Quality Improvement in Health Care (한국의료질향상학회지)

Korean Society for Quality in Health Care (한국의료질향상학회)
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Perceptions of Government Subsidy Programs for Reimbursing Financial Losses of Hospitals due to COVID-19: An In-Depth Interview

의료기관 대상 코로나19 재정지원 제도의 효과 평가: 심층 인터뷰 결과를 중심으로

  • Eunji Yun (HIRA Research Institute, Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service) ;
  • Boryung Ahn (HIRA Research Institute, Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service) ;
  • Hey jin Ko (HIRA Research Institute, Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service) ;
  • Won Mo Jang (Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center) ;
  • Jin Yong Lee (Public Healthcare Center, Seoul National University Hospital)
  • 윤은지 (건강보험심사평가원 심사평가연구소) ;
  • 안보령 (건강보험심사평가원 심사평가연구소) ;
  • 고혜진 (건강보험심사평가원 심사평가연구소) ;
  • 장원모 (서울대학교보라매병원 공공의학과) ;
  • 이진용 (건강보험심사평가원 심사평가연구소)
  • Received : 2023.03.10
  • Accepted : 2023.05.10
  • Published : 2023.06.30
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Abstract

Purpose: The government of the Republic of Korea funded more than \15 trillion to healthcare providers to counter COVID-19. This study was conducted to examine the perception of the government funding program; to analyze it; and to explore its future direction to better prepare for upcoming pandemics. Methods: In-Depth Interview (IDI) was carried out of 16 subjects including doctors, policymakers, and professors from 7th June to 13th July 2021. Results: Every participant agreed that the subsidy made a huge contribution to preventing providers from bankruptcy and to stopping a collapse of healthcare system during the pandemic. However, different views occurred in the range of reimbursement. Providers recognized that it should have covered opportunity costs, extra expenses, and financial damage during the pandemic recovery. Whereas, the government perceived that the COVID-19 grant was enough to offset their financial damages. For future responses, most participants admitted that the program should be enhanced to be highly responsive to future pandemics. The standard of reimbursement needs to be eased to raise the funding rates; to reimburse more hospitals; and increase the compensation period and range. Conclusion: A pandemic like COVID-19 is highly likely to emerge more often forward. In a better response to future pandemics, it's required to level up disaster response capability; to keep healthcare services well-functioning during the emergency; and restructure healthcare system to be resilient even after the pandemic. To this end, an increase in subsidies should be positively reviewed.

Keywords

References

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