• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.188-194
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• 2019

Objectives: Outbreaks of scarlet fever in Mexico in 1999, Hong Kong and mainland China in 2011, and England in 2014-2016 have received global attention, and the number of notified cases in Korean children, including in Jeju Province, has also increased since 2010. To identify relevant hypotheses regarding this emerging outbreak, an age-period-cohort (APC) analysis of scarlet fever incidence was conducted among children in Jeju Province, Korea. Methods: This study analyzed data from the nationwide insurance claims database administered by the Korean National Health Insurance Service. The inclusion criteria were children aged ${\leq}14years$ residing in Jeju Province, Korea who received any form of healthcare for scarlet fever from 2002 to 2016. The age and year variables were categorized into 5 groups, respectively. After calculating the crude incidence rate (CIR) for age and calendar year groups, the intrinsic estimator (IE) method was applied to conduct the APC analysis. Results: In total, 2345 cases were identified from 2002 to 2016. Scarlet fever was most common in the 0-2 age group, and boys presented more cases than girls. Since the CIR decreased with age between 2002 and 2016, the age and period effect decreased in all observed years. The IE coefficients suggesting a cohort effect shifted from negative to positive in 2009. Conclusions: The results suggest that the recent outbreak of scarlet fever among children in Jeju Province might be explained through the cohort effect. As children born after 2009 showed a higher risk of scarlet fever, further descriptive epidemiological studies are needed.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.111-123
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• 2013

Objectives: This study aimed to share with experiences of a demonstration program based on a community for prevention and management of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, and to supply the evidence of accessible strategies within the community through the public-private partnershipin the near future. Methods: This study case was "the program of registration and management of hypertension and diabetes mellitus patients" which was conducted in Hogncheon-gun in Gangwon-province, 2012. Results: The infrastructure of this center was constructed with the public-private sector partnership according to the basic model of demonstration program since November, 2012. So, the total registered rate of hypertension and diabetes mellitus patients were 26.6% in comparison with suspected patients (to the result of 2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), 37.8% in comparison with the real number of outpatient (to the claims data of 2011 Branch Honcheon-gun, National Health Insurance Corporation), and 107.8% in comparison with the project goal, sequentially. To the patients who were not treated for 30 and 60 days among the registered patients, a recall service was conducted. Through this intervention, it was monitored that this program has enhanced the consecutive treatment rate of the registered patients. Conclusions: To improve the continuous management of hypertension and diabetes mellitus patients, we are gotten to know that the community need the joint participation and mutual cooperation with public-private sector partnership.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.5-14
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• 2003

Recently, there has been an increasing need for long-term care and comprehensive health care services in community settings. The Ministry of Health and Welfare introduced the Hospital-Based Home Nursing Care Program in 2000. Before this initiative, there was a Home Nursing Demonstration Center, affiliated with the Seoul Nurse Association, had offered home nursing services with the financial support from the local government. since 1993, the Center's nursing staff has been engaged in a general hospital in an effort to provide home nursing care services within Korea's health care system. The purpose of this study was to analyze and identify characteristics of community-based home nursing care supplied by a community-based home nursing team engaged in a general hospital. Also. visit nursing care services provided by public health centers were evaluated in terms of accessibility and supply versus demand, to enhance the accessibility of low-income patients living in Seoul to home nursing care services. Data were collected from home nursing insurance reimbursement claims submitted by the community-based home nursing care team from March 1 to October 30 in 2001 and a questionnaire survey on home-visit nursing services of 25 public health centers in Seoul. The subjects consisted of 197 patients and 12 public health centers. The result were as follows. First, medical institution's community-based home nursing care program was better in technical quality than health-center-based home-visit nursing care. In addition. the pattern of the subject patients was similar to that of hospital-based home nursing care program. Second, there was a high demand for community-based home nursing care while only a small number of home-visiting nurses served at public health centers in Seoul. As a result, many patients could not receive adequate care. Finally, we suggest that community-based home nursing care program should be introduced in the national health system to meet the at-home care needs of severely ill low-income patients. Furthermore, to better utilize home nursing and visit-nursing care resources and offer continued care for patients in community settings, an efficient referral network should be built among related institutions. This would require improvement of reimbursement system and amendment of the law related to health insurance system and community-based home nursing care services.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.242-252
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• 2022

Objectives: Firefighters and police officers are exposed to various occupational hazards. No studies in Korea have investigated the occurrence of cancer by type of cancer for the two occupations. This study aims to investigate the risk of occurrences associated with types of cancers in firefighters and police officers. Methods: Utilizing National Health Insurance(NHI) Claims data from 2006-2015, the study included 8,871,468 general workers, 25,001 firefighters, and 102,274 police officers. Using general workers as a control group, we calculated the standardized incidence ratios(SIR) by types of cancer for firefighters and police officers. After calculating the SIR for all subjects, the SIR was calculated by stratifying according to gender. Results: SIR of colon cancer 1.38(95% CI, 1.11-1.69), cancer of the liver and intrahepatic bile ducts 1.27(95% CI, 1.04-1.54), and 1.88(95% CI, 1.28-2.65) bladder cancer were higher firefighters than general workers. SIR of Lip, oral cavity, and pharynx 1.26(95% CI, 1.07-1.47), Stomach 1.14(95% CI, 1.06-1.23), colon 1.33(95% CI, 1.21-1.46), liver and intrahepatic bile ducts 1.21(95% CI, 1.10-1.32), pancreas 1.24(95% CI, 1.02-1.49), other skin 1.60(95% CI, 1.26-2.00), bladder 1.27(95% CI, 1.04-1.54), other urinary tract 1.46(95% CI, 1.27-1.68), other parts of central nervous system 1.68(95% CI, 1.10-2.46) were higher police officers than general workers. Conclusions: Both firefighters and police officers are exposed to various cancer occurrence risks, necessitating the development of occupational medical protection measures to reduce risk exposure factors.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.102-108
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• 2020

Background: This study was performed to evaluate the effect of gastric cancer screening through analysis of screening-related data. Methods: We investigated claims data of gastric cancer from 2009 to 2015. We evaluated whether the screening was performed to prior to registration as patients with gastric cancer. The effect of gastric cancer screening was also analyzed by gender. Results: We collected total 196,293 patients with gastric cancer. 74% of them had previous experience of gastric cancer screening. In patients with screening, early gastric cancer was 33.4% and advanced gastric cancer was 17.3%. 22,548 (15.5%) patients were diagnosed with gastric cancer within 2 years after screening. In the case of patients without screening, early gastric cancer was 15.1% and advanced gastric cancer was 25.3%. In case of men, 76% of them confirmed gastric cancer through screening, and 70.2% of women confirmed the gastric cancer. In both men and women, the rate of early gastric cancer was higher among those with screening than those without screening. Conclusion: In this study, we were able to indirectly confirm the stage shift of gastric cancer screening. However, within 2 years after screening, not a few patients with gastric cancer were diagnosed. Therefore, more studies are warranted to in the future.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.249-258
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• 2007

Objectives : The aims of this study were to estimate the antihypertensive medication adherence in people with a disability and a history of taking antihypertensive medication, and to identify the factors affecting medication adherence. Methods : The National Health Insurance claims data were linked with the National Disability Registry. People with a disability, who received a prescription of antihypertensives, were identified from a total of 85,098 cases. Cumulative medication adherence (CMA) was used as an indicator of medication adherence. A CMA > 80% was defined as appropriate medication adherence. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors affecting medication adherence. Results : The average CMA in a total of 85,098 patients was 79.5%. The appropriate adherence $(CMA{\geq}80%)$ rate was 54.5% and 20.5% of patients had a CMA < 50%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the probability of appropriate adherence decreased with decreasing number of prescription days per visit, increasing number of providers, the patients' residential area moving from urban to rural areas, and when patients have an internal organ disability, auditory impairment, mobility impairment. Conclusions : The adherence to antihypertensive medication in people with a disability is influenced by various socio-economic, clinical and regional factors. In particular, the disabled who have locomotive and communication disabilities and internal organ impairments have a higher probability of under-adherence to antihypertensive medication adherence in Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3383-3389
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• 2014

Background: Prostate cancer is rapidly increasing in Korea and professional societies have requested adding prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing to the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP), but this started a controversy in Korea and neutral evidence on this issue is required more than ever. The purpose of this study was to provide economic evidence to the decision makers of the NCSP. Materials and Methods: A cost-utility analysis was performed on the adoption of PSA screening program among men aged 50-74-years in Korea from the healthcare system perspective. Several data sources were used for the cost-utility analysis, including general health screening data, the Korea Central Cancer Registry, national insurance claims data, and cause of mortality from the National Statistical Office. To solicit the utility index of prostate cancer, a face-to-face interview for typical men aged 40 to 69 was conducted using a Time-Trade Off method. Results: As a result, the increase of effectiveness was estimated to be very low, when adopting PSA screening, and the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) was analyzed as about 94 million KRW. Sensitivity analyses were performed on the incidence rate, screening rate, cancer stage distribution, utility index, and treatment costs but the results were consistent with the base analysis. Conclusions: Under Korean circumstances with a relatively low incidence rate of prostate cancer, PSA screening is not cost-effective. Therefore, we conclude that adopting national prostate cancer screening would not be beneficial until further evidence is provided in the future.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.171-209
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• 2022

There were also many medical-related rulings in 2021, among which the rulings reviewed in this paper are as follows. The first relates to a case in which the medical record, which is the primary judgment data regarding the presence or absence of medical negligence, has been modified. The court judged whether there was negligence on the basis of the first written medical record without considering the contents of the medical record that was later modified. Next, the ruling on the case of asking for liability for damages for prescription of anti-obesity drugs recognized negligence related to prescription, but denied liability for property damage by denying a causal relationship, and recognized only alimony for violation of the duty of explanation. The a full-bench ruling on the scope of subrogation of the National Health Insurance Corporation, which subrogates the claims for compensation for medical expenses against the perpetrator of the patient, changed the existing precedent that had taken the 'deduction method after offsetting negligence' and judged it as 'the method of offsetting negligence after deduction'. In addition, in the ruling on whether or not there was negligence, the court was not bound by the medical record appraisal result. Lastly, in relation to the National Health Insurance Service's disposition of reimbursement for medical care benefit costs, we reviewed the ruling that discretion should be exercised even when a non-medical person makes a refund to a medical institution opened by a non-medical person. And we also reviewed the ruling that the scope of reimbursement for medical institutions jointly using facilities and manpower specifically should be determined.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.87-105
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether nonemergency, isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery for high- or low-risk patients biases the assessment of the risk-adjusted mortality rates of hospitals. This study used 2002 National Health Insurance claims data for tertiary hospitals in Korea. The study sample consisted of 1,959 patients from 23 tertiary hospitals. The risk-adjustment model used the patients' biological, admission, and comorbidity data identified in the claims. The subjects were classified into high- and low-risk groups based on predicted surgical risk. The crude mortality rates and risk-adjusted mortality rates for low-risk, high-risk, and all patients in a hospital were compared based on the rank and the four intervals defined by quartile. Also, the crude mortality rates of the three groups were compared with their 95% confidence intervals of predicted mortality rates. The C-statistic (0.83) and Hosmer-Lemeshow test ($X^2$=11.47, p=0.18) indicated that the risk-adjustment model performed well. Presenting crude mortality rates with their 95% confidence intervals of predicted rates showed higher agreements among the three groups than using the rank or intervals of mortality rates defined by quartile in the hospital performance assessment. The crude mortality rates for the low-risk patients in 21 of the 23 hospitals were located on the same side of their 95% confidence intervals compared to that for all patients. High-risk patients and all patients differed at only one hospital. In conclusion, the impact of risk selection by hospital on the assessment results was the smallest when comparing the crude inpatient mortality rates of CABG patients with the 95% confidence intervals of predicted mortality rates. Given the increasing importance of quality improvements in Korean health policy, it will be necessary to use the appropriate method of releasing the hospital performance data to the public to minimize any unwanted impact such as risk-based hospital selection.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.4-11
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• 2016

Background: Hospital admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), which are widely used as an indicator of poor access to primary care, can be used as an efficiency indicator of healthcare use in countries providing good access to health care. Korea, which has a national health insurance (NHI) system and a good supply of health care resources, is one such country. To quantify admission rates of ACSC and identify characteristics influencing variation in Korean health care institutions. Methods: By using NHI claims data, we computed the mean ACSC admission rate for all institutions with ACSC admissions. Results: The average ACSC admission rate for 4,461 institutions was 1.45%. Hospitals and clinics with inpatient beds showed larger variations in the ACSC admission rate (0%-87.9% and 0%-99.6%, respectively) and a higher coefficient of variation (7.96 and 2.29) than general/tertiary care hospitals (0%-19.1%, 0.85). The regression analysis results indicate that the ACSC admission rate was significantly higher for hospitals than for clinics (${\beta}=0.986$, p<0.05), and for private corporate institutions than public institutions (${\beta}=0.271$, p<0.05). Conclusion: Substantial variations in ACSC admission rates could suggest the potential problem of inefficient use of healthcare resources. Since hospitals and private corporate institutions tend to increase ACSC admission rates, future health policy should focus on these types of institutions.