• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.5-18
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to suggest a method for financial projection of health insurance expenditures that reflects future changes in demographic structure. Methods: Using data associated with the number of patients and health insurance cost per patient, generalized linear models (GLM) were fitted with demographic explanatory variables. Models were constructed separately for individual medical departments, types of medical service, and types of public health insurance. Goodness-of-fit of most of the applied GLM models was quite satisfactory. By combining estimates of frequency and severity from the constructed models and results of the population projection, total annual health insurance expenditures were projected through year 2060. Results: Expenditures for medical departments associated with diseases that are more frequent in elderly peoples are expected to increase steeply, leading to considerable increases in overall health insurance expenditures. The suggested method can contribute to improvement of the accuracy of financial projection. Conclusion: The overall demands for medical service, medical personnel, and relevant facilities in the future are expected to increase as the proportion of elderly people increases. Application of a more reasonable estimation method reflecting changes in demographic structure will help develop health policies relevant to above mentioned resources.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.2-13
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• 2022

Purpose: This study assessed the status of the Development and Utilization of critical pathways (CP) in South Korea. Methods: We surveyed 195 hospitals obtained on the Korean Hospital Association website. Data were collected using structured questionnaires for staff members in charge of CP management personnel in these hospitals. The questionnaire included CP developed by the institutions, the coverage rates and completion rates of CP in the current year, and management indicators related to CP. The questionnaire also included CP support systems and content within the institutions and questions regarding the advantages of CP utilization and obstacles associated with the CP development process. Results: Analysis of the responses from 70 hospitals (35.9% response rate) showed that a total of 1,370 CP sets were developed. The number of CP related to surgery departments was 365 (26.6%), and CP related to surgery and procedure was 1,093 (79.8%), respectively. The CP coverage rate was the most frequently used indicator to monitor the effect of CP (97.1%), followed by the completion rate (90.0%) and the length of stay in hospital (61.4%). CP managers reported that CP were highly useful for communication (3.39±0.493) and accurate information provision (3.39±0.491). The perception that CP violated doctors' autonomy in treatment was relatively low (2.87±0.645). Conclusion: It is necessary to establish an infrastructure in hospitals for CP. CP can facilitate communication and provide accurate information.

• Iberoamérica
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.69-94
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• 2011

Chile has been the first country in Latin America which has built a two-tiered health care system by partially privatizing the health insurance sector. Despite the intial decrease of health expenditure, more researches now show that health inequality within the Chilean health sector has been augmented with privatization of its insurance system. To explore such inequality, this article looks into the impact of privatization of health insurance on women's health. The author argues that privatization has intensified medicalization of women's body and, consequently, it worsened women's health in Chile. This article contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of market-oriented health care reform by linking it with medicalization process.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.47-69
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• 1990

The measures taken to reform the Dutch health insurance system hold valuable lessons for countries such as Korea, where there has been increased concern regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of the health services provided. The growing literature on comparative health insurance policies suggests that nations can learn from each other. In addition, Korean policymakers have shown great interest in the health insurance systems of foreign countries, particularly in Japan. The development of Korea's health insurance scheme during the past 12 years has made a significant contribution to the increased accessibility of health care services. Although the insurance coverage is universal, the health insurance system today in Korea is by no means a product of systematic and planned efforts. Moreover, it lacks due considerations of insured's needs as well as the long-term objectives of the social security health care system. There are growing gaps in premium burdens and benefits between the rural health insurance program and the employee's health insurance programs. Furthermore, the regional health insurance program is experiencing financial difficulties in spite of the fact that the amount of the government subsidy has been sharply increased in recent years. Under the present payment method solely based on the fee-for-service schedule, both consumers and providers are encouraged to utilize and prescribe more services. The combination of the utilization-inducing reimbursement system and continuous pushes for expanding health insurance has played a crucial role in raising the country's medical bills. Current trends in Korea's health care sector and those anticipated in the near future necessitate changes in the structure and funding of health care. As indicated in the above, there are various shortcomings in this context, the health policy authority in Korea can draw valuable lessons from the Dutch experiences in reforming their health insurance system. The main elements of the Dutch reform measures are a restructuring of the insurance system and a greater role for market forces in the health care system. On this basis a new system will be created which reflects the social nature of health care while at the same time containing sufficient mechanisms to allow the health care sector to operate in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.92-99
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• 2020

Background: The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of the income support allowance policy for the care workers on wage level. Methods: The analysis data was constructed using database (DB) of long-term care institution, DB of long-term care personnel status, and DB of health insurance qualification and contribution possessed by National Health Insurance Services. We analyzed the wage status of care workers 2009 to 2016 through basic analysis. We used the difference-in-difference analysis method for the workers who worked in the same institution from 2012 to 2013, The effects of the income allowance policy on wage increase were analyzed. Results: As a result of the net effect of the income support allowance policy, the monthly average wage of the care worker increased by 25,676 won and the hourly wage increased by 478 won. As a result of the analysis, it can be confirmed that the income support allowance policy has achieved some of the goals of raising the wage level of the care workers, and the effect of raising wages for other occupations in the long-term care business can be confirmed. Conclusion: The low wage problem of long-term care workers such as care workers is not the only problem in Korea. In other countries, there are various wage support policies for employees. In particular, it is necessary to refer to the improvement in the treatment of care workers in Japan and wage pass-through in the United States. In addition to wages, there is a need to promote policies to provide employment motivation through efforts to improve their social status and improve their job status and career development for employees in long-term care facilities.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.119-131
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to analyze contents on media about the problems of long-term care facilities. For achieving this purpose, we reviewed 'KINDS(http://www.kinds.or.kr/)' from July, 2008 to May, 2012 which was an synthetic newspaper and TV news searching system. Among 320 articles, we finally analyzed 72 articles: 218 articles were duplicated and 30 articles did not directly related or were not objective. The results were divided with seven parts: 'long-term care facilities', 'employee' 'health care and accidents', 'providing and management of service', 'meals related problems', 'maltreatment of client', 'disorders & unfairness long-term care benefit. Among these seven parts, we could confirm specific and major problems, which were lack of safety management, incompleteness facilities & equipments, shortage of long-term care manpower, insufficient service providing low quality of service, hiding money from elderly's accounts, and providing some money to get national subsidies. For resolving these problems, the long-term service guidelines must be prepared and the related facilities must cooperate each other for providing high quality of service. In addition, the efficient systems must be made to find out long-term care problems and unfairness of service providing and strict management rules or sanctions must be needed.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.7
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• pp.95-103
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to awareness of dental care services in the elderly long-term care insurance system and retirement preparation of middle-aged people. The survey respondents had a 56.1% saving for old age life, And showed a tendency to they don't like depend on one's family(41.8%), elderly care was intended to use facility services and nursing care. 36.7% of respondents answered "I know a little" about the system. Also, the need for dental care services within the system was high (98.5%), If the service is provided, 92.3% of the respondents said that they would participate, otherwise unrecognized rate of dental care services in long-term care insurance was 85.2%. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the awareness of the part of dental care service in the system. The results of this study can be used as basic data for the improvement of the system of dental care services in long-term care insurance for elderly.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.109-119
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• 2014

In accordance with the government's plan to expand the national health insurance (NHI) coverage for severe diseases such as cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and rare and incurable disease, the diagnostic ultrasound services have been covered by NHI from October 1, 2013. The quality is very important factor in providing diagnostic services because they influence on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of diseases. In particular, equipments and health care providers plays an important role in providing qualitative services. The purpose of this paper is to examine the major feature of ultrasound services covered by health security system and to review quality assurance policies in other countries such as Australia, Japan, the USA, and Canada. In addition, we assessed the implication of those policies. We especially put emphasis on the types and qualifications of healthcare professionals and measures to manage equipments. All countries have reviewed on policies to promote the quality such as educational requirements of professionals or restrictions on the duration of equipment usage. Various measures should be implemented to assure the qualitative ultrasound service.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.232-250
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was designed to define the roles, tasks, and activities of home visiting nurses aimed at enhancing the quality of nursing care under the long-term care insurance regulation for the elderly introduced on July 1, 2008 in Korea. Methods: A review of domestic and foreign literature was used to formulate the proposed roles, tasks, and activities of visiting nurses, which were subsequently modified and complemented by the agreement of home visiting nurse experts and acceptance of 127 nurses. Data was collected from 04 June - 17 September 2008 and analyzed concerning frequency and percentile using SPSS ver. 15.0. Results: The established functions of home visiting nurses were direct nursing service provider, case manager, patient educator, decision maker, care coordinator, and research worker. These functions involved 27 different tasks and 167 activities. Conclusion: The roles, tasks, and activities of visiting nurses, established based upon the guidelines of the Long-term Care Insurance Act for the elderly, were verified for their applicability by nurses involved in home care delivery. These parameters will provide a useful tool in developing an assessment to enhance the quality of home-based care for the elderly in Korea.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.999-1014
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of long-term care insurance(macro-system) on family relationship(micro-system)s' change based on ecosystems theory. Data come from the second(2007) and the fourth(2009) Korean Welfare Panel Study(KWPS). Experimental group is the beneficiary using long-term care insurance and the member of household in their households, and control group is the non-beneficiary not using long-term care insurance and the member of household in their households. The main findings of difference-in-difference model analysis are as follows. First, the ecosystems theory is a theory examining the correlation between long-term care insurance and family relationship. Second, the effects of long-term care insurance is not income effect but independent effect. This result shows that the meaning of family has faded away and family relationship has been weaken and that long-term care insurance has not complete characteristics as a social insurance. Thus, system reforms of long-term care insurance is highly needed for system comprehensiveness, coverage, adequacy, and service accessibility and is changed into family-friendly social policy.