• 보건의료산업학회지
• /
• 제5권4호
• /
• pp.177-192
• /
• 2011

The arguments exist that private health insurance(PHI) policy holders tend to use the health care services more than non-policy holders due to their little out-of-pocket spending, resulting in the adverse effects on the finances of National Health Insurance. This study aims to increase the objective understanding of the issue and to draw a direction of further research, by reviewing the articles, reports and statistics which examined the effects of purchasing PHI policies on health care utilization. Significant differences in healthcare utilization, except for the very partial increase of utilization in outpatient settings, have been not found. The similar trends of the results have existed in a few previous studies which tried to control the endogeneity of medical use and health insurance with latent variables which affect the decision on medical use and health insurance. However, we can not exclude the potential change of healthcare utilization patterns because the portion of the insured of indemnity PHI is becoming rapidly larger in the market. For further research, we should try to obtain the objective information of subjects' past medical history, health status, health related behavior, and income affecting purchase of PHI and utilization of healthcare services. And the efforts of controlling the endogeneity of medical use and health insurance with latent variables which affect the decision on medical use and health insurance, are very considerable.

• 보건행정학회지
• /
• 제22권4호
• /
• pp.497-521
• /
• 2012

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the effect of social capital, health risk behavior and health status on medical care utilization by the elderly. The data and Research method Data were obtained from the 4th wave survey of the Korea Welfare Panel Study. 4,087 household members aged 65 years and over were subject to analysis. Descriptive statistics are used to describe the basic features of the data in a study. we performed a structural equation modeling(SEM) analysis to evaluate the effect of social capital and mediating effect of health risk behavior and health status. Results Results showed that factors related to medical care utilization of the elderly were different depending on types of service (inpatient and outpatient service) except health status. Age, higher social capital, more health-risk behavior and poorer health status were associated with increased use of inpatient service. Social capital was found to have a positive direct effect on it. Also, social capital had an indirect effect on reducing use of inpatient services by improving health status. On the other hand, lower age and higher household income tended to increase use of outpatient service, while higher social capital and higher health status were inversely related. Social capital had a direct effect and an indirect effect on reducing use of outpatient service and, at that time, health status played a mediating role. Conclusions Social capital may contribute to improve health status and indirectly reduce medical care utilization of the elderly by enhancing their health status. These results provide evidence that more policy and strategy considerations should be needed for the elderly to strengthen their social capital in order to enhance their levels of health and more efficient utilization of medical care.

• 대한예방한의학회지
• /
• 제3권2호
• /
• pp.1-23
• /
• 1999

The purpose of this paper is to survey the current status of service utilization in oriental medicine, to identify the determinants of consumers' decision in the service utilization, and then suggest policy implications for promoting the consumers' utilization. A multiple regression model was adopted to analyze the factors that influence consumer's decision in purchasing the oriental medical services. Data used in this research relied on National Survey Data conducted by Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs, and sampling survey. The results could be summarized as follows.: 1. the number of visits to oriental medical institutions has shown an overall increase during the last decade since the inception of health insurance for oriental medical services. It still, however, revealed a relatively iow figure to western medical services. 2. the main factors, after controlling demographic variables, that determine consumers' selection between oriental medical services and western medical services are considered to be price, belief in effectiveness of services, waiting time for service. Implications for policy recommendation include 1. to reduce a barrier to service utilization by discounting dramatically the price of herb medicine, which is believed to be crucial in expanding market share, 2. to encourage consumer's belief in clinical effectiveness through a specialization in competitive services compared with wertern medicine, 3. to keep the affirmative image among consumers alive through an active participation of oriental medical doctors in community activities, 4 to change the health care system in favor of oriental medicine in the long run.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• 제55권4호
• /
• pp.389-397
• /
• 2022

Objectives: This study examined the effect of out-of-pocket (OOP) payment reduction on the potential utilization of low-value magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) across income groups. Methods: We conducted an experimental vignette survey using a proportional quota-based sample of individuals in Korea (n=1229). In two hypothetical vignettes, participants were asked whether they would be willing to use MRI if they had uncomplicated headache and non-specific low back pain, each before and after OOP payment reduction. To account for the possible role of physician inducement, half of the participants were initially presented with vignettes that included a physician recommendation for low-value care. The predicted probability, slope index of inequality (SII), and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated using logistic regression. Results: Before OOP payment reduction, the lowest income quintile was least likely to use low-value MRI regardless of physician inducement (36.7-49.6% for low back pain; 30.5-39.3% for headache). After OOP payment reduction, almost all individuals in each income quintile were willing to use low-value MRI (89.8-98.0% for low back pain; 78.1-90.3% for headache). Absolute and relative inequalities concerning potential low-value MRI utilization decreased after OOP payments were reduced, even without physician inducement (SII: from 8.15 to 5.37%, RII: from 1.20 to 1.06 for low back pain; SII: from 6.99 to 0.83%, RII: from 1.20 to 1.01 for headache). Conclusions: OOP payment reduction for MRI has the potential to increase low-value care utilization among all income groups while decreasing inequality in low-value care utilization.

• 한국보건간호학회지
• /
• 제21권2호
• /
• pp.193-205
• /
• 2007

Purpose: To evaluate the current status of utilization and implementation of health promotion programs for Korean middle-aged women in public health centers. Methods: Three-phase stratified sampling was done to select 1304 middle-aged women (aged 40-64 years) from all regions of Korea. The data were collected by face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire for individual responses and mailed surveys to 126 public health centers. Descriptive statistics and $x^2$-test were done for data analysis. Results: Only 12 of the 126 public health centers (9.9%) implemented health promotion programs for middle-aged women, with the lack of manpower being cited as the main reason for the absence of programs. From individual responses, 11.3% had participated in health promotion programs offered by public health centers. The main reasons for not participating were inconvenient times and lack of information. Significant differences were found in the frequency of participation in programs, exercise programs and diabetes management according to the size of region. The majority of the respondents cited the need for medical services, followed by programs focused on stroke prevention and leisure time management. The responses on the willingness to participate followed a similar pattern. Conclusion: There are gaps between the utilization of health promotion programs by middle-aged women and what is offered by public health centers. The results of this study support the need to develop more health promotion programs focusing specifically on the needs of middle-aged women.

• 보건행정학회지
• /
• 제2권1호
• /
• pp.167-203
• /
• 1992

The effects of regional health insurance on access to ambulatory care are examined in this paper. Access is measured as use-disability ratios. The data are collected in a household interview survey at Hwachon county before and after the introduction of regional health insurance. Before the introduction of regional health insurance, low-income class has less contacts with physicians than high-income class. This disparity in accessibility among economic classes is reduced with the health insurance coverage, but not removed, even after adjusting for health need.

• 보건행정학회지
• /
• 제9권2호
• /
• pp.118-138
• /
• 1999

This study presents the variations on drug utilization for outpatients' URI, gastritis. and hypertension by the type of hospital- tertiary hospital. general hospital. hospital. clinic. It investigated drug expenses. daily drug expenses. days of medication. the highest price of the drugs used. and the number of the different drugs used for each disease and type of hospital. This study also performed analysis to see how much the variations of variables related to drug use affect the variations of drug expenses. The dependent variable was drug expenses and the independent variables were days of medication. the average price of the drugs used. and the number of the different drugs used. Analysis of the drug utilization was performed on NFMI(National Federation of Medical Insurance) 1994 medical expense claim data. Patients with secondary diseases were excluded. In this study. 379 patients with URI, 386 patients with gastritis. 1.257 patients with hypertension were included. It was founded that there were large variation on drug utilization between the types of hospital for same diseases. Days of medication were longest in tertiary hospitals and shortest in hospitals or clinics. Clinics showed the lowest daily drug expenses in all of the diseases investigated. Daily drug expenses were highest in general hospitals or hospitals. which also tended to use drugs of higher price than other types of hospital. General hospitals and hospitals had larger variations in daily drug expenses and the highest price of drugs. It suggested that drug might be utilized overly in general hospitals and hospitals and some other factors might influence on drug utilization in these hospitals. It was found that the variations of drug expenses were affected by the variations of drug price and days of medication rather than the number of the different drugs. Then the strategy to reduce the variations of drug utilization and to improve the quality of drug utilization should focus on the drug price and days of medication. Further study is needed to assess the quality as well as the variation of drug utilization and to show the factors which affect them.

• 보건행정학회지
• /
• 제9권4호
• /
• pp.120-139
• /
• 1999

The objectives of this study were to examine the utilization patterns of oriental medical care and to discover problems in its delivery. The data for this study were collected from a questionnaire survey mailed out from March 10 to April 9 1999 to 6.346 oriental medical clinic. The questionnaires were then distributed to two patients in each clinics. Of these questionnaires. 670 were completed and returned. The major statistical methods used for the analysis were the t-test. ANOVA, and x$^2$-test. The major findings are as follows: 1. Respondents reported visiting oriental doctors twice as often as they visited western doctors(All those completing the survey received the questionnaire at oriental medical clinics). 2. The number of reported visits to oriental physicians according to among gender, age, marital status, education, income and residence. Males, married respondents, the elderly and the residents of rural areas visited oriental physicians more frequently than females, singles, younger respondents and urbanites. Those people belonging to the middle income class and middle education level also more frequently visited oriental physicians. 3. There are several factors that restrict the utilization of oriental medical care, such as the limitation of the scientific diagnostic instrument use commonplace reliance upon western medical techniques, and the perception of high price for oriental medical care. It is very important to focus oriental medical care onto the fields of acupuncture, circulatory system disease, musculoskeletal system ailments, etc. to improve the utilization of oriental medical care. Other policies for the improvement of oriental medical care include the standardization of price, quality and quantity of oriental medicine.

• Human Ecology Research
• /
• 제51권5호
• /
• pp.513-526
• /
• 2013

In an effort to protect consumers' rights to information and to promote their freedom of choice, the South Korean government has been enforcing a policy called the cosmetics full ingredients list system since 2008, which requires cosmetics manufacturers to list all of the ingredients used in their products. This policy aims to assist consumers in identifying the causes of possible side effects of cosmetic products. This study uses consumers' demographic information addition to their cosmetics purchase and usage characteristics to learn about consumers' attitudes and utilization intentions and the influence of information from the cosmetics full ingredients list. This study was conducted through a questionnaire based survey administered to women above the age of 20 years across South Korea who use cosmetic products. The questionnaire was distributed to 300 members on the panel of M Brain, an online research institute. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) The level of knowledge on cosmetics' ingredients positively affected the consumers' attitude and utilization intention of information on the cosmetics full ingredients list. (2) The higher the utilization intention for information, the more often consumers checked the packaging of goods. This implies that habitual behavior, such as checking information, leads to increasing intention to utilize of new information. (3) The brand, as a decision-making factor, negatively affected consumers' attitudes regarding information.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• 제46권5호
• /
• pp.237-248
• /
• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine and explain the extent of income-related inequity in health care utilization and expenditures to compare the extent in 2005 and 2010 in Korea. Methods: We employed the concentration indices and the horizontal inequity index proposed by Wagstaff and van Doorslaer based on one- and two-part models. This study was conducted using data from the 2005 and 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We examined health care utilization and expenditures for different types of health care providers, including health centers, physician clinics, hospitals, general hospitals, dental care, and licensed traditional medical practitioners. Results: The results show the equitable distribution of overall health care utilization with pro-poor tendencies and modest pro-rich inequity in the amount of medical expenditures in 2010. For the decomposition analysis, non-need variables such as income, education, private insurance, and occupational status have contributed considerably to pro-rich inequality in health care over the period between 2005 and 2010. Conclusions: We found that health care utilization in Korea in 2010 was fairly equitable, but the poor still have some barriers to accessing primary care and continuing to receive medical care.