• Health Policy and Management
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.183-202
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• 1998

This study is to investigate patient's choice of health care and the demand for Korean traditional medicine care in rural areas in 1995. It tried to evaluate the effect of out-of-pocket expenditure, travel time, and waiting time on improving care-seeking and substituting clinical medicine for pharmacy care and Korean traditional medicine care in rural areas. The statistical model of this study is conditional logit to estimate effects of choice-specific and individual-specific characteristics on the choice of type of services. This study used, as explanatory variables, average out-of-pocket payment, travel time, and waiting time of services required to use the services. The model was empirically tested using data from 1995 Korean National Health Survery. The results showed that rural Koreans responded to out-of pocket payment and travel time. Increases of out-of-pocket payment and travel time decreased the probability to choose care in rural Korea. Rural Koreans were more likely to seek care than others with low out-of-pocket payment and travel time. The probability of choosing Korean traditional medicine were higher among the members of the households with higher education level and older persons, while they were lower in the households with large family than others compared with the probabilities of choosing public health facilities. The result of this study implies that policy on use of health care in rural Korea can be focused in managing travel time and out-of-pocket payment.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.62-80
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing the attitude toward the increasing role of private health insurance(PHI). In the Korea Welfare Panel Data 2007, a sample of 1,675 (adjusted by weight value: 1,607) respondents on an opinion on promoting PHI was used in the study. With independent variables including socio-demographic characteristics, health status, health-related behavior, and opinions on welfare service, ordered-probit model was used to analyze the attitude toward PHI. Negative opinion on the increasing role of PHI were responded by 54.6%(n=877) of the respondents, whereas 22.2%(n=373) were positive and 23.2%(n=357) were neutral. Old people, the better off, those with worse self-assessed health status, and those having an experience of health examination tend to have the positive attitude toward the increasing role of PHI. Women, those with chronic diseases or disorders and those who do not agree that comprehensive welfare benefits reduce work incentive showed negative attitude toward PHI. When comparing the needs for PHI before and after medical utilization, ex-ante need tends to strengthen the tendency to support private health insurance. This study will contribute to the discussion on the optimal mix of public and private health insurance in Korea by a better recognition of attitude toward PHI and health care system.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.37-52
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• 2005

This study was performed to explore multidimensional customer royalties and relating factors. 900 households, $1\%$ sample were randomly selected from K city located in Kangwon province. Interview survey was performed with structured Questionnaire for the entire people, 923 persons who experienced medical service utilization during one year before survey on time, september, 2004. In comparison of customer royalties by sociodemographic characteristics, the older group showed the higher level of cognitive and attitudinal royalties significantly. Education and income level also, showed negative relationship with cognitive, attitudinal and behavioral loyalties significantly. The more being a female and a visitor at oriental medicine clinic, the higher level of attitudinal loyalties. Customer satisfaction was a critical explaining variable for cognitive, attitudinal and behavioral loyalties. In multiple regression analysis, some sociodemographic characteristics showed significant relation with customer loyalties and customer satisfaction was the strongest relating variable to customer loyalties. In conclusion, multidimensional approach for customer loyalty is useful for understanding customer behaviors comprehensively. Future studies should focus on developing the more specific and valid measurement tools for customer loyalty in medical service.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.53-69
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• 2005

This study has two different objectives. First of all is to comparing results of size efficiency scoring on Public Corporation Medical Center(PCMC) by years of 1993, 1997 and 2003 using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The second is to explore the relationship between revenue and PCMCs' efficiency score, and the relationship between expenses and the efficiency score in 2003. The average efficiency scores were significantly decreased by years of 1993, 1997 and 2003. The revenue per bed(revenue) in 2003 was smaller than the expenses per bed(expenses) in 2003, therefore PCMCs had deficits in 2003. The expenses was negatively related to the efficiency score. Therefore its means was that improving efficiency score decreased expenses. Contrarily, the revenue had any significant relation to the efficiency score. PCMC needs to various endeavors to improve their productivity and efficiency. One of the alternatives is reduce of work load through integration of PCMC and development of new performance index reflecting their situation and future direction.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.84-98
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• 2003

This research objective is to determine the optimal price break points for n­block tariff, because comparing non­linear pricing with uniform pricing on the basis of profit, n­block tariff outperforms two­part tariff, all unit discount price schedule, and uniform pricing. Although the merits of non­linear pricing are well documented, the attempt to practice the non-linear pricing in medical service sector has been relatively rare. The determination of the parameters under n­block tariff is the interesting decision making agenda for marketers. Under n­block tariff, the marketers should decide the optimal price break points and the optimal marginal price for each price zone. The results can be summarized as follows: The researchers found that mixture model can be the feasible methodology for determining the optimal number of n­block tariff and identifying the optimal segmentation criteria. We demonstrate the feasibility and the superiority of the mixture model by applying it to the database of medical examination. The results appear that the number of patients per month can be the optimal segmentation variable. And 6­block tariff is the optimal price break for this medical service.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.1-22
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• 2002

Since the early 1980s scholars have applied latent structure and other type of finite mixture models from various academic fields. Although the merits of finite mixture model are well documented, the attempt to apply the mixture model to medical service has been relatively rare. The researchers aim to try to fill this gap by introducing finite mixture model and segmenting inpatients DB from one general hospital. In section 2 finite mixture models are compared with clustering, chi-square analysis, and discriminant analysis based on Wedel and Kamakura(2000)'s segmentation methodology schemata. The mixture model shows the optimal segments number and fuzzy classification for each observation by EM(expectation-maximization algorism). The finite mixture model is to unfix the sample, to Identify the groups, and to estimate the parameters of the density function underlying the observed data within each group. In section 3 and 4 we illustrate results of segmenting 4510 patients data including menial and ratio scales. And then, we show AHP can be identify the attractiveness of each segment, in which the decision maker can select the best target segment.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.1-20
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• 2010

Objectives : This study is purposed to segment dental service markets with reflecting customer's preference and to suggest some marketing strategies applied to each segmented market. Methods : The customer's data collected from a series of online survey comprise such factors as expertise of dentist, courtesy, clinic size, equipment, price and distance, including some socio-demographics. A conjoint analysis and a clustering analysis with estimated coefficients were performed to find out some dental market segments for three dental service types such as dental caries, esthetic treatments and dental implants. Results : Three or four market segments for each dental service type are derived from the analysis, and subsequently market characteristics for each derived segment are explored. Furthermore, some dental marketing strategies for each segment are suggested for better management. Conclusion : A conventional way of developing dental marketing strategies can be improved, while specific customer's preference are responded.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.390-398
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• 2016

Background: This study aims to analyze the impact of levels of health care coverage on the trajectory of self-rated health, comparing the near-poor which tends to be excluded in traditional health care systems with the upper middle class. Methods: The study participants were 3,687 people who sincerely responded questions regarding health care expenditures, unmet medical needs, and self-rated health in the Korea Health Panel data in 2009-2012. Results: The higher health care expenditures and the presence of unmet medical needs were significantly associated with the lower level of self-rated health. However, both factors did not significantly predict the steeper decline in the self-rated health. The results from multiple group analyses showed that health care expenditures and unmet medical needs had greater impact on the near-poor compared to their higher income counterparts. Conclusion: Public health care coverages need to be enhanced as well as reducing health care expenditures and unmet medical needs.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.315-324
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• 2016

Underserved area is a region that has a lack of healthcare resources. In the context of Korea, however, there are not enough detailed criteria for underserved areas. In this study, we aimed to develop indicators for underserved area through Delphi technique. We systematically reviewed the existing measure of underserved area. Sixty indicators were extracted as candidates across four domains in secondary medical care. Four domains are demand, medical resource, quality of care, and health outcome. To develop indicator, two round Delphi survey was conducted among 15 professional experts such as professionals and public administrators. In conclusion, 2 final indicators (accessibility, medical utilization) was determined as an appropriate measure in order to designate underserved area for secondary medical services. Using our criteria from Delphi technique, 36 areas were found as underserved areas for the secondary medical care.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.197-201
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• 2018

There is a general consensus that many health care problems are attributable to the structural defects of the health care delivery system in Korea. The basic policy aimed to address these problems is to reform the delivery system so as that it incorporates two core principles: (1) stratification of medical care institutions into primary, secondary, and tertiary care providers according to the capability to perform specialized and complex services; (2) patients seeking care starting from the primary care provider and, if necessary, to be referred to the other provider step by step. This policy has been consistently pursued for about 30 years, but the achievement is far from success. Thus it is believed that the feasibility of the policy should be questioned. Starting from this question, based upon the observation of the current structure of the delivery system and its expected changes, the reform policy was discussed focusing on the assessment of its feasibility from both practical and theoretical viewpoints. The discussion leads to cast doubt on the policy for its possibility of making planned changes and producing expected desirable effects. Therefore it is advisable to investigate a wide range of alternative strategies and models for improving health care delivery.