• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.42-53
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• 2018

Purpose: this study investigates the effect of private health insurance on healthcare utilization. Methodology: For the analysis, we employed the three level nested two part model. Findings: the private health insurance adoption was associated with higher health care utilization. In particular, indemnity and fixed insurances adoption was associated with higher probability of outpatient visit, the number of outpatient visit and outpatient cost. While indemnity insurance adoption was associated with higher inpatient admission probability and inpatient days, fixed insurance adoption was associated only with higher inpatient admission probability. Practical Implications: indemnity and fixed insurance adoption were related with the adverse selection as well as moral hazard.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.109-119
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• 2014

In accordance with the government's plan to expand the national health insurance (NHI) coverage for severe diseases such as cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and rare and incurable disease, the diagnostic ultrasound services have been covered by NHI from October 1, 2013. The quality is very important factor in providing diagnostic services because they influence on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of diseases. In particular, equipments and health care providers plays an important role in providing qualitative services. The purpose of this paper is to examine the major feature of ultrasound services covered by health security system and to review quality assurance policies in other countries such as Australia, Japan, the USA, and Canada. In addition, we assessed the implication of those policies. We especially put emphasis on the types and qualifications of healthcare professionals and measures to manage equipments. All countries have reviewed on policies to promote the quality such as educational requirements of professionals or restrictions on the duration of equipment usage. Various measures should be implemented to assure the qualitative ultrasound service.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.73-94
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• 2006

This study was carried out to show how the Analytic Hierarchy Process technique could be used in setting the priority among selected diseases to increase the range of health insurance benefit. Thirty experts, including doctors (group1), experts for preventive medicine or public health(group2), and representatives of the insured(group 3), participated in the study panel that is conducted for priority setting. They were asked to evaluate the priorities among 6 selected criteria and then 42 selected diseases. The results were as follows; First, representatives of the insured think that the magnitude of out-of-pocket payment should have high priority while doctors think that effectiveness of treatment should have high priority. Second, all experts think that catastrophic diseases such as malignant neoplasm, major heart disease, and cerebral vascular disease should have high priority in health insurance coverage even though there is little difference among groups. These results can be useful to establish a systematic strategy for expanding health insurance benefit package.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.49 no.sup1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2016

Background: This study uses the relevance index to understand the condition of regional medical service use for cardiovascular surgery and to identify the medical service use imbalance between regions. Methods: This study calculated the relevance index of 16 metropolitan cities and provinces using resident registration address data from the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs and the 2010-2014 health insurance, medical care assistance, and medical benefits claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. We identified developments over the 5-year time period and analyzed the level of regional imbalance regarding cardiovascular surgery through the relative comparison of relevance indexes between cardiovascular and other types of surgery. Results: The relevance index was high in large cities such as Seoul, Daegu, and Gwangju, but low in regions that were geographically far from the capital area, such as the Gangwon and Jeju areas. Relevance indexes also fell as the years passed. Cardiovascular surgery has a relatively low relevance index compared to key types of surgery of other fields, such as neurosurgery and colorectal surgery. Conclusion: This study identified medical service use imbalance between regions for cardiovascular surgery. Results of this study demonstrate the need for political intervention to enhance the accessibility of necessary special treatment, such as cardiovascular surgery.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.104-127
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• 2010

To vitalize the link program of Korean long-term care insurance system to community-based services for non-eligible people, we analysed the claim data from the Korean National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC), and conducted a questionnaire survey to charging employees of elderly service department at local governments. The subjects were all 81,377 people, 57,454 of them were arranged to community-based services. The link program was more necessary among the missed subjects rather than the arranged people due to the need for physical or psychological assistance. By the result of the survey to the local government employees, 59.5% of subjects responded their proportion of link service was over 10% and under 20%, and 54.3% of them responded their job boundary are not clear. Major type of linking was notification the subject list to local government, 91.4%; proportion of periodical notification on the status of their service link were 57.1%, only 7.1% were followed to manage after the link. Difficult factors at the link process were pointed out the overload by other side work, deficiency of resources, rigidity of priority of link, and so on. Considering these results, to vitalize the community-based services to the non-eligible people, it may be essential the active participation of the subjects, construction of parts working in coordination among the institutions including NHIC, local governments, and service providers; development of various services for maintenance or promotion of the non-eligible peoples' health and functional status; and active participation of institutions from the third sector, and so on.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate incomes and costs of the medical clinics by using secondary data. Methodology: The medical incomes and costs were estimated from 405 clinics operated by sole practitioner providing out-patient services among all clinics subject to the Medical Cost Survey on National Health Insurance Patients in 2017, excluding dental clinics and oriental medical clinics. The incomes and costs of the medical clinics were reflected with incomes and costs of health insurance benefits and were calculated by types of medical services (i.e., basic care, surgery, general treatment, functional test, specimen test and imaging test). The costs were classified as follows: labor costs, equipment costs, material costs and overhead costs. Secondary data was used to estimate the incomes and costs of the medical clinics. For allocation bases for costs for each type of the medical service, the ratio of revenue from health insurance benefits by types of medical services was applied. However, labor costs were calculated with the activity ratio by types of medical services and occupations, using clinical expert panel data. Finding: The percentage of health insurance income for all medical income was 73.1%. The health insurance cost per clinic was 401,864 thousand won. Labor cost accounted for the largest portion of the health insurance income was 191,229 thousand won (47.6%), followed by management cost was 170,018 thousand won (42.3%), materials cost was 35,434 thousand won (8.8%), and equipment costs was 5,183 thousand won (1.3%). Practical Implications: This study suggests a method of estimating incomes and costs of medical clinic services by using secondary data. It could efficiently provide incomes and costs to assess an appropriate level of the health insurance fee to the clinics.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.24-41
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• 2008

This research is aimed at analyzing and understanding the perception and attitudes of inpatients in a general hospital in Seoul towards the activation of private health insurance. Survey was conducted against 231 inpatients, results of which were analyzed in the methods of frequency analysis, chi square test, and logistic regression. The results are summarized as follows; First, better-educated population who finished college education at least, higher-income population, and people who had more knowledge about private health insurance showed more perception about activation of private health insurance. Second, better-educated population who finished college education at least, higher-income population, those who are insured in existing private insurance, oncological patients, and people who had more knowledge about private health insurance showed more positive attitude towards private health insurance paying for actual damages, long-term care insurance, and income security insurance. Third, age and education were the factors affecting perception about activation of private health insurance. The older the age is, perception was 1.035 times positive towards activation of private health insurance, and those who finished college education or above showed 3.148 times positive perception towards the same. Forth, surgical patients showed 1.087 times more positive attitude towards private health insurance paying for actual damages than internal medicine patients, while oncological patients showed 2.314 times more positive attitude than internal medicine patients. Further, understanding on the activation of private health insurance was 6.014 times higher in the higher understanding group than in the lower understanding group. Intention to use long-term care insurance was 2.692 times stronger in the male group than in the female group, and 3.616 times stronger in the oncological patients group than in internal medicine patients group. Further, understanding on the activation of private health insurance was 3.881 times deeper in the higher understanding group than in the lower understanding group. Intention to use income security insurance was 3.185 times stronger in those who have academic background of under the high school than those over the college, and 4.175 times higher in the group those whose monthly average income is over 4 million won than those under 4 million won. Also, intention to use income security insurance was 4.323 times higher in the group those who are insured by existing private insurances than those who are not insured by those insurances and it was 5.234 times higher in the group of oncological patients than in the group of internal medicine patients. Further, intention to use income security insurance was 3.559 times higher in the group those who thought that out-of-pocket money of the National Health Insurance is too much to bear than those it is quite endurable. Understanding on the activation of private health insurance was 4.875 times deeper in the higher understanding group than in the lower understanding group. There were some suggestions could be made based on the results of this research. First, reinforced publicity and education is needed for the low-educated or low-income group, as there are gaps in the understanding on the activation of private health insurance depending on the degree of education and income. Second, government should prepare administrative complementary measures to solve the problem of adverse selection by the consumer which is foreseen when private health insurances are activated. Third, government should suggest the desirable course of development of private health insurance items to ensure efficient use of enormous fund of private insurance market for health security of the people. Further, institutional complementary measures are needed to convert existing cancer insurances or specific disease insurances to private health insurances paying for actual damages guaranteeing against every kind of disease. Forth, it judged that, not only private health insurances paying for actual damages, but also long-term care insurances and income security insurances are prospective as fields to create fresh demand for insurance industry.

• The Journal of the Korean life insurance medical association
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.15-17
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• 2014

All Korean people are eligible for National Health Insurance(NHI). But large non-coverage of NHI is a big problem. The origin of this problem is from medical fee schedules. NHI calculate all hospital income including insurance medical practice, non-insurance medical practice and non-medical income(i.e. a funeral hall, a parking lot, stores in hospital).

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.53-65
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the prenatal heath care utilization and expenditure among pregnant women. Method: This was a 5-month follow-up study using a stratified sampling and the data were drawn from the "nationwide claim database of Korean National Health Insurance Corporation". Result: This study found that pregnant women were first diagnosed with pregnancy when they were 7.1 weeks pregnant, received 12.7 times of prenatal examinations and 10.6 times of ultrasonogram. It was revealed that 67.5% of the subjects continued to receive prenatal care at the same medical institutions from the diagnosis of pregnancy to the delivery. The study also showed that the total expenditure of prenatal care per pregnant woman was 700,000 Korean Won (KRW) on average and the insurance coverage rate stood at only 20%. Pregnant women living in metropolitan area spent more on prenatal healthcare expenditure than those who living in medium-sized city or rural area. Conclusion: The results of this study implies that the government needs to provide pregnant women with continuous support by increasing health insurance coverage for prenatal care. Especially, it is considered to provide more support to the pregnant women residing in medically underserved areas.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.327-342
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognition of denture fabrication activities and its cost in National Health Insurance for elderly denture. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 41 dental laboratories' owner who was research subjects of HIRA(Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service)'s policy research for elderly denture in 2011. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics of the subjects, dental technicians' knowledge of national health insurance coverage of elderly denture, job-related changes after national health insurance coverage of elderly denture including validity of denture fabrication activity classification and the cost for each service. Each question was measured by Likert 5 point scale or frequency. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 16.0. Results: Most of the research subjects had been fabricating national health insurance coverage denture(92.7%), also had ample knowledge of national health insurance coverage denture for elderly. Job-related changes after national health insurance coverage of elderly denture revealed marginal differences in the quality. The validity of fabrication activity classification of resin based complete denture was $3.71{\pm}1.023$ by Likert 5 point scale. Conclusion: The goal of national health insurance for elderly denture is to promote elderly's health and well-being. To fabricate denture is a very important part of the denture treatment. For this reason, denture fabrication activity classification and the cost analysis plan should be duly reflected in the policy of national health insurance for elderly denture.