• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.19-34
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• 2013

Background: The study describes the changes resulted from imposition on tertiary hospital outpatient coinsurance rate rise policy and in tertiary or general hospital drug coverage rise policy on healthcare service utilization. Methods: Accordingly, the hypothesis about outpatient healthcare utilization after rise policy in outpatient coinsurance rate and drug coverage was established, using interrupted time-series analysis and segmented regression analysis to test the hypothesis. 5-year analysis period (2007. 3-2012. 3) from the outset year was designated, the data about most common 10 high-ranking of the main diseases targeting visiting patient from age of 6 to 64 were collected. Results: The summary on the major research is followed. First, the medical expense and duration of treatment tends to be increased in case of imposition about rise policy in outpatient coinsurance rate in the tertiary hospital under the interrupted time-series analysis. It showed temporary increase and slow down on account of influenza A even after the policy enforcement. In segmented regression analysis, duration of visit and medical expense in the tertiary hospital increased temporally right after the policy implementation and the decreased rapidly depends on period. Both rise and fall is statistically significant. The second, In case of tertiary or general hospital outpatient drug coverage rise policy, all of the tertiary hospital healthcare service utilization variables by the interrupted time-series analysis, drug coverage policy in the general hospital deeply declined according to decreasing trend before policy implementation. The third, in case of segmented regression analysis, the visit duration and medical expense statistically declined right after the policy implementation in both the tertiary and general hospital. Meanwhile, administration day was statistically meaningful only for the decrease right after the policy implementation. Otherwise, general hospital changes are not statistically meaningful. And the medicine cost was statistically, meaningfully decreased after the increase in drug coverage. Conclusion: Finally, the result demonstrated according to the analysis is only 1 hypothesis is denied, the other 2 are partially supported. Then, tertiary hospital outpatient coinsurance rate increase policy comparatively makes decrease effect on long-term healthcare utilization, and tertiary or general hospital outpatient drug coverage policy showed partially short-term effect is assured.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.169-183
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• 2008

This study was carried out to examine the attitude and recognition of oriental medical doctors on alternative medicine, which is increasingly used across the country. The data were collected from 264 oriental medical doctors who were working in oriental medical clinics in Daegu City, Gyeongbuk Province, using self-administered questionnaire from 1 March to 15 April 2007. Generally, the respondents have some positive attitude and recognition on alternative medicine including knowledge, interest and usefulness, efficacy of alternative medicine. However, they have some negative view on the expense of alternative medicine. And they also thought that introducing alternative medicine in their clinics was needed for better treatment and actually about 70% of the respondents recommended or applied alternative medicine to their patients. Around 40% of the respondents did not have the chance of education on alternative medicine officially. About 60% of the respondents thought that the oriental medical school was the best institute to provide the education of alternative medicine, followed by the oriental medical doctors's association. For the development of alternative medicine, they thought that the scientific research on alternative medicine by oriental medical doctors and professionals was highly needed.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.129-132
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• 1996

This is a case report of a sliding hiatal hernia with severe gastroesophageal reflux(GER) after repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia(CDH). It was not possible to determine whether the hiatal hernia is a de novo lesion which was missed at the original operation or a consequence of overzealous repair of the Bochdalek defect at the expense of weakening of the diaphragmatic crura. This case demonstrates that a sliding hiatal hernia can be a cause of severe gastroesophageal reflux that should be managed surgically.

• Proceedings of the ESK Conference
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.91-97
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• 1996

This study is to analyze trends of back injuries reported for medical expense compensation in a territorial jurisdiction of Pohang regional office of Ministry of Labor. Back unjuries claimed in the Plhang region accounted for approximately 15% of all industrial accident and 0.96 billion won were spent to compensate for medical expenses in 1994. A majority of back injuries occurred in manufacturing, construction, and transportation, and, 98% of all back injuries during 1992-1994 were strain/sprain, herniated inter-vertebral dise(HIVD), and fracture. To achieve and effective back injury prevention, supplenentary reporting form should be provided to include the information about job description (e.g., weight of an object, task duration and working posture), employee's medical and work history, and working conditions.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.91-116
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• 2010

As Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a new and rare illness, medical cause for it has not yet been clearly found out. Nevertheless, the patients continue to file lawsuits for damage compensation against wrongdoers or their insurers, claiming that the cause of the illness is certain actions of the wrongdoers. Moreover, the claim amount reaches to hundreds of millions of won through billions of won unlike other illnesses. Therefore, CRPS has become an important legal issue in the damage compensation lawsuit. Even though the wound is slight, the development and result may be serious in the case of CRPS. As a result, a sharp conflict arises even regarding medical diagnosis of CRPS in the lawsuit. And, even if the medical diagnosis of CRPS is admitted, severe debates occurs with regard to many issues, which include the causation between accident and CRPS in connection with establishment of damage compensation liability and scope of liability like anamnesis, determination standard of aftereffect disability, and scope of admitted aftereffect medical expense in connection with scope of damage compensation. In this study, I will review fundamental medical research on CRPS up to now and discuss principal legal issues in the damage compensation lawsuit focusing on lower court rulings.

• Journal of International Society for Simulation Surgery
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.43-45
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• 2015

Recent progress on CT such as multi-detector row CT, oral contrast agents and multiplanar reconstruction have markedly improved the image quality as well as diagnostic performance of gastric cancer. Multiplanar reformatted images at predetermined orientations can be easily performed and embedded into routine CT protocol without increasing medical expense or labor. Currently, many institutions have adopted routine multiplanar reformatted protocols and therefore knowledge on them can improve the diagnostic accuracy of gastric cancer.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.147-157
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was done to investigate factors affecting perceived financial burden of medical expenditures. Method: The participants were 2,024 inpatients who were enrolled in a survey on the benefit coverage rate of the National Health Insurance in 2006. The collected data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA-test, Mann-Whitney-test, Kruskal-Wallis-test, Chi-square test and logistic regression. Results: The crucial factors for perceived financial burden were age, job, equivalence scale, ratio of annual family income vs medical expenditure, and private health insurance. Perceived financial burden was higher for people who were older, who were unemployed, whose medical expenditures were high compared to annual family income, whose index of family equalization was low and for those who had no private health insurance. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate a demand for system reform that will enable management of no-pay hospital bills in the National Health Insurance to decrease the medical expense of people in the low-income bracket.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.1117-1128
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• 2004

Purpose: This study was carried out to substantiate the application process of activity-based costing on the current cost of hospital home care (HHC) service. The study materials were documents, 120 client charts, health insurance demand bills, salary of 215 HHC nurses, operating expense, 6 HHC agencies, and 31 HHC nurses. Method: The research was carried out by analyzing the HHC activities and then collecting labor and operating expenses. For resource drivers, HHC activity performance time and workload were studied. For activity drivers, the number of HHC activity performances and the activity number of visits were studied. Result: The HHC activities were classified into 70 activities. In resource, the labor cost was 245￦per minute, operating cost was 9,570￦ per visit and traffic expense was an average of 12,750￦. In resource drivers, education and training had the longest time of 67 minutes. Average length of performance for activities was 13.7 minutes. The workload was applied as a relative value. The average cost of HHC was 62,741￦ and the cost ranged from 55,560￦ to 74,016￦. Conclusion: The fixed base rate for a visit in the current HHC medical fee should be increased. Exclusion from the current fee structure or flexible operation of traveling expenses should be reviewed.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.53-64
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• 2023

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the status of Chuna manual therapy(CMT) usage before and after COVID-19 social distancing measures. Methods This study utilized Health Insurance data from April 2019 to May 2023. Quarterly data were collected for Simple Chuna (code 40710), Complex Chuna (code 40720;50% patient expense), Complex Chuna (code 40721;80% patient expense), and Special Chuna (code 40730). Results During the period covered by health insurance, the number of CMT patients was 8,315,838, with 19,332,786 instances of CMT, and a total cost of 544,651,407 won. Due to COVID-19, the application of CMT decreased in the first quarter of 2020, but recovered from 2021, showing an increase in usage by the first quarter of 2023. The decline in the use of all medical institutions in the fourth quarter is believed to be due to restrictions on health insurance coverage for CMT. Conclusions Further research on CMT health insurance is necessary. This research should inform discussions on policies aimed at expanding health insurance coverage for CMT.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.239-250
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• 2012

In recent years, national health insurance(NHI) coverage had been expanded gradually for cancer as a severe disease requiring high level of medical expenditure, to reduce patient's financial burden. But, subjective burdens level for out-of-pocket(OOP) money expense are still considerable owing to high medical cost and decent numbers of services not covered by benefit plan. This study aimed to investigate OOP medical expenditures and identify factors influencing subjective financial burden in cancer patients. A 28-items questionnaire for self-reporting by responders was designed to satisfy study goal and finalized following by one pilot study and experts' verification process. Subjects were enrolled during July to October 2010 through regular meetings organized by five patient or patient-advocacy groups had acknowledged the study purpose. Subjects who aged 20 or more, have histories of cancer diagnosis and anticancer drug use, and voluntarily agreed to participate in this study were recruited. Total 107 subjects included in the analysis have cancer lesions in breast, colon, kidney, liver or stomach at the stages from I to IV. Approximately 73% of them has passed less than 5 years since cancer diagnosis. For the OOP medical expenditure regarding cancer, less 6 million won was in 31%, 6-15 million won in 35% and more than 15 million won in 28% of responders, and more than half responders(58%) felt financial burden subjectively. 63% of responders had subscribed commercial insurances, resulting in money receipts of more than 10 million won since cancer diagnoses in 76% of responders. Logistic regression results showed significant differences in subjective OOP financial burden level depending on gender, household income level, benefit type, commercial insurance money receipt degree, year cancer diagnosed, cancer lesion, therapy type, duration of anticancer drug use, drug listing in national formulary, total OOP medical expenditure and total OOP anticancer drug expense. They had mixed feelings both wishes to expand NHI coverage to reduce financial burden(70%) and no willingness to increase premium(59%). This result suggested that NHI might direct future strategies to reduce absolute total OOP medical cost and expand benefit plan coverage in higher burden groups in particular.