• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제56권2호
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• pp.180-189
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• 2023

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a global shortage of medical resources; therefore, we investigated whether COVID-19 impacted the quality of non-COVID-19 hospital care in Korea by comparing hospital standardized mortality rates (HSMRs) before and during the pandemic. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed Korean National Health Insurance discharge claim data obtained from January to June in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Patients' in-hospital deaths were classified according to the most responsible diagnosis categories. The HSMR is calculated as the ratio of expected deaths to actual deaths. The time trend in the overall HSMR was analyzed by region and hospital type. Results: The final analysis included 2 252 824 patients. In 2020, the HSMR increased nationwide (HSMR, 99.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 97.7 to 101.0) in comparison to 2019 (HSMR, 97.3; 95% CI, 95.8 to 98.8). In the COVID-19 pandemic zone, the HSMR increased significantly in 2020 (HSMR, 112.7; 95% CI, 107.0 to 118.7) compared to 2019 (HSMR, 101.7; 95% CI, 96.9 to 106.6). The HSMR in all general hospitals increased significantly in 2020 (HSMR, 106.4; 95% CI, 104.3 to 108.5) compared to 2019 (HSMR, 100.3; 95% CI, 98.4 to 102.2). Hospitals participating in the COVID-19 response had a lower HSMR (HSMR, 95.6; 95% CI, 93.9 to 97.4) than hospitals not participating in the COVID-19 response (HSMR, 124.3; 95% CI, 119.3 to 129.4). Conclusions: This study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively impacted the quality of care in hospitals, especially general hospitals with relatively few beds. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to prevent excessive workloads in hospitals and to properly employ and coordinate the workforce.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.71-84
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• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to analyze the proportion of admission via the emergency room(the rest is ER) in an emergency medical center and to examine the factors related to admission. Methods : This study used 2005 National Health Insurance claims data for admitted patients of 112 hospitals having emergency medical centers in Korea. The study sample had 2,335,610 patients. The data was classified into emergency admission and non-emergency admission. To investigate the factors affecting the type of admission, the following were included as independent variables: type of health assurance_(national health insurance beneficiaries or medical aid beneficiaries), demographic characteristics_ (sex, age), cause of admission_ (disease or injury), whether an operation was performed or not, DRG severity level, the number of beds, and the location of the hospital. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test for the differences in emergency admission rates for each variables, and multiple logistic regression analysis was used for identifying the factors affecting admission type. Results : The proportion of admission via the ER accounted for 40.6% of the total admission among hospitals having emergency medical centers. The risk of admission via ER was relatively high for patients who were male, the aged, the injured, the surgical patients, the patients having more severe symptoms, and the patients admitted the hospitals located in metropolitan areas, and the patients admitted the hospitals having 300-699 beds. Medical aid patients were more likely admitted through the emergency room than health insurance patients after other variables ware adjusted. Conclusions and Discussion : We analyzed the proportion of admission via the ER for the total admission rate of hospitals having an emergency medical center in Korea. And we explored the factors related to admission via the ER. This proportion may be used as an indicator of the adequacy of medical utilization or low accessibility to hospitals of patients with low socioeconomic status.

• 지역사회간호학회지
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.116-129
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the maternal health effects of internet-based education interventions on parturients during the postpartum period through a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Methods: An electronic literature search of the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, Eric, PsycINFO, PubMed, RISS, and KISS databases was performed, using the combination of keywords such as 'parenthood education', '*natal education', '*birth intervention', 'internet-based intervention', 'randomized controlled trial'. The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed papers in English regarding randomized controlled trials of internet-based postnatal education interventions. Educational interventions were delivered through any web, mobile, eHealth, mHealth, virtual reality, short message service, or social networking service platform. Quality appraisal was performed using the Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) for randomized controlled trials. Nine articles were yielded, and the intervention effects were analyzed. Results: Internet-based education interventions during the postpartum period affect maternal self-efficacy, postpartum depression, and successive breastfeeding; however, they do not affect maternal satisfaction and parenting confidence. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that internet-based education interventions affect maternal health status in terms of psychological, emotional, and physical wellness. Therefore, maternal health care professionals can utilize remote education using the internet or mobile-based interventions during the postpartum period.

• 한국병원경영학회지
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.29-37
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• 2020

Purposes: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors related to the long-stay hospitalization of dementia patients aged 65 years or older who had received inpatient care at geriatric hospitals according to the minute facility characteristics and patient features. Methodology: This study was conducted on 317,353 cases of 1,512 geriatric hospitals using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service dataset. The data collected were processed using the SAS Enterprise Guide 4.3 for descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and the binary logistic regression analysis. Findings: As a result of the study, in the facility characteristics of geriatric hospitals, the long-stay hospitalization of the aged with dementia were found to be related to the type of facility establishment, the number of hospital beds, the number of medical specialists, the number of nursing personnel, and the number of geriatric hospitals by region and province. In the personal features of patients, the long-stay hospitalization was found to be associated with the gender, age, insurance, and the patient classification groups. Practical Implication: Considering the results of this study, it seems that securing the sufficient medical personnel in a geriatric facility, providing the good quality medical services, and preparing the appropriate discharge plan can reduce the unnecessary long-stay hospitalization and spend the medical expenses for the older patients.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.326-334
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• 2020

Background: Korea has gradually expanded the coverage of medical care services in its national health insurance system. On April 1, 2018, it implemented a policy that expanded the coverage for an ultrasonography in the upper abdomen. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of the policy on the utilization of the ultrasonography in the upper abdomen in tertiary care hospitals. Methods: Using the dataset of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, we explored changes in the utilization of the ultrasonography in the upper abdomen in tertiary care hospitals from July 1, 2017 to November 30, 2018 through the difference-in-difference (DID) mixed-effects-model method. Facility factor, equipment factor and personnel factors, type of hospital, the total amount of medical care expenses, and geographic region were considered as control variables. Results: On average, the utilization of the ultrasonography in the upper abdomen increased by 228% after the coverage expansion policy. However, the results of DID mixed-effects-model method analysis showed that the utilization increased by 73%. As for the number of beds, the utilization was higher with a group of 844-930, 931-1,217, and 1,218 or greater compared with a group of 843 or fewer, while the utilization of the number of ultrasonic devices was lower with a group of 45-49 compared with a group of 44 or fewer. The utilization decreased with the number of interns and the number of nurse assistants. Besides, relative to Seoul, the utilization was lower in the other metro-cities and provinces. Conclusion: The coverage expansion policy in the national health insurance system increased service utilization among people. Future research needs to investigate the degree to which such coverage expansion policy reduces the unmet medical care needs among the deprived in Korea.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.397-413
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the income level and the healthcare utilization by health insurance type in all cancer patients in year 2005. Methods: The target population was cancer patients with health insurance who used healthcare as a diagnosis code (C00-C97) from January 1 to December 31 of 2005. The Korea Central Cancer Registry Center's Cancer Patient Registry Data, the list of cancer patients of the National Health Insurance Corporation, and the claim data of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service were used. The I was the wealthiest, followed by II, III, IV. The V was the poorest in this study. For the analysis, the $x^2$-test, ANOVA (and Kruskal-Wallis test), and regression were used. Results: Outpatient and hospitalization medical expenses, and outpatient visit days of cancer patients with self-employed health insurance were highest in I (p<.001, respectively), and the hospitalization days were the highest in II (p<.001, respectively). Outpatient and hospitalization medical expenses, and outpatient visit and hospitalization days of cancer patients with occupational health insurance were the highest in I (p<.001, respectively). Outpatient and hospitalization medical expenses, and outpatient visit and hospitalization days in cancer patients were higher in I compared to V, and higher in II and III, IV compared to V (p<.001, respectively). Conclusion: Supporting plan for cancer patients' outpatient healthcare utilization are necessary. Moreover, we should make specialized strategy for low income cancer patients with self-employed health insurance when we develop quality improvement policy for inpatient service.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.71-78
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• 2016

The value of using health insurance claim database is continuously rising in healthcare research. In studies where comorbidities act as a confounder, comorbidity adjustment holds importance. Yet researchers are faced with a myriad of options without sufficient information on how to appropriately adjust comorbidity. The purpose of this study is to assist in selecting an appropriate index, look back period, and data range for comorbidity adjustment. No consensus has been formed regarding the appropriate index, look back period and data range in comorbidity adjustment. This study recommends the Charlson comorbidity index be selected when predicting the outcome such as mortality, and the Elixhauser's comorbidity measures be selected when analyzing the relations between various comorbidities and outcomes. A longer look back period and inclusion of all diagnoses of both inpatient and outpatient data led to increased prevalence of comorbidities, but contributed little to model performance. Limited data range, such as the inclusion of primary diagnoses only, may complement limitations of the health insurance claim database, but could miss important comorbidities. This study suggests that all diagnoses of both inpatients and outpatients data, excluding rule-out diagnosis, be observed for at least 1 year look back period prior to the index date. The comorbidity index, look back period, and data range must be considered for comorbidity adjustment. To provide better guidance to researchers, follow-up studies should be conducted using the three factors based on specific diseases and surgeries.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.3-18
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• 2013

This paper investigates the possibility of expanding pay-for-performance (P4P) program as a provider payment system, in terms of financial, economical, and political sustainability. In order to expand the sustainable P4P, P4P should have usefulness in terms of economic value as well as efficiency in the financial aspects of health care. More importantly, the P4P would be politically sustainable only when both providers and consumers can accept. Korea's healthcare system seems to have logical ground for the P4P program financially and economically. However, how well the P4P can work remains to be proven in its implementation. After 43 tertiary hospitals applied the P4P program for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and C-section in 2007, the number of hospitals adopting the P4P program for AMI and C-section has increased to 316 in 2011, and an incentive for hospitals applying the P4P has risen to 2% from 1% of health insurance benefits. This shows that the P4P program introduced by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service is quite successful. In addition, people are aware of the need for improved P4P program and policy alternatives have been already made. Therefore, it is very important to come up with politically supportable strategies that can make providers and consumers accept the P4P program while maintaining the governance of the existing health insurance policy. To this end, there are some tasks to be considered. First, the expansion of the P4P program should be placed on the agenda of the Health Insurance Policy Review Committee, the highest decision-making body, and a separate agency for P4P planning should be established. Second, for more efficient P4P program, the processes of review and assessment, currently carried out separately, should be integrated into a single process. Third, infrastructure to measure the quality of medical services should be sharply expanded. Fourth, the current paradigm for the assessment should be changed. Lastly, a P4P program for consumers should be considered. Given that the consumers in Korea can use medical services freely, the National Health Insurance Corporation could initiate the P4P program for consumers as a means of controlling excessive use of medical services and adjusting consumer's moral hazard.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.135-144
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the medical cost for patients with vertigo and to examine associations between chronic vertigo and mental disorder using 2014 Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service-National Patients Sample (HIRA-NPS). Methods: We analyzed sociodemographic characteristics, medical cost and medical care use pattern for vertigo patients. We used hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis to examine odds ratio between chronic vertigo and mental disorder. Results: A total of 46,502 people and 118,504 claims data were identified for vertigo cases. Characteristics of vertigo patients have significant differences on proportion of female patients (68.36%), patients' average age (54.98) and proportion of medical assistance (5.76%) compared with non-vertigo patients. Results revealed that Korean medicine are one of frequent methods among total treatments for vertigo patients. Total days of medical care and total costs are 2.78 days and 111,362 won, respectively, and days for outpatients in Korean medical care (mean: 2.26 days) are more than those (mean: 5.05 days) in Western medical care. There is significant difference relative to sex between acute vertigo and chronic vertigo. The odds ratio between chronic vertigo and mental disorder is estimated as 1.34, that means risk of becoming chronic is 34% higher for vertigo patients with mental disorder. Conclusions: This study assessed socio-demographic characteristics, medical care use and expenses related to vertigo, and estimated associations between chronic vertigo and mental disorder. Findings provide a basis for economic evaluation studies on vertigo patients and development of clinical practice guidelines for vertigo patients with mental disorder.

• 척추신경추나의학회지
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.131-139
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• 2022

Objectives This study aimed to analyze the medical utilization of low back pain (LBP) patients after back surgery and estimate the medical costs of Korean and Western medicine collaborative treatment, odds ratio, and hazard ratio between the two groups using the 2019 Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Sample (HIRA-NPS-2019). Methods Data management and descriptive analysis, logistic regression, and survival analysis were conducted for defining and estimating the LBP patients after back surgery in the NPS 2019 dataset. Results A total of 216,424 patients out of 991,189 were identified as having LBP. Among the patients with LBP, 1,734 were treated with surgery while 214,690 were not. Among those who had surgery, 937 were treated with conventional treatments only and 797 underwent Korean medicine treatments. The odds ratio of the logistic regression analysis was 0.7129, suggesting that Korean medical treatment experience group had a 28.7% lower risk of reoperation than the Western medical treatments only group. The hazard ratio of the survival analysis was 0.9145; thus, the risk probability of reoperation was estimated to be approximately 8.55% lower. The 50% risk of reoperation was 69 days (0.5044) for the conventional group, and 97 days (0.5008) for the Korean medical group in the survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier graph. Conclusions These results could be utilized in future studies in conducting economic evaluation for estimating cost-effectiveness of Western medicine and Korean medicine treatment compared to Western medicine alone in LBP patients after back surgery in a South Korean perspective. mended and should be applied while taking the necessary precautions.