• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.40-52
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• 2010

Health insurance fees are set by relative value scales and conversion factors. Since 2008 the conversion factor has been classified into 7 according to the provider type, and a separate contract has been made respectively. As such classification of the conversion factor reflects only the different characteristics of providers, however, further classification to reflect the different cost structures of providers is proposed. Cost varies according to the type of not only providers but also services each provider supply. In fact different cost structures of providers are the result of their different services. This study analyzed the cost structure of medical services to propose a new approach to the classification of the conversion factor. This study analyzed the cost structure of medical services using cost data constructed in the revision study of relative value scales. The cost data consist of doctor's fee, support staff's fee, cost of medical equipments, cost of medical supplies and indirect cost. The proportion of each cost component to the total cost was analyzed in terms of service department and service type. 72 service groups are defined in terms of the combination of service department and service type. Through cluster analysis, 72 service groups were reduced into 7 clusters each of which has a similar cost structure. Conversion factor is contracted annually to reflect the change in the cost of providing medical services. So the classification of conversion factor has to be based on the cost structures of medical services, not the characteristics of providers. Service clusters derived in this study can be used as a new classification for health insurance fee contract.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.238-241
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to figure out the appropriate and systemic insurance charge for the hallux valgus operations. Materials and Methods: 5 Hospitals for hallux valgus operations were analyzed how they have been charging the national health insurance corporation for their operation fees and how to use the estimated guide and authoritive interpretation through the guide book of health insurance medical treatment grant expense and the guide book of Health insurance medical treatment. Results: There are nothing for guiding principle of hallux valgus operations in both books but a guide of Mcbride operation which is approved 'JA-93-KA and JA-31' for operation fee. So majority of hospitals have charged operation fee depending on their own interpretations they like. According to the guide books, there was a authoritive interpretation that simultaneous operation of osteotomy and tendon transfer for cerebral palsy and flat foot can be eatimated as 'osteotomy+JA-93-NA'. Conclusion: Distal soft tissue procedure should be approved as 'JA-93-NAx100%+JA-31x50%' according to the the estimated guide and authoritive interpretation if transected adductor hllucis is transfered to first metatarsal head. So distal chevron osteotomy could be 'JA-30-1-RAx100%+JA-31x50%', proximal metatarsal osteotomy could be 'JA- 93-NAx100%+JA-31-50%+JA-30-1-RAx50%', first metatarsocuneiform joint arthrodesis could be 'JA-93-NAx100%+ JA-31x50%+JA-73-RAx50%'.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.13-27
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• 2021

Purpose: We examined the relationship between operating income and volume of medical services provided at general hospitals in 2018 according to characteristics of general hospitals and measured as operating income(net income) and volume(adjusted inpatient days) covered or non-covered by National Health Insurance(NHI). Methodology: Finance data from income statement reports in 212 general hospitals and the national health insurance claim data of these hospitals were used. The characteristics of the general hospital were divided into structural, operational, financial, and patient aspects. Operating income and volume were divided into covered and non-covered by NHI. Findings: The results showed high volume hospitals tended to be more profitable than low volume hospitals, especially in non-covered services. Operating income was more likely to be sensitive to non-covered services volume than to covered services volume. Practical Implications: It is necessary to understand the volume of services in non-covered, in order to obtain reliable cost information to be used for the fee schedule. Researches on small size hospitals(<160 beds) are needed, with a large variation in the volume of services and a strong tendency to compensate for the loss in the covered part in non-covered part.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.1920-1927
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• 2015

This study examined health insurance costs of occupational therapy in stroke patients. The subjects were stroke patients, who underwent occupational therapy by hospitalization or out-patient centers in 2010. The cost of occupational therapy was analyzed from the insurance claims data of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in 2010. The kinds of occupational therapy were divided according to the insurance fee of occupational therapy in 2010. In-patients who received occupational therapy paid the highest rehabilitation treatment fee, whereas outpatients paid the highest nervous system function test fee. The cost of occupational therapy in the special rehabilitation treatment fee was highest by 25.3 billion won. The number of uses of general hospitals was the highest by 180 thousand but the total cost of long-term care hospital was highest by 10.4 billion won. The number of uses and cost by regional groups was highest in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do province. This study is meaningful in that a cost analysis of occupational therapy in stroke patients was performed for the first time using the stroke data from the whole country. The result can be used to provide basic data to improve the insurance fee in the future.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.137-177
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• 2007

The medical expenses review system in Korea has developed under fee-for-service system with its own unique structure. The importance of reviewing medical expenses has been emphasized, as the size of medical expenditures moving through the health insurance legal context and its weight in the national economy have increased very rapidly. It is, however, analyzed that the feuds and arguments continue among the stakeholders for the lack of laws supporting the medical expenses review system. The medical expenses review is a series of administrative procedures, deciding whether claims from medical care institutions to the insurer are legal and valid or not. It mainly controls the increase of unnecessarily excessive health insurance claim and prevents fraudulent claim and abuse and checks the less use or unsuitable use of medical resources. It also works a function guarantees medical benefits for the appropriate treatment according to the object of health insurance system as a social insurance scheme. The dispute on legal base of the medical expenses review is about the source of law in the medical expenses review. There are the Health Insurance Act and administrative laws as jus scriptum and the guidelines of review as administrative orders. The medical expenses review should reflect various factors, such as the development of medical healthcare technologies, the health expenditures distribution, the financial situation of the health insurance, and the evaluation on the level of appropriate benefits. It is also likely to adapt to the traits of characters of medicine, and trends and transition, Besides it should judge the legality and the validity of medical benefits expenditures by synthesizing these all factors. And the evaluation system of appropriateness of medical benefits was administrative procedure which was consecutive with reviewing the medical expenses system and it was intended to make up for the result of reviewing the medical expenses in more comprehensive levels.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.125-136
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• 2018

The purpose of the study is to investigate dental health insurance coverage the awareness and dental health insurance coverage extension to scaling in service consumers. There were significant differences according to education level, age on the appropriateness of the age of yearly scaling benefit, and to married, regions, self-oral health of the frequency of yearly scaling benefit, who their teeth brushed frequence a day on the appropriateness of the fee of yearly scaling benefit. It implies that should be added to the coverage list national health insurance every age group after increasing periodontal disease. It is to be more extension as to age, frequency and fee health insurance coverage of scaling, the effort to improve dental health insurance coverage policy must be continue for oral health in the future.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.215-230
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• 2005

The study was intended to investigate how dentists in private dental clinic thought on the present claim and review of dental insurance to reflect it in future establishing dental insurance policies. 1,465 dentists who were running own dental clinic in Pusan Metropolitan City and the south part of Kyungsang province were surveyed in February, 2004. A total of 406 copies of finished questionnaire were finally retrieved and analyzed. The findings are as follows. 1. About insurance claim affairs : Most of the subject of insurance claim was by dentist himself or dental hygienist(nurse). Agency claiming was carried under 20% of total insurance claim. 2. The degree of attendance on insurance lecture : The degree of attendance on insurance lecture was relatively low. 3. Filing a protest against insurance claim : Filing a protest against insurance claim was reavealed about half-and-half for "have been" or "have not been". 4. Private clinic dentist,s opinion about the regulations affecting review of dental insurance : Private clinic dentists opinion about current guide for insurance review of dental fee was“the guidance is difficult and unfair cutback of claim fee may be carried”. 5. The affairs about health insurance review agency : About 70% of private clinic dentists have dissatisfaction on health insurance review agency. 6. Standpoint of private clinic dentists about issuance of receipt for dental fee : About 70% of private clinic dentist have an difficulty in issuance of receipt for dental fee. 7. The affairs about change insurance noncoverage treatment to insurance coverage treatment : Most of private clinic dentists hoped that insurance coverage about full mouth scaling, pit and fissure sealant, fluoride application. But they do not hoped that insurance coverage about geriatric denture, prothodontic treatment except precious metal, photopolymerization resin treatment.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2009

The number of nurses per bed at acute-stage hospitals is quite low in Korea compared with other OECD countries. In order to prevent the degradation of the quality of inpatient nursing services due to insufficient nurse staffs, the national health insurance introduced the differentiated nursing care fee system. This did not work as a motive for inducing the employment of nursing staff due to insufficient cost compensation. Because of insufficient nursing staff, family members have to stay with the patient or patients have to hire a personal care attendant. This increases the burden and cost to families. For the activation of hospitals without guardians, there should be policies for raising additional nursing staff such as standardizing jobs among nursing staff, particularly between nurses and nursing assistants, setting adequate standards of staffing in nursing according to medical service, substantiating the cost of nursing under the differentiated nursing care fee system, improving the medical fee system of hospitals without guardians including health insurance payment, supplying nursing staff stably through improving their working conditions such as providing child rearing services and salary increase, clarifying the qualification of personal care attendants working at acute.stage hospitals, developing indexes for assessing the quality of nursing care services, and monitoring for the management of uniform quality.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.77-96
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• 2010

Objectives : This paper recommends a global budget based payment system for reimbursing oriental medical services in the national health insurance. Methods : We analyzed previous research outcomes related to oriental medical services and payment system We reviewed the experiences of other countries' global budget system in terms of their strength and weakness. In addition, we developed a reimbursement method for oriental medical services based on global budget. Results : Our reviews focused on global budget system of Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Taiwan. The estimation of global budget in the national health insurance was described in two scenarios. First scenario was to allocate oriental medical services in scale after signing a contract for global budget. In this case, 4.16% of the national health insurance expenditure was allocated for the oriental medical services. Second scenario was to estimate the global budget in a historical context. As a result, the first scenario in total budget was higher than the second, and we proposed a retrospective adjustment method for the gap between the budget and the actual expenditure Conclusions : The payment system for oriental medical services is recommended to shift from fee-for-service to global budget.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate incomes and costs of the medical clinics by using secondary data. Methodology: The medical incomes and costs were estimated from 405 clinics operated by sole practitioner providing out-patient services among all clinics subject to the Medical Cost Survey on National Health Insurance Patients in 2017, excluding dental clinics and oriental medical clinics. The incomes and costs of the medical clinics were reflected with incomes and costs of health insurance benefits and were calculated by types of medical services (i.e., basic care, surgery, general treatment, functional test, specimen test and imaging test). The costs were classified as follows: labor costs, equipment costs, material costs and overhead costs. Secondary data was used to estimate the incomes and costs of the medical clinics. For allocation bases for costs for each type of the medical service, the ratio of revenue from health insurance benefits by types of medical services was applied. However, labor costs were calculated with the activity ratio by types of medical services and occupations, using clinical expert panel data. Finding: The percentage of health insurance income for all medical income was 73.1%. The health insurance cost per clinic was 401,864 thousand won. Labor cost accounted for the largest portion of the health insurance income was 191,229 thousand won (47.6%), followed by management cost was 170,018 thousand won (42.3%), materials cost was 35,434 thousand won (8.8%), and equipment costs was 5,183 thousand won (1.3%). Practical Implications: This study suggests a method of estimating incomes and costs of medical clinic services by using secondary data. It could efficiently provide incomes and costs to assess an appropriate level of the health insurance fee to the clinics.