronic conditions significantly increased the total out-of-pocket medical expenses in MCC→MCC and SCD→MCC groups (MCC→MCC: 𝛽=0.8260, p<0.0001; SCD→MCC: 𝛽=0.6607, p<0.0001). Conclusion: In this study, it was confirmed that the prevalence of MCC increased with age, and the out-of-pocket medical cost increased in the case of MCC. Continuity of treatment can be achieved for patients with MCC, and the system and management of treatment for MCC are required to receive appropriate treatment.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.389-399
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• 2022

Background: This study aimed to analyze changes in medical utilization and cost before and after long-term care (LTC) implementation. Methods: We used the National Health Information Database from National Health Insurance Service. The participants were selected who had a new LTC grade (grade 1-5) for 2015. Medical utilization was analyzed before and after LTC implementation. Segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series was conducted to evaluate the overall effect of the LTC implementation on medical costs. Results: The total number of participants was 41,726. A major reason for hospitalization in grade 1 was cerebrovascular diseases, and dementia was the top priority in grade 5. The proportion of hospitalization in grade 1 increased sharply before LTC implementation and then decreased. In grade 5, it increased before LTC implementation, but there was no significant difference after LTC implementation. As for medical cost, in grades 1 to 4, the total cost increased sharply before the LTC implementation, but thereafter, changes in level and trend tended to decrease statistically, and for grade 5, immediately after LTC implementation, the level change was decreasing, but thereafter, the trend change was increasing. Conclusion: Long-term care grades showed different medical utilization and cost changes. Long-term care beneficiaries would improve their quality of life by adequately resolving their medical needs by their grades.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

Purpose: This study purposed to analyze the economic feasibility of introducing a third party logistics system as a strategic alternative to hospital management. Methods: Economic analysis was performed by measuring changes in costs and benefits before and after implement the third party logistics system and estimating the size of net benefits for the next five years for the target hospital. A questionnaire survey and in-depth interview with stake-holders were conducted to find out the satisfaction and effectiveness of the system. Findings: According to results, the cost-benefit ratio for the implementation of the system was 1.18. For the next five years, the cost-benefit ratio was 1.48, the net present value was about 1.7 billion won, and the internal rate of return was 64%. The satisfaction of internal stake-holders was relatively high, in terms of improving the concentration of unique tasks and increasing the efficiency of inventory management. Practical Implications: It was found that the increase in benefits had a greater effect on the change in the cost-benefit ratio than the increase in costs resulting from the expansion of logistics, and the increase in the present value of net benefits gradually decreased as the cost increased. In addition, overall job satisfaction and satisfaction with outsourcing companies were relatively low, which means that stabilization of the new system is important. Further study is needed for more accurate economic analysis.