• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.199-210
• /
• 2020

Background: Based on the importance of ceasing smoking programs to control the regional disparity of smoking behavior in Korea, this study aims to reveal the variation of smoke rate and determinants of it for 229 provinces. An evaluation of the relative efficiency of the cease smoking program under the consideration of regional characteristics was followed. Methods: The main sources of data are the Korean Statistical Information Service and a national survey on the expenditure of public health centers. Multivariate regression is performed to figure the determinants of regional variation of smoking rate. Based on the result of the regression model, clustering analysis was conducted to group 229 regions by their characteristics. Three clusters were generated. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA), relative efficiency scores are calculated. Results from the pooled model which put 229 provinces in one model to score relative efficiency were compared with the cluster-separated model of each cluster. Results: First, the maximum variation of the smoking rate was 16.9%p. Second, sex ration, the proportion of the elder, and high risk drinking alcohol behavior have a significant role in the regional variation of smoking. Third, the population and proportion of the elder are the main variables for clustering. Fourth, dissimilarity on the results of relative efficiency was found between the pooled model and cluster-separated model, especially for cluster 2. Conclusion: This study figured regional variation of smoking rate and its determinants on the regional level. Unconformity of the DEA results between different models implies the issues on regional features when the regional evaluation performed especially on the programs of public health centers.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.26 no.3 s.43
• /
• pp.332-346
• /
• 1993

This study was attempted to observe leisure time physical activity pattern and its relationship to coronary risk factors (BMI, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood sugar). Subjects participated in this study were 277 adult male workers of an industry in Kyungpook province, Korea. Energy expenditure were measured using modified Physical Activity History questionnaire of CARDIA study by interviewing. Serum total cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar level were tested with 5 ml fasting blood and height, weight and blood pressure were masured. Data on smoking and drinking habits and others were obtained. Geometric mean of leisure time physical energy expenditure were estimated as 212.80 kcal per week for study subjects and only 22.4% of them expended 2,000 kcal or more per week in leisure time physical activity. Taking walks or hikes and jogging or running were more frequent leisure time physical activities in study subjects. Statistically significant mean differences in total weekly leisure time physical activity for all coronary risk factors were not found among three groups. Because energy expenditure of leisure time was generally low in this subjects and most of them were healthy men, we did not found that leisure time physical activity was significantly associated with coronary risk factors.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.17 no.7
• /
• pp.696-706
• /
• 2017

This study is to examine health care utilization and morbidity of disabled and non-disabled children in Korea to evaluate the health disparities. We used medical claim data of 2010 from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort data. As a result of the analysis, the disabled children are not in good health condition because they have more frequency of medical service use, hospitalization rate, and more number of diseases and spent more on medical expenses than non-disabled children. Patterns of the most frequent disease differ from significantly between disable and non-disabled. Disabled children had a higher prevalence of selected birth defects and selected health conditions associated with physical disability and a lower prevalence of selected infection disease than children without disability. In conclusion, Health policy changes that would extend the access to health service for children with disabilities characterized by frequent medical care, hospitalization, excessive medical expenditure and complex diseases.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.44-60
• /
• 2011

Background : Surgical site infection(SSI) is one of the important nosocomial infections with pneumonia, urinary tract infection. SSI increases mortality, morbidity, length of stay, and costs for postoperative patients. The purpose of this study was to estimate length of stay(LOS) and health care costs from SSI using the large observational data. The ultimate objective was to show the effect of prevention of SSI. Method : This study used antibiotic prophylaxis evaluation data and claims data of the HIRA(Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service). The study population included 18,361 patients who underwent gastric surgery, endoscopic cholecystectomy, colon surgery, hysterectomy, cesarean section in nationwide hospitals from August to October 2007. SSI group and non-SSI group were matched according to propensity score resulted from logistic regression. The paired t-test was used to compare the difference of the LOS and health care costs between SSI group and non-SSI group. Results : The 598 cases of SSI were detected of total subjects, and the crude SSI rate was 3.3%. For each surgery, SSI rates were 5.5% for gastric surgery, 4.7% for cholecystectomy, 6.6% for colon surgery, 2.6% for hysterectomy, and 1.6% for cesarean section. The 596 cases of SSI and the 596 cases of non-SSI were matched by propensity score. The LOS of SSI group was longer than that of non-SSI group, and the difference was statistically significant. Health care costs of SSI group was more than that of non-SSI group which was significant. Conclusions : SSI increased apparently the LOS and healthcare costs. The economic loss might affect the cost of national healthcare as well as patients and hospitals. This study provided the evidence that the healthcare expenditure could be reduced by preventing SSI.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.57-66
• /
• 2017

Objectives : This study aimed to analyze the structure and the trend of utilization and expenditure for Korean Medicine (KM) in Korea. Methods : Data were drawn from the 2008-2013 annual Korea Health Panel (Version 1.2.2), a national representative sample. We combined the data of household members with the data of outpatient KM service use. The volume of KM use was estimated based on the frequency of use and co-payment. Results : The KM utilization rate slightly increased in recent years, and it is presumed to be resulted from the increase of elderly population. Most KM outpatient visits were being concentrated in treating musculoskeletal diseases, and the procedures used frequently were acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and physical therapy. The imbalance of KM use between lower income group and higher income group was deepening. Conclusions : To expand restricted disease areas KM covered, the more herbal prescriptions should be insured and the insured form of herbal medicines need to be diversified.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.29-48
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this study is to analyze medical expenses by decedents in their last year of life and compare them with those by survivors during the year 2008. This study is conducted firstly in Korea, except some studies focusing on medical cost of decedents from specific diseases. To study this, national health insurance(NHI) claims data was used with medicaid claims data. The study group(decedents) was selected from the insurance entitlement file who were dropped out from January to December of 2008. The control group(survivors) was selected from the entitlement file by stratified sampling with keeping age-sex composition of the study group. The medical expenses of decedents during one year before death were measured and compared with those of survivors by sex and age. And the medical expenses were analyzed by causes of death, and also the expenses were examined by each item of medical services. On average, the medical expense amounted to 11 million Korean Won per decedent during their last year of life in 2008. The medical expense per decedent was 9.3 higher than that of survivor. The death-related expense of under the age 35 was about 16 million Won, compared with 4 million Won in the case of over the age 95, in average. The death-related expense is higher in younger ages. This means that more medical resources are put in to save life in younger ages. Total death-related expenditure took 8.3 percent in total NHI expenditures. Of the death-related medical expenses, the largest one was injection-related cost which shares twenty five percent, and the second largest one was hospitalization charges, and then the third one was surgery cost. The results of this study suggested that we should pay attention to the medical expenses in the last of year of life when we study health care expenditure in Korea. In addition, we have to deliberate health care policy to cope with medical expenditures before death in more efficient way.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.256-266
• /
• 2017

Background: Primary health care (PHC) plays a major role to ensure the basic right and equal distribution of the essential health care services. This study presents comparative analyses of PHC in Korea and Uzbekistan, discusses the existing scenario and the challenges, and provides recommendations. Methods: This study reviewed secondary data from Korea's National Statistical Information Service and the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Statistic, regulatory legislation, research reports, and policy papers by research and international institutions. We focus on comparing input and outcome health data, PHC structure, and health expenditure. Results: Overall health status of the population in Korea is better than in Uzbekistan; both countries achieved more than 95% immunization coverage. The reforms implemented in both countries provide initial health care service delivery. However, there are several challenges such as the distribution of the staff between urban and rural areas and interest of the graduates on specialization rather than working in PHC system. Conclusion: PHC plays an important role in the provision of medical services to the population, addressing both health and social problems; it is the best tool for achieving universal coverage for basic health needs of the population. The community health practitioners in Korea and nurses in Uzbekistan plays main role in universal coverage through providing essential health care services. Continuous reform of the PHC system should be directed to strengthen the capacity of the PHC staff in health promotion knowledge and activities as well as to encourage population to improve their own health.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.68-78
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of the individual-level and community-level factors in the ecological model on walking and to provide the basic data for a strategy that can increase walking for health promotion of adult workers. By combining the primary data of community health survey (CHS) (2011-2013) with the Korea national statistics annual book (2011-2013), the regional level variables were extracted from 253 municipal districts and the convergent big data with the hierarchical structure was produced. As a result, the increase in budget expenditure for public order and safety in social and cultural environment factors, the increase in budget expenditure for national and community land development in the leisure environment factors, and the number of buses in the transportation environment were increased by walking. In conclusion, walking was increased by the development of a community environment and bus transportation besides individual characteristics and behavior. Therefore, improving environment and public transportation will increase physical activity, such as walking, which will increase the health expectancy in community citizen workers.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.44-57
• /
• 2017

The objective of this study is to investigate financial integrity strategies for sustainable development of local public medical centers, and particularly focus on seeking ways to enhance its financial efficiency and publicness. The data which was collected from 33 local public medical centers was analyzed by Data Envelopment Analysis to measure its financial efficiency. Then, Matrix Analysis was used to examine the association of financial efficiency and publicness of local public medical centers with related factors. In the aspects of facilities and location, according to the results, the local public medical centers which have larger number of available hospital beds or located in bigger cities were examined to have higher degree of publicness. In the aspect of human resources, greater number of doctors made both financial efficiency and the degree of publicness decreased, whereas higher participation rate of educational program for doctors affects increasing its financial efficiency and publicness. Lastly, in the aspect of costs, higher labor, material, and administrative cost diminished financial efficiency, but enhanced the degree of publicness. Based on these results, this study concluded that enhancing the publicness of local public medical centers should be pursued by increasing the accessibility with better facilities and location, and also concurrently organizing rational expenditure structure with appropriate cost investment to the resources of local public medical centers. Also, it is necessary to enhance both financial efficiency and publicness simultaneously by improving the quality of health care services through the educational programs for medical staffs.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.46-75
• /
• 2008

Main objective of this study is to investigate the factors that affect the reduction and recovery rate of hospital health insurance review departments of Korean tertiary hospitals, general hospitals and hospitals. A nationwide mail survey was conducted through structured questionnaire for chiefs and members of health insurance review departments of 178 hospitals, and data from 1,064 respondents were utilized in the final analysis. Major findings are as follows: 1) Monthly average reduction rate of surveyed hospitals was 1.18% for inpatients and 0.56% for outpatients. Also, average recovery rates from protests were 45.7% and 53.6%, respectively. 2) Average ages of health insurance review department employees were 41.5 for chiefs and 34.9 for members, and their average working period was 6.64 years. 69.1% of the respondents felt stress in their jobs, and they suggested 'communication problems with doctors' along with 'heavy workloads' as major reasons for the stress. 3) Reduction rates decreased and recovery rates increased when separate member in charge was assigned to each medical department, when health insurance review departments periodically provided medical parts with related education, and when the members participated in various committees.