• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.33-51
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• 2007

The disabled population is a vulnerable group, having very complex medical conditions, but little is known about differences in the level of access by type of disability. This study was performed to investigate the differences of health care utilization by the type of disability. The database was constructed from registry of the disabled and health insurance and medical aid claims data submitted to the Korea Health Insurance Cooperation during in the year 2003. The disability classified three groups according to the Disabled Welfare Act; physically disability with external dysfunction, physically disability with organic disease, and mentally disability. There were huge differences in health care utilization by the type of disability. For the inpatient care, those with a mental disability were more likely to utilize health care services in terms of average visit number of medical facilities and visit days per case, but the treatment amount per case was the highest in physically disabled with organic disease. For the outpatient care, those who the physically disabled with organic disease were more likely to utilize health care services in terms of average visit number of medical facilities, treatment amount per case, and the treatment days per case. Also, those who physically disabled with organic disease were more likely to utilize general hospital for both inpatient and outpatient care, and spent more out-of-pocket expenditure. As the number of persons with disabilities rises, the need to consider new approaches to protecting their health grows increasingly. Especially, Korean health care system should be refined to be more responsive to the needs of the type of disability.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.85-107
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• 2008

This study aims to describe levels and distribution of the continuity of primary care among children and adolescent patients who are 2-19 years old, and analyze the effects of it on the risk of hospitalization. Study population was 2-19 year old child and adolescent patients as of 2002, who had more than three ambulatory care visits in the years of 2002-3 and whose most frequent provider was the primary care practices (189,660 persons). Association of levels of primary care with the risk of hospitalization was evaluated using multiple event survival analysis. Outcome variables were whether the patient had hospitalized or not, and whether the patient had hospitalized due to ambulatory care-sensitive conditions or not. Multiple event survival analysis revealed statistically significant association of the levels of primary care with the risk of hospitalization. Hazard ratio was 1.34 [1.27-1.41] at the medium level of continuity and 1.47 [1.39-1.55] at the lower level where outcome variable was whether the patient had been hospitalized or not. Hazard ratios were 1.35 [1.21-1.50] at the medium level of continuity and 1.60 [1.44-1.78] at the lower level, where outcome variable was whether the patient been had hospitalized due to ambulatory care-sensitive conditions or not. This study produced some evidences on the benefits of continuity of care, which will in turn support the introduction of personal doctor registration program in the future.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.266-280
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• 2013

Background: Information asymmetry between physicians and patients is one of the most unique characteristics of health care. But as consumerism spreads in health care sector, health care consumers are searching comparative information about quality and cost of providers from many information sources. Providing comparative information to health care consumers not only makes consumers choose hospital rationally, but also invigorates the health care market by providers' competition. However there are few studies regarding information searching behavior of health care consumers, then this study is carried out. Methods: The purpose of this study is to understand the information searching behavior of health care consumers based on their characteristics and the types of medical institutions. For this purpose, 313 spinal patients' data of 11 medical institutions (university hospital, spine specialized hospital, clinic) located in Seoul were collected by self-administered surveys. Results: The results of this study are as follows: 1) t-test/analysis of variance analysis showed that according to various characteristics of health care consumers and the types of medical institutions, the level of information searching of each source and the amount of information searching and searching outcomes are statistically different. 2) Regression analysis showed that influence on searching outcomes are statistically different according to the level of information searching of each source and searching content and the amount of information searching has positive effects on searching outcomes. Conclusion: The significance of this study is to provide empirical basis for establishment of health care policy reflecting information needs and preference of health care consumers.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.52-67
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• 2007

Korean government is preparing the long-term care financing and delivery system in order to cope with rapid population aging. The system should be designed to provide demented patients with an appropriate services that the patients want to take, and considered to be necessary for them. In this regard, this study aims to analyse empirically a relationship between the types of long-term care services that demented patients wanted to take and they actually received during 2004. The caregivers of 609 dementia patients, who were randomly selected in a manner of proportional allocation from a nationwide claim database of the Korean National Health Insurance Corporation, were interviewed in September, 2005. Independent variables include socio-demographic characteristics, Activities of Daily Living(ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(IADL). To explore the correspondence of the types of long-term care services that demented patients wanted to take and that they actually received, and its affecting factors, we conducted chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. Main findings are as follows. First, while only 20% of study subjects wanted home services as a long-term care services, those who wanted to use the long-term care facilities and general hospital were 37%, 43% respectively. Second, the correspondence rate was just 38% on average, and extremely low in the demented patients who wanted to use long-term care facilities. Third, the demented patients who resided in urban areas and received relatively high level of education showed high correspondence rate. Fourth, the high ADL score was closely related to low correspondence rate.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.433-437
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• 2020

Cancer is a disease which has the huge burden in worldwide, and cancer is the number one cause of death in Korea. At this point, the new framework for cancer monitoring index is required for regional cancer monitoring. Especially, cancer survivors are the important target which is rapidly increasing recently, also cancer survivor's quality of care should be considered in the cancer monitoring index framework. To develop the Multidimensional Cancer Monitoring Index considering cancer survivor's quality of care, we took into account cancer continuum which including prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, assessment of quality of care and monitoring cancer patient, and end-of life care for stage. For target, components of health care delivery system such as patient, family, provider, payer, and policy maker are included. Also, Donabedian model which is a framework for examining health services and evaluating quality of health care such as structure, process, and outcome is applied to contents. This new cancer monitoring framework which includes multidimensional components could help to develop regional cancer monitoring index, and to make national cancer management and prevention policy in the future.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.31-45
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• 2001

With an economic development and epidemiologic transition, the burden of disease due to chronic diseases and accidents is increasing. However, in most of developing countries, long-term care facilities are not available, therefore acute care facilities should provide both acute and long-term care services. It is also true in Korea. The demand for long-term care services needs to be estimated to establish the adequate supply system of health resources. This article introduces the reclassification methodology of inpatients' healthcare utilization to acute and long-term care services. All discharged patients from hospitals for one month were analyzed. The distribution of inpatients' hospital days were fitted to Chi-squared distribution by ICD disease categories, and they were grouped in five clusters. For each cluster, the lower and upper limit of classification criteria to acute and long-term care services were chosen. Summarizing all hospital days corresponding to acute and long-term care respectively, 24 to 28 percent of inpatient services fumed out to be long-term care services. The study results are consistent with those of the existing studies. They can be used practically in the allocation of long-term care resources.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.237-248
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• 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.

• The Journal of Health Technology Assessment
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2018

This review aims to provide implications for relevant domestic policies and researches from Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), a reinforcement model for primary care and its evaluations in the United States. As chronic diseases became dominant, changes in the health care delivery system in which primary care is central was required. The United States initiated primary care-reinforcing policies based on the PCMH following the increased demand for evidence-based health care policies. The current activities of the United States such as sharing research tools used to evaluate primary care interventions and circulating evaluation findings provide examples to Korea. Systematic evaluations for primary care interventions are required and appropriate methods using various types of data to reflect the real-world settings should be prepared. It is necessary to conduct policy assessment studies of public interests considering regional context. Support for the researches to make and advance from the existing environment must be examined.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.167-203
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• 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.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.315-324
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• 2016

Underserved area is a region that has a lack of healthcare resources. In the context of Korea, however, there are not enough detailed criteria for underserved areas. In this study, we aimed to develop indicators for underserved area through Delphi technique. We systematically reviewed the existing measure of underserved area. Sixty indicators were extracted as candidates across four domains in secondary medical care. Four domains are demand, medical resource, quality of care, and health outcome. To develop indicator, two round Delphi survey was conducted among 15 professional experts such as professionals and public administrators. In conclusion, 2 final indicators (accessibility, medical utilization) was determined as an appropriate measure in order to designate underserved area for secondary medical services. Using our criteria from Delphi technique, 36 areas were found as underserved areas for the secondary medical care.