• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.285-288
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• 2020

The health insurance system in Korea is well-established and provides benefits for the entire national population. In Korea, when patients are treated at a hospital, the hospital receives a partial payment for the treatment from the patient, and the remaining amount is provided by the health insurance service. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) assesses whether the treatment was appropriate. If HIRA deems the treatment appropriate, the doctor can receive payment from the health insurance service. However, this system has several drawbacks. In this study, we aimed to provide examples of the problems that can occur in relation to HIRA assessments in Korea through actual clinical cases.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.28 no.2 s.50
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• pp.450-461
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• 1995

This paper tested by using Micro TSP, an empirical econometric analysis to approve officially a hypothesis of price elasticity of the demand for medical care services in Korean national medical insurance and the economic effect of health care delivery system with time-series datas of Medical Insurance Statistical Yearbook$(1981\sim1993)$. The results suggest that the Korean medical insurance system shows moral hazard due to the change of coinsurance and the economic effect according to intervention of the health care delivery system, but it is different by insurers regardless of the same structure of the medical insurance scheme.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.438-445
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• 2012

Purpose: Medical Aid Beneficiaries were surveyed to identify differences in health behaviors, adherence to drug regimen, and quality of life between those people in the Designated Doctor System and those who are not. Methods: A total of 1,327 study subjects were separated into three groups: those in the Designated Doctor System for 2 years, those in for 1 year, and those not in the system. Results: After the introduction of the Designated Doctor System, 55.8% and 67.9%, respectively, of the subjects in the Designated Doctor System complained of inconvenience in relation to hospital use and the patient referral process. Also, the rate of emergency room use or hospitalization guided by the Designated Doctor System was only 8.7% and 6.5%, respectively. There were no significant differences in health behaviors and adherence to drug regimens between those in the Designated Doctor System and those who are not. Conclusion: This study was carried out early in the introduction of the system. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the positive and negative effects of the Designated Doctor System for a full reflection of its impact.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.128-144
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• 2023

Objectives: The health system reform process is highly political and controversial, and in most cases, it fails to realize its intended goals. This study was conducted to synthesize factors underlying the failure of health system reforms. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-synthesis, we searched 9 international and regional databases to identify qualitative and mixed-methods studies published up to December 2019. Using thematic synthesis, we analyzed the data. We utilized the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist for quality assessment. Results: After application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 40 of 1837 articles were included in the content analysis. The identified factors were organized into 7 main themes and 32 sub-themes. The main themes included: (1) reforms initiators' attitudes and knowledge; (2) weakness of political support; (3) lack of interest group support; (4) insufficient comprehensiveness of the reform; (5) problems related to the implementation of the reform; (6) harmful consequences of reform implementation; and (7) the political, economic, cultural, and social conditions of the society in which the reform takes place. Conclusions: Health system reform is a deep and extensive process, and shortcomings and weaknesses in each step have overcome health reform attempts in many countries. Awareness of these failure factors and appropriate responses to these issues can help policymakers properly plan and implement future reform programs and achieve the ultimate goals of reform: to improve the quantity and quality of health services and the health of society.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.67-79
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• 2000

In recent years, the recipients of the services of the health centers in Korea have been shifted from individual sick persons to families as a unit. As a result, the home visiting care records which are all filled out manually, will be increased. Since there is virtually no increase in the number of community health nurses, the CHNs are required to work more efficiently. One of the ways to make the CHNs' work more efficient is to reduce recording time by using a computer. However, a computer system that can manage the families as a unit has not yet been developed. In response to this need, we developed a database system that can be utilized in home visiting care service. The family assessment data is collected. diagnosed. and evaluated according to the family diagnosis classification. The system for family diagnosis consists of seven areas. Those areas are family structure. maintenance of the family system, interaction and interchange. support. coping and adaptation, health management. and housing environment. The areas of the family diagnosis consists of 99 items in all. We expect the following from this system. First. the CHNs will be able to identify family problems more easily. Second. the community's health level can be confirmed by the statistics the system produces. Thirdly, the CHNs' nursing services will be cost effective via reduced recording time. Finally, the family problems of the sick individuals which have been neglected under the health system oriented on individual persons can be effectively managed.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.137-177
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• 2007

The medical expenses review system in Korea has developed under fee-for-service system with its own unique structure. The importance of reviewing medical expenses has been emphasized, as the size of medical expenditures moving through the health insurance legal context and its weight in the national economy have increased very rapidly. It is, however, analyzed that the feuds and arguments continue among the stakeholders for the lack of laws supporting the medical expenses review system. The medical expenses review is a series of administrative procedures, deciding whether claims from medical care institutions to the insurer are legal and valid or not. It mainly controls the increase of unnecessarily excessive health insurance claim and prevents fraudulent claim and abuse and checks the less use or unsuitable use of medical resources. It also works a function guarantees medical benefits for the appropriate treatment according to the object of health insurance system as a social insurance scheme. The dispute on legal base of the medical expenses review is about the source of law in the medical expenses review. There are the Health Insurance Act and administrative laws as jus scriptum and the guidelines of review as administrative orders. The medical expenses review should reflect various factors, such as the development of medical healthcare technologies, the health expenditures distribution, the financial situation of the health insurance, and the evaluation on the level of appropriate benefits. It is also likely to adapt to the traits of characters of medicine, and trends and transition, Besides it should judge the legality and the validity of medical benefits expenditures by synthesizing these all factors. And the evaluation system of appropriateness of medical benefits was administrative procedure which was consecutive with reviewing the medical expenses system and it was intended to make up for the result of reviewing the medical expenses in more comprehensive levels.

• 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.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.107-129
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• 2008

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine Korean government's efforts in policy making and implementation regarding the Korea National Health Insurance System in the past and suggest a new paradigm for future policy changes. The structural and political characteristics of the Korea National Health Insurance, where health care services are provided almost exclusively by the private providers and funding for health comes equally from public and private sources, imply persistent difficulties in the operation of the system This may partially explain why the Korean system has continually experienced conflicts among stakeholders whenever there was an attempt to change policy. In this paper, we discuss four cases to illustrate such difficulties and barriers. We propose that in order to address these challenges and reduce policy errors as well as unintended results, it is necessary to restructure policy making process from being oriented toward 'quantitative expansion' to 'qualitative maturity', from a 'linear thinking' to a 'system thinking', from taking a 'top-down' to a 'governance and participatory' decision making process.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.121-130
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• 2009

Objectives : To evaluate the effect of heath examination program which introduce web-based input system, OCS(Order communicating system) and interface with national health insurance corporation, this study was done. Method : To Exam/Order and tests separately at anytime, the experimental health examination program which had web-based questionnaire input system, on-line measurement input system, interface program with national health insurance corporation and introduced OCS was developed. Experiment and old examination program were compared in terms of satisfaction and cost. Result : The 95.7% of respondents were satisfied with web-based input system, the 95.4% satisfied with OCS use, and 97.8% satisfied with test at anytime they want. The cost and time reduction between experiment and old program were 4,159,000won and $600.3{\pm}5.75$(seconds) per man input-time. Conclusion : The experimental health examination program is good for employee and hospital. If the health examination program for non-employee will be developed, it will be done efficiently and effectively, but Internet securities will be considered.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.45-56
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• 1982

This study was carried out during the month of september 1982 to analyse and evaluate of the mental and physical health status of University woman students using the Cornell Medical index. The purpose of the study was to provide basic data required by the University health program for planning related health need of woman students. The study sample is consisted of 486 students living in the dormitory enrolled for the fall semester 1982 in a Women's University in Seoul. The instrument used for the collection of data was an abridged version of a modified Cornell Medical Index. The questionarre includes 35 items related to physical health complaints and 22 items related to mental health complaints. The data was treated by a computer(SPSS) using one way analysis, and The Fishers' ratio and Chi-square test at the 5％ level were also adjusted for the test for statistical significance. The interpretation of this study is limited due to the sample which was restricted to one University and not randomly selected. The followings are the results of the foundings so far achieved. 1. More than 60% of the Woman students have physical health problems in digestive system, cardiovascular system, nervous system, respiratory system, and musculo skeletal system in the order named. 2. More than 50% of the woman students have mental problems because of anger inadequacy sensitivity tension, depression and anxiety in the order named. 3. There were no statistically significant differences among woman students in mental and physical health problems caused by year groups, major groups, growing regional groups. 4. There were significant differences caused by the number of brothers and sisters in the aspect of appealing mental and physical problems. 5. There were significant differences caused by the rate of satisfaction in the living cost, and the lower the rate of the satisfaction in the living cost goes, the higher tile frequency rate of the appealing mental and physical health problems is. 6. There were significant differences caused by the rate of satisfaction of the living in the aspect of appealing mental and physical health problems. There fore, the lower the rate of the satisfaction of the living goes, the higher the frequency rate of the appealing mental and physical health problems is, and the more the complaints are, the more frequent the appealing of the problems of digestive system, circulating system and fatigue is.