• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.352-359
• /
• 2018

Background: The purpose of this study is to propose an analysis of trends and characteristics of high-cost patients who take over 40% of total national health insurance medical expenses. Methods: It has been analyzed the tendency of high-cost patients by open data based on the medical history information of 1 million people among national health insurance subscriber from 2002 to 2015. To conduct detailed study of characteristics of high-cost patients, multiple regression has been performed by sex, age, residence, main provider, and admission status based on the top 5% group. Results: The amount of medical expenses and the number of high-cost patients have gradually increased in decades. The number of high-cost patients for Korean won (KRW) 5,000,000 category has increased by 7.6 times, KRW 10,000,000 category has increased by 14.1 times in comparing of year 2002 and 2015. Top 5% medical expenses have increased by 4.6 times. In consideration of the characteristics of patients, the incidence of high medical expenses has been higher in female patients than male ones, the older patients than in the younger. Patients residence in Gyeonsang or Jeonla province have had a high incidence of medical expenses than other area. The disease including dementia, cerebral infarction, and cerebrovascular disease for high-cost patients has been also increased. Conclusion: The major increase factor for high medical expenses is the aging of population. The elderly population receiving inpatient care residing in the province that increases high medical costs have to management. There is an urgent need to develop a mechanism for predicting and managing the cost of high-cost medical expenses for patients who have a heavy financial burden.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.30-38
• /
• 2017

Background: This study aims to analyze the behavioral changes of healthcare providers and influencing factors after the reviewer unification of auto insurance medical benefit claims by an independent review agency. Methods: The comparison data were collected from the second half of 2013 and the same period of 2014. The key indicators are the number of admission days, the number of outpatient visits, inpatient ratio, inpatient medical expenses, and outpatient medical expenses. Results: Four indicators (number of admission days, number of outpatient visits, inpatient ratio, and outpatient medical expenses) showed statistically significant drops, while one indicator (inpatient medical expenses) showed no significant change. Conclusion: The reviewer unification of auto insurance medical benefit claims by an independent review agency showed significant reduction in cost and patient days.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.31-38
• /
• 2019

Objectives: To identify the cost effectiveness of early dementia diagnosis using the 2014 Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service-National Patients Sample (HIRA-NPS). Methods: The medical costs of dementia between Western medical care and Korean medical care were compared through the reimbursement and non-reimbursement item code for dementia examination. In addition, the medical expenses of patients with dementia and mild cognitive impairment were compared and analyzed with respect to Western and Korean medical care. Results: There were 87,434 claims, of which 16,101 patients were diagnosed with dementia and 38,680,789,560 won was found to be the medical expenses. 12,881 patients (80.0%) with dementia, 3,144 patients (19.5%) with mild cognitive impairment, and 76 patients (0.5%) progressing from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. The proportion of medical expenses was 97.6% for dementia patients, 2.3% for mild cognitive impairment, and 1% for patients progressing from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. 86,070 claims (98.4%) were from Western medical care, with16,824 patients (98.2%), and the medical expenses was 38,546,895,400 won (99.7%). 1,361 claims (1.6%) were from Korean medical care, with 303 patients (1.8%), and the medical expenses was 133,894,160 won (0.3%). Conclusions: This study compared and analyzed the medical costs of dementia patients and the diagnosis of both Korean and Western medical care. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic research data for investigating cost effectiveness of developing early diagnosis of dementia.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.99 no.6
• /
• pp.785-790
• /
• 2010

The paper aims to estimate the external effects of mountaineering on medical expenses within national economy. Though there is no difference in the participation ratio of mountaineering among sexes or income levels, the ratio of the elderly is higher than that of younger. The medical expenses have negative correlation with mountain climbing times and climbing frequencies, but this correlation is insignificant statistically. Without mountaineering, the medical expenses of Korea would increase by 2.8 trillion Won (4.6%). Therefore the policy to support usual mountaineering must save the medical expenses more than other policies. and the increase of public expenditure on mountaineering can decrease the deficit of government budget through the positive external effects on national medical expenses.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.51-63
• /
• 2023

Objective : This study aimed to analyze the association between lifestyle and medical expenses of older adults with mental illness using claims data. Methods : We conducted secondary data analysis using the older adult cohort database provided by the Korea National Health Insurance Service. The lifestyle and medical expense variables were extracted from the cohort database. We used a generalized linear model to examine the association between lifestyle and medical expenses. Results : In total, 32,853 records were extracted. The results showed that smokers had medical expenses (estimate = -218,255, p = .037). As the number of days of walking increased, medical expenses significantly decreased (estimate = -58,843, p < .0001). Furthermore, as the number of days of drinking decreased, medical expenses increased (estimate = 692,289, p < .0001). Conclusion : This study analyzed the estimates of medical expenses according to lifestyle among older adults with mental illness. Smoking and exercise were negatively associated with medical expenses. These results suggest the importance of a healthy lifestyle for older adults with mental illness. In addition, this study can be used as clinical evidence for lifestyle management programs to improve physical and mental health.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.61-73
• /
• 2017

In the Health Insurance System of South Korea, patients must pay high out-of-pocket expenditures for the medical service by uninsured medical benefits. So, the government implemented a policy to relieve the burdens of patients by lowering the uninsured selective-medical treatment costs in August, 2014. This study investigate the policy effects of selective-medical treatment(SMT) on the medical service's usage and cost with severe lung cancer patients. The patients are selected in one university hospital(with 1,000 beds), between one year before and after policy implementation. The study find that the usages of outpatient(visit number) and inpatient (length of stay) are not changed by statistically significant. It means that there are no effect in medical service behavior between before and after the policy. In medical expenses, outpatients decreased in their out-of-pocket payments by policy, but total medical expenses and insured medical benefits is not changed, because of the increased another medical insurance fees. For inpatient, although the SMT costs are statistically significant decrease, the total out-of-pocket payments and insured medical expenses are not changed statistically significant. Those findings show that the political decision making about SMT made lowing the selective-medical expenses, but total insured cost and patient's out-of pocket money were not changed by the new increased medical insurance fees. It means that the policy about SMT gave no particular benefit for patients. So, it need another benefit plans to lower the medical expenses of severe lung cancer patients with a high medical service usage and much total medical expense.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.11 no.11
• /
• pp.274-285
• /
• 2011

This study deals with an analysis into the details of medical treatment and expenses by items of treatment as well as the factors related to the ratio between the medical treatment and expenses for 1583 patients who were hospitalized in and discharged from 2 general hospitals located at a city under the coverage of car insurance during the year 2009. As a result, there was statistically significant difference in the details of medical treatment and expenses by items of treatment as well as their composition ratio depending on the individual characters as sex, age and the number of days staying in hospital. Each medical institution should conduct a close analysis of its patients under the car insurance program as well as the factors related to medical expenses with a view to utilize them as basic data for mapping out plans for effective operation of its organization in consideration of the characters as a medicalinstitution.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.115-139
• /
• 2012

Civil proceedings, surveyed results and medical expenses that are evidenced by expert witness are just one of the methods of proof. Since a judge makes decision by synthesizing all evidences on a concerned case, thus the judgement would be different from that of expert witness. It is not rational for medical institutions, of which priorities are medical treatment, to give priority to disability decision. However, despite of its importance, medical institutions less recognize about the necessity of procedural stability and predictability in expert valuation. It is necessary to identify actual problems and investigate rational alternatives to acquire fairness in valuation procedures and accuracy in calculating future medical expenses. Therefore, this research explores the problems and realities of evaluation process in medical treatments, and then discuss the alternatives of written expert opinion and estimation of future medical expenses.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.274-280
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this study was to identify the average cost and present status of non-benefit medical expenses by using the data of tertiary hospitals released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service(HIRA), and to compare the data to find cost variations. The target of analysis was the present status of the non-benefit medical expenses reported by 41 tertiary hospitals among the 44 previously designated hospitals (three were excluded due to revocation or new designation) for 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 (until April). This study was conducted after approval of using the released data of the HIRA's data opening system. This study was analyzed by its general characteristics, annual non-benefit medical expenses by frequency analysis, and annual understanding of variation by designating Coefficient of Variation (C.V.). The research found out that the number of details of non-benefit medical expense was gradually increased: the numbers of categories were 51 in 2015, 53 in 2016, and 98 in 2017, but there was a rapid increase in 2018 by 193. As a result, to standardize non-benefit medical expense items across tertiary hospitals due to their variations in the expenses, the government should expand standardized non-benefit medical expenses and make it mandatory for medical institutions to use the standardized items or names of such expenses.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2024

Purposes: When rehabilitation services are provided remotely using information and communication technologies to patients living at home, there is an advantage in providing rehabilitation services to individuals in their everyday social and physical environment, which can improve functional outcomes and satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of the pilot project by analyzing the outpatient and inpatient medical use and expenses of patients who participated in the rehabilitation patient home-based care pilot project. Methodology: To analyze the effectiveness of the home-based care pilot project for rehabilitation patients, health insurance claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service was used. The subjects of analysis were patients who had undergone major lower extremity joint replacement surgery, including hip, knee, and ankle joint replacement surgery, and patients who had lower extremity fracture surgery, which were the targets of the rehabilitation patient home-based care pilot project. To compare medical use and expenses between patients participating in the rehabilitation patient home-based care pilot project and those not participating, chi-square test, t-test, and multiple regression analysis were performed. Findings: As a result of analyzing the number of medical use cases and expenses of patients who participated and those who did not participate in the rehabilitation patient home-based care pilot project, the average outpatient medical use and outpatient medical expenses per person for participating patients were lower than those for patients who did not participate. The average hospitalization cost per person and the average length of stay per person were also lower than those of patients who did not participate. Practical Implications: Home-based care for rehabilitation patients continues to provide medical services at home, not at medical institutions, and can be expected to reduce readmissions and complications by resolving patients' emergency situations at home or on their own, thereby reducing medical use.