• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.265-278
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• 1991

This study was to examine the effects of insurance coverage on the utilization of public health institutions and to identify the factors associated with the utilization. The data were obtained from household interview surveys conducted twice in Hwachun Gun, Kangwon Do. The time period covered in the first survey was December $17{\sim}31$, 1987, before the implementation of regional medical insurance for the self-employed, and that of the second survey was January 28 $\sim$ Febuary 11, 1990, after its implementation. Major findings emerged from the analysis can be summarized as follows (1) Medical care utilization of rural people markedly increased after they were covered by medical insurance. The insurance coverage increased the utilization of public health institutions as well, and this increase was mainly attributable to the utilization by chronically ill patients. (2) Between 1987 and 1990, the proportion of the utilization of public health institutions over whole medical care utilization decreased. But the proportion increased for chronically ill patients covered by regional medical insurance during the same time span. (3) The results of logistic regression suggested that the rural self-employed utilized public health institutions at an increased rate after they were covered by medical insurance. It was also indicated that the increase resulted from the utilization by chronically ill patients. (4) The relative importance of public health institutions for rural medical care decreased after the implementation of regional medical insurance. But considering that the utilization of public health institutions by chronically ill patients increased after insurance coverage, attention should be directed to improving the capability of public health institutions to control chronic degenerative diseases.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.63-70
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• 2016

Background: Selective health benefit was introduced for decreasing economic burden of patients. Medical devices with economic uncertainty have been covered as selective health benefit by National Health Insurance since December 2013. We aimed to analyze impact of selective health benefit to medical expenditure and provider behavior focused on electrosurgery (ultrasonic shears, electrothermal bipolar vessel sealers) for gastric cancer patients covered since December 2014. Methods: We used the National Health Insurance claims data of 2,698 patients underwent gastric cancer surgery between August 2014 and March 2015. Medical cost and patient sharing per inpatient day were analyzed to verify that covering electrosurgery increased medical expenditure and changed provider behavior from open surgery to endoscopic or laparoscopic surgery. Additionally, we analyzed the claim rate of medical device or goods relating gastric endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery. Results: Medical cost and patient sharing per inpatient day were increased after covering electosurgery as selective health benefit (39,724/1,421 won). However, there were no medical expenditure increases after adjusting claim of electosurgery and patient sharing was decreased 1,057 won especially. The coverage of selective health benefit did not increase the claim rate of medical device or goods related endoscopic or laparoscopic surgery, either. Conclusion: Covering electosurgery decreased patient economic burden and did not change of provider behavior. Expanding selective health benefit is needed to decrease economic burden of severe patients. Further study should evaluate the long term effect with accumulated data.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.245-256
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• 2010

Objectives: This study aims to compare quality indicators for the hemodialysis services between patients with health insurance and those with medical aid. Methods: This study used data from sampled hospitals that provided a hemodialysis service. A total of 2287 patients were selected, and the information for hemodialysis service has been granted from medical record reviews. A multi-level regression analysis was used to examine the differences in process and outcome indicators for hemodialysis between patients with health insurance and those with medical aid. Process indicators were defined as: frequency of hemodialysis, hemodialysis time, erythropoietin (EPO) use, measurement of hemodialysis dose at least once a month, measurement of phosphate at least once every three months, and measurement of albumin at least once every three months. Outcome indicators were defined as: hemodialysis adequacy, anemia management, blood pressure management, and calcium, phosphate and nutrition management. The total scores for outcome indicators ranged from 0 (worst) to 4 (best). Results: There was a significant difference in the measurement of hemodialysis dose at least once a month between patients with health insurance and those with medical aid (OR 0.66, 95% CI = 0.43 - 0.99). However, frequency of hemodialysis, hemodialysis time, EPO use, measurement of phosphate at least once every three months, measurement of albumin at least once every three months, hemodialysis adequacy management, Hb${\geq}$11 g/dL, blood pressure within the range of 100-140 /60-90 mmHg, calcium x phosphate${\leq}$55 $g^2/dL^2$ and albumin${\geq}$4 g/dL were not significantly different between the groups. Conclusions: There were no significant differences in outcome indicators for hemodialysis between the groups. Further studies are warranted into the mechanism that results in no differences in the outcome indicators for hemodialysis.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.3-10
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• 2015

Background: Previous studies showed differences in healthcare utilization among insurance types. This study aimed to analyze the difference in healthcare utilization for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty inpatients by insurance types after controlling factors affecting healthcare utilization using propensity score matching (PSM). Methods: The 2011 national inpatient sample based on health insurance claims data was used for analysis. PSM was used to control factors influencing healthcare utilization except insurance types. Length of stay and total charges were used as healthcare utilization variables. Patients were divided into National Health Insurance (NHI) and Medical Aid (MA) patients. Factors representing inpatients (gender, age, admission sources, and Elixhauser comorbidity index) and hospitals (number of doctors, number of beds, and location of hospitals) were used as covariates in PSM. Results: Tertiary hospitals didn't show significant difference in length of stay and total charges after PSM between two insurance types. However, MA patients showed significantly longer length of stay than that of NHI patients after PSM in general hospitals. Multivariate regression analysis provided that admission sources, Elixhauser comorbidity index, insurance types, number of doctors, and location of hospitals (province) had significant influences on the length of stay in general hospitals. Conclusion: Study results provided evidences that healthcare utilization was differed by insurance types in general hospitals. Health policy makers will need to prepare interventions to influence the healthcare utilization differences between insurance types.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.504-514
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• 2023

Objectives: This study investigated the relationship between prescribing institutions and medication adherence among patients newly diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes. Methods: This study investigated patients with new prescriptions for hypertension and diabetes in Korea in 2019 with using data collected from general health screenings. A multilevel logistic regression model was applied to explore the relationship between patients' first prescribing institution and their medication adherence, defined as a medication possession ratio (MPR) over 80%. Results: The overall adherence rates were 53.7% and 56.0% among patients with hypertension and diabetes, respectively. The intra-class correlation coefficients were 13.2% for hypertension and 13.8% for diabetes (p<0.001), implying that the first prescribing institution had a significant role in medication adherence. With clinics as the reference group, all other types of hospitals showed an odds ratio (OR) less than 1.00, with the lowest for tertiary hospitals (OR, 0.30 for hypertension; 0.45 for diabetes), and the next lowest in health screening specialized clinics (OR, 0.51 for hypertension; 0.46 for diabetes). Among individual-level variables, female sex, older age, higher insurance premium level, and residing in cities were positively associated with adherence in both the hypertension and diabetes samples. Conclusions: This study showed that the prescribing institution had a significant relationship with medication adherence. When the first prescribing institution was a clinic, newly diagnosed patients were more likely to adhere to their medication. These results highlight the important role played by primary care institutions in managing mild chronic diseases.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.128-143
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• 2010

Objectives : This study aims to estimate the oral antihyperglycemic medications adherence among ambulatory care with adult type 2 diabetes patients and to identify factors affecting the medication adherence in Korea. Methods : This study used the Korean National Health Insurance Database. Study population was 40,082 patients who were 20 years of age or older and first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (ICD-10: E11) in 2004. The patients were followed up for two years in order to measure adherence with oral antihyperglycemic medications. The level of medication adherence was measured by the medication possession ratio (MPR). Results : The average MPR in the study population was 49.5%. The appropriate adherence rate (MPR$\geq$80%) was 29.4% and showed variation according to the characteristics of individual patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of appropriate adherence increased with female (OR:1.21, CI:1.14-1.27), older age, increasing ambulatory care visits, health insurance (OR:1.53, CI:1.33-1.76), decreasing ambulatory care providers, using a specialized general hospital as their main attending medical institution (OR:10.08, CI:8.96-11.33), having co-morbidity, using polytherapy (OR:1.07, CI:1.01-1.13). Conclusions : The medications adherence for patient with type 2 diabetes is low in Korea, and shows variation according to the characteristics of patients. For proper management of diabetes, health care policy is expected to be enacted to improve medications adherence continuously. In particular, more intensive management is needed for patients with low medications adherence. Also, health care policy makers need to develop the program to induce health care utilization by a patient to be more concentrated with the same provider.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.329-335
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• 2007

Objectives : To identify the effects of supplemental private health insurance on health care utilization and expenditure under the mandatory National Health Insurance(NHI) system in Korea. Methods : The data were collected by the National Cancer Center in Korea. Cancer patients who were newly diagnosed with stomach (ICD code, C16), lung(C33-C34), liver (C22), colorectal cancer(C18-C20) or breast(C50) cancer were included as study subjects. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire from face-to-face interviews, the hospital Order Communication System (OCS) and medical records. Clinical, socio-demographic and private health insurance related factors were also gathered. The differences of health care utilization and expenditure were compared between those who have private health insurance and those who do not using t-test and multivariable regression analysis. Results : Individuals with private health insurance spent larger inpatient costs than those without, but no differences were found in utilization in other service such as hospital admissions, hospital days and physician visits. Conclusions : We found that private health insurance exerts a significant effect on the health care expenditure in inpatient service. These study results can provide a rational basis to plan a national health policy regarding private health insurance. Further studies are needed to investigate the impacts of private health insurance on cancer patients' outcomes and survival rates.

• 대한치과의사협회지
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• 제54권8호
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• pp.604-612
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of national health insurance coverage of periodontal scaling using the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort for 2009-2013. After the enforcement of periodontal scaling covered by national health insurance, the number of patients diagnosed with periodontal disease and received treatment, has increased from 35,234 to 99,576 people in the last 4 years. Further, the number of patients who received the treatment of periodontal disease more than once, have also increased to around 69% in 2013 when compared to 2012. Moreover, the number of patients receiving periodontal scaling has been steadily increasing every year. Among the patients who visited hospital for periodontal disease, there has been an increase of 280%. As a result, continuous public relations and long-term research on the effect of periodontal scaling as a prophylactic treatment is necessary.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.178-187
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• 2012

Purpose: In Korea, the nation's medical expenses were 12 billion won in 2010. The medical costs for individuals can also be overwhelming. If a patient has sustained severe trauma, his/her insurance company responsible may pay only part of the medical bills. In Korean, there are diverse types of medical insurance, such as health insurance, automobile insurance, and industrial accident compensation insurance. And each insurance system has a different type of payment system. Our study will be essential for establishing the optimal medical expense payment system. Methods: From January to December 2011, we retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of 161 patients who were admitted to our hospital's emergency room after having undergone severe trauma. Of those 161 patients, 125 were retrospectively reviewed. Written permission was obtained from all of the patients. We analysed the demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes, data of the trauma, type of the patient's insurance, and the entire bill when the patient was discharged. Results: Seventy-one patients had health insurance, 48 automobile insurance, and six industrial accident compensation insurance. High-deductible insurance included health insurance and industrial accident compensation insurance, with the deductibles up to 20.6% and 19.1%, respectively. We attempted to analyze the cause of the high deductible rate. In patients with health insurance, medicines, primarily sedatives, pain killers, antibiotics, and fluids. comprised a large proportion. On the other hand, industrial accident compensation insurance deducted for a high-grade hospital room charge. Conclusion: We found that medical expenses were diverse according to the type of insurance. In particular, health insurance forced patients to pay too much of the medical expenses. Therefore, in Korea we should try to identify the insurance problems and improve the wage system.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.49-61
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• 2009

Background: The appropriate management of diabetes mellitus(DM) can help reduce its relapse and economic burden, but the level of management of DM in Korea is reported to be insufficient. This study aims to identify the management level of DM by figuring out the HbA1c examination performance rate of the diabetics and analyzing the variation according to the characteristic of a diabetic. Methods: This study used the Korean National Health Insurance Database which includes E10-14(ICD-10 code) as a primary or secondary disease as of 2006. Study population is 1,892,062 diabetics excluding 393,784 patients with the first attack of DM in 2006, 33,440 diabetics who died in 2006, and 21,299 patients with DM having no record of ambulatory care among the 2,340,585 DM patients in total. Results: The HbA1c examination performance rate of all DM patients in our country is estimated to be 41.5% as of 2006 and shows variation according to the characteristic of individual DM patients. The highest performance odds was shown by the patients who were below 19 of age, insured for health insurance, attended more than 3 ambulatory care providers, made ambulatory care visits more than 10 times annually, attended a specialized general hospital as their main attending medical institution, had a record of hospitalization or had co-morbidity. Conclusion: This study propose that is necessary to make politic preparations for the appropriate management of diabetes at a national level, and particularly, the patients with advanced age, the ones dependent on Medical Aid, and the ones using hospitals or clinics, whose appropriate management seems vulnerable, demand a careful management.