• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.57 no.8
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• pp.428-436
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• 2019

In cases of a patient referral, the general dentist should communicate the patient's dental information as clearly as possible to the specialist to whom he/she is referring his/her patient. For this reason, it is necessary to write a referral letter in an accurate and complete manner. The purpose of this study is to analyze the referral letters of patients who are referred to the department of conservative dentistry in a dental university hospital. From January, 2017 to December, 2018, we gathered the information of the patients who were referred to the department of conservative dentistry in a dental university hospital with referral letter. We evaluated the fidelity of a total of 750 referral letters and recorded the information of the referral dentist and the dental clinic. The relationship between each item and fidelity was analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program. The analysis of the contents of the referral letters yielded the following results: The fidelity of the referral letter was higher when the patient was referred during the root canal treatment, or when there was a root canal filling or when there was pain during chewing. The fidelity of referral letter was low in cases where the referring clinic is close to and has cooperative relationship with dental university hospital. Among the factors affecting the fidelity, the year of graduation of the referral dentist was the most influential. This study confirmed the fact that the clinical practice of writing patient referral letters still leaves much to be desired. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to create more clear and standardized guidelines for writing referral letters.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.554-564
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to construct a management model for patient transfer in a multilevel healthcare system and to predict the effect of counseling with nurses on the patient transfer process. Methods: Data were collected from the electronic medical records of 20,400 patients using the referral system in a tertiary hospital in Seoul from May 2015 to April 2017. The data were analyzed using system dynamics methodology. Results: The rates of patients who were referred to a tertiary hospital, continued treatment, and were terminated treatment at a tertiary hospital were affected by the management fee and nursing staffing in a referral center that provided patient transfer counseling. Nursing staffing in a referral center had direct influence on the range of increase or decrease in the rates, whereas the management fee had direct influence on time. They were nonlinear relations that converged the value within a certain period. Conclusion: The management fee and nursing staffing in a referral center affect patient transfer counseling, and can improve the patient transfer process. Our findings suggest that nurses play an important role in ensuring smooth transitions between clinics and hospitals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.22 no.2 s.26
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• pp.236-241
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• 1989

The purpose of this study was to introduce the methodology of intervention analysis with time series data and to investigate the influence of the patient referral system on medical care utilization in Kangwha county. The data were obtained at the Kangwha Medical Inurance Society and we analysed the material based on the outpatient care fee. The results were as fellows: 1. The average outpatient care utilization in the hospital decreased by 41.7% due to the patient referral system. 2. The utilization of the health instituation increased by 278.8 persons per month due to the patient referral system. 3. The patient referral system did not influence the total outpatient are utilization. The methodology of intervention analysis, which detected the effect of intervention, will be helpful to the study of public health area.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.24 no.4 s.36
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• pp.485-495
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• 1991

This study examined the effects of referral requirements for insurance patients which have been enforced since July 1, 1989 when medical insurance coverage was extended to the whole population except beneficiaries of medical assistance program. The requirements are mainly aimed at discouraging the use of tertiary care hospitals by imposing restrictions on the patient's choice of a medical service facility. The expectation is that such change in the pattern of medical care utilization would produce several desirable effects including increased efficiency in patient care and balanced development of various types of medical service facilities. In this study, these effects were assessed by the change in the number of out-patient visits and bed-days per illness episode and the share of each type of facility in the volume of services and the amount of expenditures after the implementation of the new referral system. The data for analysis were obtained from the claims to the insurance for government and school employees. The sample was drawn from the claims for the patients treated during the first six months of 1989, prior to the enforcement of referral requirements, and those of the patients treated during the first six months of 1990, after the enforcement. The 1989 sample included 299,824 claims (3.6% of total) and the 1990 sample included 332,131 (3.7% of total). The data were processed to make the unit of analysis an illness episode instead of an insurance claim. The facilities and types of care utilized for a given illness episode are defined to make up the pathway of medical care utilization. This pathway was conceived of as a Markov Chain process for further analysis. The conclusion emerged from the analysis is that the enforcement of referral requirements resulted in less use of tertiary care hospitals, and thereby decreased the volume of services and the amount of insurance expenses per illness episode. However, there are a few points that have to be taken into account in relation to the conclusion. The new referral system is likely to increase the use of medical services not covered by insurance, so that its impact on national health expenditures would be different from that on insurance expenditures. The extension of insurance coverage must have inereased patient load for all types of medical service organizations, and this increase may be partly responsible for producing the effects attributed to the new referral system. For example, excessive patient load for tertiary care hospitals may lead to the transfer of their patients to other types of facilities. Another point is that the data for this study correspond to very early phase of the new system. But both patients and medical care providers would adapt themselves to the new system to avoid or overcome its disadvantages for them, so as that its effects could change over time. Therefore, it is still necessary to closely monitor the impact of the referral requirements.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.94-100
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• 2002

Purpose : The system to refer terminally ill patients to palliative or hospice care which ultimately give them emotional, psychological, and social support hasn't been fully developed and organized yet in Korea. The controversies concerning the current referral system are being analyzed to present the improvements. Methods : The questionnaires were asked to be filled out by family members of the 76 patients by phone interview, who were referred from the Seoul National University Hospital between April, 2001 to March, 2002. They were referred to the 35 palliative and hospice care-giving institutes and hospitals which were given questionnaires by mail. Results : Of the 76 patient's family members, 47 family members accepted to answer the questionnaire. The first thing that influence to family to determine the referral of patient was solicitation of doctors or nurses (44%). And they were influenced by allowance for the other things such as convenience of patients (32%), convenience of caring family members (24%). In the course of determining of referred institutes, responders had considered at first their dwelling area, and then fame of institutes, the place which patent had wanted to spend last hours or which is suitable for patient's funeral service, and their financial condition. Thirty-eight the 47 responders answered that they had experienced difficulties in referral procedure. The worst among difficulties was unwanted discharge, and followings were lack of information about the referred institutes, concern about patient's suffering, resistance of patient and opposition of other family members, etc. Although they expressed dissatisfaction in referral procedure, most of them answered they had been satisfied with hospice care at referred institute after referral. Merits of referral which responders counted were patient's peace, caring family's comfort and reduced cost in order. Of the 35 referred institutes, 24 institutes' staffs responded mail questionnaires and sent to us in return. Except one responder, the rest approved the referral system and thought that referred patients had been satisfied with their hospice care. And they claimed that systemic support of the government is definitely necessary. The most difficult thing which responders experienced in care of referred patients was lack of information about patients. Besides, there were patient's financial problems, lack of understanding about their institutes of patients or family, and inconvenience of terminal cancer patient's pain control. Conclusion : The development and support of the organized referral system is needed to alleviate the troubles which patients, family members, and palliative or hospice institutes and hospitals have to face through the procedure of the referral.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.115-135
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• 2002

Many tertiary hospitals have started to establish cooperative relationships with small and medium sized hospitals in Korea. But the performance of the relationship is not satisfactory to both of partners. The relationship and performance of cooperation for small and medium sized hospitals are analyzed according to the framework of inter-organizational cooperation. Data are collected by 4 focal hospital and 34 small and medium sized hospitals through interview and questionnaire. The findings are : a) The cooperation is focused on management area, such as healthcare technology transfer and information sharing, rather than patient referral. b) Patient referral is not yet active in cooperative relationship. But some partner hospitals which is located close and managing internal organization for cooperation show a significant number of referrals. c) The characteristics of high performers are positive attitude about cooperation, and recognition of the relationship as flexible, experiences of cooperation, internal and external management activities.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.323-329
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• 2022

Background: This study aimed to identify the characteristics of the referral and return of patients to clinics in the endocrinology and cardiology departments at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital to evaluate the "referral and return of patients to clinics" program and reduce the rate of returning patients. Methods: From May 2018 to December 2020, we identified the number of visits to referral hospitals and hospital usage status at Ilsan Hospital after returning to clinics. We also identified the patients who returned to Ilsan Hospital within 6 months, defined as "failure to transport," among those recommended to be transported to clinics of the Medical Cooperation Center. Additionally, we evaluated the characteristics of the "failure to transport" patients. Results: Among the returning patients, the rate of visiting Ilsan Hospital within 6 months was higher in cardiology than in endocrinology (25.1% vs. 16.7%). Older age, more severe disease, and more number of visits to the department were associated with a high rate of failure to transport. The rate of failure to return was low in cases diagnosed with hyperlipidemia/lipoprotein metabolism disorder. With respect to diabetes, the rate of failure to transport differed according to each type of diagnosis of diabetes. Conclusion: The success rate of the "referral and return of patient to clinics" program differed based on each patient's characteristics, department of visit, and diagnosis. Individualizing according to the visit department and diagnosis is required to ensure successful transfers, and infrastructure expansion and institutional arrangements must be facilitated.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.13-28
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• 2020

Purposes: The purpose of this study is to analyze the institutional and personal factors that affect the medical utilization of patients transferred to tertiary medical institutions. Methodology: We retrospectively analyzed the 2 weeks electronic medical records of 1,556 patients, who were referred to the tertiary hospital, from June 15 to 26, 2015. The patient's personal characteristics, referral hospital, referral path, medical experiences and expenses were analyzed for 6 months after the patient's first visit. Findings: The largest proportion (848; 54.5%) of referrals was referred from primary clinic but the referrals of the same tertiary hospital level were one in seven (228; 14.7%) of the patients. Most patients (1,401; 90%) were referred from the clinics and hospitals directly and only one in ten (155; 10%) of the patients utilized the medical referral center. Patients who had been referred from tertiary care institutions had significantly higher medical costs than those referred to primary care (7,560,000 vs 2,333,000 won). The institutional factors including the numbers of visits to outpatient clinic, previous history of hospitalization and operation, consultation to other medical departments and hospitalization fee significantly influenced on medical utility pattern. Personal factors including patient's medical diagnosis and department of disease have a highly correlation with patient's referrals. Practical implications: The medical utilization of medical expenses and experiences is influenced by institutional and individual factors, and it is important to establish a referral system considering the institutional factors of the type of referral hospital.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.67-84
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• 2005

To compare differences of LOS between the group of inpatients via referral centers(the referral group) and the group of inpatients via different routes (the general group) and analyze factors which determine the difference. The 9,484 cases of newly inpatients of Mar., Jun., Sep., Dec. of year 2003 were used for the data. We calculate the Case-mix index of length of stay($CMI_{LOS}$) to compare LOS adjusted with the disease as the ratio of a patient' LOS to all patients' average LOS by 21 classification diagnosis group. We conducted t-test to compare differences of $CMI_{LOS}$ between two groups and multiple regression to analyze factors determining the difference. $CMI_{LOS}$ was 0.94 in the referral group, which was smaller than 1.01 in the general group. LOS was 7.5days in the referral group, which was 0.6day shorter than that in the general group. Multiple regression also showed that $CMI_{LOS}$ was smaller in the referral group than in the general group after controlling patients' general characteristics, diagnostic information variables. The referral centers can be said to playa role in decreasing LOS. We suggest that variety of depth studies on referral centers should be continued at the strategic level of hospital management using additional medical informations.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.341-347
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• 2007

Pancreatic pseudocyst is one of the most common pancreatic mass lesions developed following acute or chronic pancreatitis. Two dogs were presented with nonspecific clinical signs such as abdominal pain, vomiting and depression and diagnosed as pancreatic pseudocysts through percutaneous ultrasound-guided aspiration. Pancreatic pseudocyst may contain pancreatic juice, so leads the deteriorate state of patient through pertinent inflammation and autodigestion of pancreas. In this study, the clinical signs and pancreatic lesion were improved after aspiration. Percutaneous ultrasound-guided aspiration can provide the diagnostic information through cytology and lipase and amylase concentration, and be selected as the first choice for treatment.