• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.82-91
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• 2020

Background: This study investigates the influence factors of medical service variations using medical charge and the length of stay (LOS) for urinary incontinence surgery and uterine polypectomy. Methods: The National Health Insurance claims data and Medical Resource Report by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service in 2016 were used. Frequency analysis, one-way analysis of variance, and Bonferroni post-hoc tests were executed for each surgery. A multilevel analysis was executed to assess the factors to the medical charge and LOS for each surgery in patient, doctor, and hospital level. Results: Fifty-two point eight percent of urinary incontinence surgery and 87.1% of uterine polypectomy were distributed in general and tertiary hospitals. Among three levels, the patient level variation was 61.5% or 77.2% in medical charge and 93.9% or 96.3% in LOS, respectively. The doctor level variation was 29.6% or 22.6% in medical charge and 0.6% or 0.0% in LOS, respectively. The institution level variation was 8.9% or 0.2% in medical charge and 5.5% or 3.7% in LOS, respectively. Number of other disease and organizational type were main factors that affected the charge and LOS for urinary incontinence surgery and uterine polypectomy. Conclusion: Medical service variations of the urinary incontinence surgery and uterine polypectomy were the largest for the patient level, followed by doctor level for the medical charge, and the institution level for the LOS.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2017

Background: This study purposed to analyze the effects of metabolic syndrome on the total medical charge of patients. Methods: 2013 National Health Insurance Service sample research database (eligibility database, medical database, and health examination database) was used for this study. Gamma regression was applied to analyze the effects of metabolic syndrome on the total medical charge and logistic regression was used to determine the probability of medical charge which was higher than the third quartile. Sociodemographic characteristics (age and household income), health behavior factors (smoking, drinking, exercise, and body mass index), and disease related factors (family history and metabolic syndrome) were included as the independent variables. Results: people who had metabolic syndrome spent more medical expenses than those without metabolic syndrome both in man and woman group. The standard regression coefficient was 0.09 (p< 0.001) in man with metabolic syndrome and 0.16 (p< 0.001) in woman. In addition, woman with metabolic syndrome spent more than the third quartile of medical charge. The odds ratios was 1.04 (p= 0.16) for man with metabolic syndrome and 1.18 (p= 0.013) for woman. Conclusion: people with metabolic syndrome spent more medical charge, so it will need to consider policy interventions for preventing the incidence and management of metabolic syndrome in Korean people.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.69-118
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• 2007

In providing general medical treatments, the medical service contract between the patient and the doctor is the mutually responsible onerous contract. However, the nature of the mutually assumed contract standings of the patient and the doctor has been changing since the implementation of the national health insurance program. For instance, besides the cases of beyond excessive medical charges and medical negligence, if the doctor charged for his/her medical treatments violating the post-treatment/nursing cover criteria, the overpaid medical charge, regardless of being collected with the patient's consent, has to be refunded back to the patient. Medically needed aspects, treatment results, and unfair benefits favoring the patient are not at all taken into consideration in the health insurance scheme. This makes it easier for patients to get refunds for their share of the medical payments by involving the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service or the National Health Insurance Corporation, without engaging in civil law suits (for reimbursement claim) against doctors. In other words, the doctor's responsibility to provide medical treatments and the patient's responsibility to pay for the medical treatment provided within the contractual realm are being demolished by the administrational arbitration of the National Health Insurance system. The basic rights of medical service providers, and the patient's right to choose are as important constitutional rights, as the National Health Insurance program, which is essential in the social welfare system. Furthermore, the development of the medical fields should not be prevented by the National Health Insurance system. If the medical treatment services can be divided into necessary treatments, general treatments, and high quality treatments, the National Health Insurance is supposed to guarantee the necessary and general treatments to provide medical treatments equally to all the insured with limited financial resources. However, for the high quality treatments, it is recommended that they should not be interfered by the National Health Insurance system, and that they should be left to the private contract between the patient and the doctor.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.63-73
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• 2014

This research seeks opinions and development plan in forceful measures of qualifying examinations analyzing awareness of people in charge of medical tour about the qualifying examination system of international medical tour coordinator. The result of research shows the relatively positive awareness towards the qualifying examination and its system of international medical tour coordinator. Regarding the examination subjects, score about the necessity of subject where medical professionalism is considered marked high(4.01). About whether they would take the test or not, there was careful difference in the awareness of examination system(0.019) and operation method(0.004.). For the qualifying examination to be settled and thus to reinforce the professionalism, it is considered essential to have improvement in the problems of treatment towards acquisitors of certificate and awareness of field regarding the certificate, and review of supplementary subject aimed at the reinforcement of medical professionalism in terms of examination subjects.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2008

Purpose : Centering on users(patients) who are offered the patient transport service by the emergency medical service system in our country, the use and satisfaction are analyzed with the transport service in 119 Emergency Medical Service System and Private transport agent. Results : 1. As for personnel in ambulance cars, 119 emergency staff showed a higher boarding rate of the first-class emergency medical technicians than private transportation centers : 48.4% and 17.7%, respectively. 2. Private transportation centers showed higher user satisfaction with transportation service than 119 emergency staff, which was not statistically significant. 3. As for the case that needs to receive the transport service in the future, the ratio with the will to use 119 Emergency Medical Service System(70.9%) was indicated to be much higher than the ratio of the private transport agent(29.1%). Suggestions : First, Centers transporting first-aid patients should essentially secure a sufficient number of first-class emergency medical technicians as professional emergency medical staff to reinforce qualitative improvement in emergency medical service. Second, It is necessary to establish a systematic monitoring system and develop educational programs in order to enhance satisfaction with the use of 119 emergency staff. Third, the government or the local government needs to positively support and guide the private transport agent, which is in charge of the public medical service.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.27-40
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• 2007

Even now, 119 rescue services have dissatisfactory aspects in operation, system and equipments as discussed above, It is the most urgent subject to systemize rescue services so that they can be suitable for our status, for we will make 21C welfare state come true before long. So, this author suggest that the followings have to be raised to activate 119 rescue service. 1) Bring up experts and offer high-quality rescue service 2) Prepare more up-to-date equipments 3) Operate transfer joint organizations 4) Promote the ability to meet with a press at the time of rescue service activities 5) Adjust regulations related to rescue services 6) Make up for a countermeasure to traffic accidents of ambulances 7) Adjust regulations making it mandatory to establish heliport at the target on hospitals more than a defined scale 8) Install more rescue service teams 9) Educate and train officials belonging to briefing rooms, where the officials with long experiences are arranged 10) Minimize the time for rescue team to reach fields 11) Establish legal protection system for rescue the team Nowadays, our country operates the department of fire fighting and rescue services without great difficulty, even though the circumstances are bad - insufficient members and the inferior circumstances. All of the fire fighting officials are given heavy duties in bad circumstances, and so are the team of rescue service. The rescue service team, taking charge of some emergency medical system, do a fire fighting inspection as a non-duty service, though they are scanty of sleep due to prevention and protection services of the fire fighting service team. But, they can not engage in rescue services completely and have to deal with miscellaneous duties. So they can not offer professional emergency medical services. But now, almost every fire fighting organization, belonging to National Emergency Management Agency, are separating rescue services, which shows a lot of good results. People recognize rescue services to get better and better gradually and the demands for this rescue services increase. So, this is the best time when rescue service teams should offer qualitative services rather than quantitative services. The people will recognize this rescue service team to be an organization sacrificing and serving for them. However well institutes and operation systems should be established, the rescue service team can not come true their aim without strong wills that they will serve and sacrifice themselves for people from their hearts. In addition, it is essential for the officials in charge of policies about emergency medical services to have a concernment on and practice the policy without failure.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 1999

The purposes of this study which was conducted by studying the literature on Emergency Medical Dispatch System are to provide some developmental policies of quality management, pre-arrival instructions, priority dispatch protocols, training program for the dispatchers(Emergency Medical Dispatchers or EMDs) in Korea and to promote understanding emergency medical dispatching. The conclusions from this summarized as follows; (1) It is confirmed that there has been little study on the Emergency Medical Dispatch System in Korea, because for the first time, the real Emergency Medical Services were introduced into Korea in 1994, and the importance of the Emergency Medical Dispatch System has not been realized. (2) Only some squads are using a set of dispatch protocols, others aren't. (3) In spite of trying to introduce a new set of dispatch protocols, it isn't the priority dispatch system using a complete set of dispatch protocols which has key questions, pre-arrival instructions, mode & configuration based on patient assessment. (4) The EMS is unable to promote the service capacity by using quality management, because there is no medical control on the emergency medical dispatching and the EMDs. (5) There are no medical directors in the communications center who are in charge of the medical control to detect problems derived from the EMS and to solve them. (6) There are no systematic training program for the EMDs who are taking charge of dispatching. (7) Having a deep relation to the elements of the EMS, the emergency medical dispatching is subject to restriction of those elements.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.300-306
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• 2003

Purpose: This study was done to help provide patients with information on medical insurance cost through medical insurance education for nurses, to increase effective management, check on omissions in treatment and appropriateness and accuracy of fees, and to contribute to the economic growth of hospital by providing nurses with necessary knowledge about medical insurance cost. Method: The participants in this study were clinical nurses in general hospitals. The study instrument was a questionnaire developed by the researcher through reference to data for medical insurance education. The data were analyzed with percentages, means, ANOVA, and Duncan method using SPSS PC+10. Result: The results on knowledge of medical insurance according to general characteristics of the nurses showed that there were significant differences according to age: (p=.0036) highest level of education (p=.0007), position (p=.0010) and place where education on medical insurance was received (p=.0093). Conclusion: Continuous in-service education for clinical nurses is reflected in increased knowledge about medical insurance costs but special attention needs to be given to younger nurses and nurses with less education, as well as staff nurses, and those nurses who only received education on medical insurance during their schooling. Accordingly, in-service education is necessary for nurses at the time of orientation so that they have knowledge on standards for recuperation allowance, guidelines to calculate material costs, and guidelines to calculate drug rates. In addition, as medical insurance cost frequently change, all nurses need continuous in-service education.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.209-224
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• 2015

Previous studies provided that limiting the number of services provided in hospital had influences in decreasing cost in delivering medical services. Hospitals could have positive effects on their profit by concentrating small number of services which they have comparative advantages. This study purposed to analyze the relationship between the concentration status of hospitals and medical charge for inpatients. National Inpatient sample data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) for three years, 2009 to 2011 was used to compute the three concentration indices (Information Theory Index (ITI), Internal Herfindahl Index (IHI), and number of distinct Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) treated) and total medical charge per inpatient case in each year. It was also used to select the control variables such as bed size, number of doctors per 100 beds, and locations. The ordinary least square regression models were developed and tested for hospital and general hospitals separately. The results showed that the total medical charge per inpatient case was significantly differed depending on the concentration indices, and there were positive relationships in ITI and IHI. The number of distinct DRGs had different directions in regression coefficients depending on the locations and hospital types. Hospitals had larger absolute standardized regression coefficients compare to those of general hospitals. However, their effects could be varied by the hospital types, number of doctors, and locations. It seems that hospitals have more influences on medical charges by concentrating their services than general hospitals. Study results provide knowledges to hospital administrators that concentration strategy can positive influences on the performance of small size hospitals.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.253-263
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• 2023

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the local extinction index and total medical service utilization. Methods: A fixed effects model in panel analysis was performed for the 228 administrative districts in Korea. The statistical yearbook on the usage of medical services by region and Korean Statistical Information Service data were used from 2010 to 2019 for analysis. Medical service utilization was represented by the number of visits day, the number of inpatient days, and medical charges. Control variables were selected by using an Anderson model. The local extinction index was calculated using resident registration population data. Results: Descriptive statistics showed that the number of areas at risk of extinction increased from 61 to 95 for the study years. In addition, the number of visits, the number of inpatient days, and medical charges all increased during the study years. After controlling for variables affecting medical service utilization and doing a panel fixed effects model, the result suggested that a one-step increase in the local extinction index was significantly associated with a 12.29% decrease in medical charges of inpatients, a 7.33% decrease in medical charge of outpatient, a 5.21% decrease in the number of inpatient day, and a 5.54% decrease in the number of visits day. Conclusion: This study showed that the higher the region's extinction risks, the higher the region's total medical service utilization. The results of this study suggested that there was a disparity in medical service utilization between areas at risk of extinction and areas not at risk of extinction, so measures should be taken to address this disparity.