• 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.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2006

Objectives: We wanted to estimate the annual socioeconomic costs of alcohol drinking in Korea. Methods: The costs were classified as direct costs, indirect costs and the other costs. The direct costs consisted of direct medical costs, indirect medical costs and subsidiary medical costs. Particularly, the medical costs and population attributable fraction for disease were considered to reflect the calculation of the direct medical costs. The indirect costs were computed by the extent to which the loss of productivity and loss of the workforce might have occurred due to changes in mortality and morbidity according to alcohol drinking. The other costs consisted of property loss, administration costs and costs of alcoholic beverage. Results: The annual costs, which seemed to be attributable to alcohol drinking, were estimated to be 149,352 hundred million won (2.86% of GDP). In case of the latter, the amount includes 9,091 hundred million won for direct costs (6.09%), 62,845 hundred million won for the reduction and loss of productivity (42.08%), 44,691 hundred million won for loss of the workforce (29.92%), and the other costs (21.91%). Conclusions: Our study confirms that compared with the cases of Japan (1.9% of GNP) and the other advanced countries (1.00-1.42% of GDP), alcohol drinking incurs substantial socioeconomic costs to the Korean society. Therefore, this study provides strong support for government interventions to control alcohol drinking in Korea.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.14-20
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of obesity with medical care use and costs according to overall diseases, cerebrovascular diseases (CVD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM). The final sample was a group of persons who were free of diseases mentioned above and were not underweight. Their baseline screening program data and health insurance contribution data were connected with a 7-year medical claim database. The participants were classified according to their baseline BMI into normal, overweight, obese, and severely obese groups. Given the disease type, the total costs of DM showed the largest difference in each obesity group in both males and females. Also, the pharmacy costs for DM were more relevant than any other type of service to the obesity level. Considering the high prevalence of obesity and the relevantly increased medical care use and costs, there is a need for reduction in medical costs through obesity prevention efforts.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.243-250
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• 2009

Objectives : The purposes of this study is to estimate the cost of cancer care after its diagnosis and to identify factors that can influence the cost of cancer care. Methods : The study subjects were patients with an initial diagnosis one of four selected tumors and had their first two-years of cancer care at a national cancer center. The data were obtained from medical records and patient surveys. We classified cancer care costs into medical and nonmedical costs, and each cost was analyzed for burden type, medical service, and cancer stage according to cancer types. Factors affecting cancer care costs for the initial phase included demographic variables, socioeconomic status and clinical variables. Results : Cancer care costs for the initial year following diagnosis were higher than the costs for the following successive year after diagnosis. Lung cancer (25,648,000 won) had higher costs than the other three cancer types. Of the total costs, patent burden was more than 50% and medical costs accounted for more than 60%. Inpatient costs accounted for more than 60% of the medical costs for stomach and liver cancer in the initial phase. Care for latestage cancer was more expensive than care for early-stage cancer. Nonmedical costs were estimated to be between 4,500,000 to 6,000,000 won with expenses for the caregiver being the highest. The factors affecting cancer care costs were treatment type and cancer stage. Conclusions : The cancer care costs after diagnosis are substantial and vary by cancer site, cancer stage and treatment type. It is useful for policy makers and researchers to identify tumor-specific medical and nonmedical costs. The effort to reduce cancer costs and early detection for cancer can reduce the burden to society and improve quality of life for the cancer patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.82 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2019

Background: Understanding the burden of disease is important to establish cost-effective treatment strategies and to allocate healthcare resources appropriately. However, little reliable information is available regarding the overall economic burden imposed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Korea. Methods: This study is a multicenter observational research on the COPD burden in Korea. Total COPD costs were comprised of three categories: direct medical, direct non-medical, and indirect costs. For direct medical costs, institutional investigation was performed at 13 medical facilities mainly based on the claims data. For direct non-medical and indirect costs, site-based surveys were administered to the COPD patients during routine visits. Total costs were estimated using the COPD population defined in the recent report. Results: The estimated total costs were approximately 1,245 million US dollar (1,408 billion Korean won). Direct medical costs comprised approximately 20% of the total estimated costs. Of these, formal medical costs held more than 80%. As direct non-medical costs, nursing costs made up the largest percentage (39%) of the total estimated costs. Costs for COPD-related loss of productivity formed four fifths of indirect costs, and accounted for up to 33% of the total costs. Conclusion: This study shows for the first time the direct and indirect costs of COPD in Korea. The total costs were enormous, and the costs of nursing and lost productivity comprised approximately 70% of total costs. The results provide insight for an effective allocation of healthcare resources and to inform establishment of strategies to reduce national burden of COPD.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.287-298
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• 2003

This study was conducted to identify the health care utilization, health care costs, and potential health care demands of the disabled in the Medicaid Aid beneficiaries. This study focused on the heath care costs not included in the medical aid allowance such as transportation, informal nursing costs, and ambulatory aids etc. Participants were the 864 subjects who were beneficiaries of the National Medical Aid program living in 10 district of Korea. A questionnaires were distributed to the disabled in the Medical Aid beneficiaries during August to September, 2001 through public offices. Data were collected through a home visiting by social workers working in public offices. Direct and indirect medical costs expended for one month by the participating disabled were examined. They expended 110.748 won $({\$}100)$ for heath care costs, which was not included in the medical aid allowance during the month. The disabled with cerebral diseases or who have level 4 disability expended more health care costs compare to those with other diseases. Gradual expansion of medical aid allowance for the disabled is recommended to alleviate economic burden of the disabled and their family.

• Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2019

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in patients with schizophrenia and their total medical costs and risk of hospitalization. Methods: This study used Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data in Korea. To examine total medical costs and risk of hospitalization, we selected 1,510 subjects with schizophrenia (half with and half without type 1 diabetes) that were 1:1 matched via propensity score matching. In health care system perspective, total medical costs included out-of-pocket and insurer's costs. Logistic regression models were used to examine the risk of hospitalization. Results: The prevalence of type 1 diabetes in patients with schizophrenia was 3.87 per 1,000 person year. Among patients with schizophrenia, the amount of total average medical costs and hospitalization costs in patients with type 1 diabetes was 1.49 and 1.59 times higher than those in patients without it, respectively. The odds of hospitalization were higher among patients with type 1 diabetes compared with those without it (odds ratio, OR=1.97 ; 95% CI 1.60-2.43). Conclusion: This study showed that medical costs and risk of hospitalization were higher in schizophrenia patients with type 1 diabetes. Therefore, these individuals may require specific care programs.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2021

Background: With increasing economic evaluation studies on the treatment of or screening tools for liver diseases that cause hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), interest in the analysis of the medical utilization and costs of HCC treatment is increasing. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the medical utilization and costs of HCC patients, and calculate the cost of main procedures for HCC treatment, including liver transplant (LT), hepatic resection (HR), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Methods: We analyzed claim data from January to December 2018 from the Health Insurance and Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Sample (HIRA-NPS-2018) dataset, including data of patients diagnosed with HCC (Korean Standard Classification of Diseases code C22.0) who had at least one inpatient claim for HCC. Results: A total of 715 HCC patients were identified. In 2018, the yearly average medical cost per HCC patient was ₩18,460K (thousand), of which ₩14,870K was attributed to HCC. Among the total medical costs of HCC patients, the inpatient cost accounted for the largest portion of both the total medical and HCC-related costs. The major procedures of HCC treatment occurred most frequently in the order of TACE, RFA, HR, and LT. The average medical cost per treatment episode was the highest for LT (₩87,280K), followed by HR (₩10,026K), TACE (₩4,047K), and RFA (₩2,927K). Conclusion: By identifying the medical costs of HCC patients and the costs of the main procedures of HCC treatment, our results provide basic information that could be utilized for cost estimation in liver disease-related economic evaluation studies.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.341-351
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to estimate the socioeconomic costs resulting from alcohol drinking among adolescents as of 2006 from a societal perspective. Methods: The costs were classified into direct costs, indirect costs, and other costs. The direct costs consisted of direct medical costs and direct non-medical costs. The indirect costs were computed by future income losses from premature death, productivity losses from using medical services and reduction of productivity from drinking and hangover. The other costs consisted of property damage, public administrative expenses, and traffic accident compensation. Results: The socioeconomic costs of alcohol drinking among adolescents as of 2006 were estimated to be 387.5 billion won (0.05% of GDP). In the case of the former, the amount included 48.25% for reduction of productivity from drinking and hangover, 39.38% for future income losses from premature death, and 6.71% for hangover costs. Conclusions: The results showed that the socioeconomic costs of alcohol drinking among adolescents in Korea were a serious as compared with that of the United States. Therefore, the active interventions such as a surveillance system and a prevention program to control adolescents drinking by government and preventive medicine specialist are needed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.205-210
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• 2020

Objectives: Aging is assumed to be accompanied by greater health care expenditures. The objective of this retrospective, bottom-up micro-costing study was to identify and analyze the variables related to increased health care costs for the elderly from the provider's perspective. Methods: The analysis included all elderly inpatients who were admitted in 2017 to a hospital in Tehran, Iran. In total, 1288 patients were included. The Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used. Results: Slightly more than half (51.1%) of patients were males, and 81.9% had a partial recovery. The 60-64 age group had the highest costs. Cancer and joint/orthopedic diseases accounted for the highest proportion of costs, while joint/orthopedic diseases had the highest total costs. The surgery ward had the highest overall cost among the hospital departments, while the intensive care unit had the highest mean cost. No statistically significant relationships were found between inpatient costs and sex or age group, while significant associations (p<0.05) were observed between inpatient costs and the type of ward, length of stay, type of disease, and final status. Regarding final status, costs for patients who died were 3.9 times higher than costs for patients who experienced a partial recovery. Conclusions: Sex and age group did not affect hospital costs. Instead, the most important factors associated with costs were type of disease (especially chronic diseases, such as joint and orthopedic conditions), length of stay, final status, and type of ward. Surgical services and medicine were the most important cost items.