• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.315-319
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• 2018

This paper aims to make a step-by-step strategy to formulate an unified health system by clarifying and overcoming challenges facing South and North Korea and to estimate costs needed for South Korea to assist North Korea to recover to normal health delivery system. We explored implications through literature review and estimated costs under the assumption that supportive activities be provided for 5 years in three ways: support for the development of health and medical care manpower; support for health and medical facilities; and support for the provision of both preventive and primary health care. Step-by-step strategy is formulated for a unified health system with the cost estimation resulting as follows: in case of basic scenario, a total of 3 trillion and 341 billion won (at present value of the year 2017) is in need for the 5-year period at the initial 'recovery support stage' with 135.9 billion won for the development of health and medical care manpower, approximately 2 trillion won for health and medical facilities, and 1.2 trillion won for the provision of both preventive and primary health care. Step-by-step approach is more realistic and applicable in formulating unified health system. Suggested stages are 'recovery support stage,' 'system homogenization stage,' and 'unified system stage.' Strategies at 'recovery support stage' suggested in this paper need to be pursued and followed by those at 'system homogenization stage' and 'unified system stage.'

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2009

Purpose: This research was done do identify and analyze the beginnings of the community health practitioner system in the Republic of Korea (ROK) around 1980. Method: Primary sources were collected and analyzed, mainly newspapers around 1980, the act for health service for rural areas, and other relative publications. Results: The government of the ROK was trying to solve the problem of doctorless villages and regarded the introduction of primary health care (PHC) services using registered nurses (RNs) to be an economic solution to this problem. The Korean Nurses' Association presented 'a plan for community health service' to the government party and medical association in 1976. In this plan, RNs would provide primary care at the sub-county (myun) level, and hospital would provide secondary care. The Korean Public Health Development Research Center was awarded the project 'RNs and nurse aids as CHP for primary care service and their training'. In 1977, 25 RNs began to work as PHC in 3 areas, and interim findings showed that RNs were very capable of doing PHC. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced long term plans for health and welfare administration including a tertiary health care delivery system. RNs after training were posted to rural areas with no medical services to do medical treatment for mild cases. The Act for health services for rural areas was enacted on December 31, 1980. Enforcement Ordinance and Enforcement Regulations were enacted in 1981. In 1981, 257 CHP were selected, trained, and deployed. In 1983, the president of the ROK announced continuation of the CHP system for residents of medically vulnerable areas. The number of CHP increased from 257 in 1981 to 2038 in 1989.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.77-87
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• 1999

Poverty directly affects health and well-being, The poor population has a higher rate of chronics illness. higher infant morbidity and motality rates. shorter life expectancy. more complex health problems. and greater physical limitations resulting from chronic disease. In order to activate primary health care for the poverty in urban area the following measures should be taken : 1. Health center must be expended or establish subhealth center. 2. Health center must monitor neighbour's workplace's health management for their working population. 3. Health centers must do active home visiting nursing care for the urban-poor. 4. Health center must carry out flexible problem-centered practice according to the area. 5. For the urban-poor's health care must have organization of the health center & practice according to community's characteristics. 6. Public health care must be closely connected with welfare. 7. For the health care of the urban-poor must demand active community participation. 8. Health center is closely connected with Community hospital. 9. Active management of public health resource system is demanded.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.86-111
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• 2006

Either ways of understanding health care as a commodity or public work are at opposite ends of health care spectrum. These two rival conceptions reflected by viewpoint(ideology) would lead to different directions in policy-making for health care reform. The purpose of this study is to access the value differences of experts' policy views about health care issues by analyzing the extent of consensus among experts in the field of health care. Using primary data obtained through a mail survey of 558 experts in the field of health care, we analyzed the differences of experts' opinions about characteristics of health care market, policy issues and values Gdeology). The study represents from 50-50 split analysis, entropy index, and factor analysis that the wide spread disagreements over health policy, which is a major barriers to effective policy-making, could be caused by the ideological perception differences among experts. This implies that, if values play an important role in policy-making, we should identify the differences in value and seek ways to balance among the diverse values such as efficiency, equity, freedom, and security. For this, the policy issues debated on differences in values should be reconciled for narrowing gaps of experts' perceptions through various ways.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.65-75
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• 2007

Purpose: This study was conducted to provide fundamental information for policy integration of the home health care system. Methods: Focused review was performed from 8 studies out of 48 literature related to home care needs. Results: Females utilized home care based on hospital and public health centers at a higher rate than males. While there had been more rate of the elderly above 60 year-old at hospital and community based home care, on the other hand below 45 year-old at public health center. The most common disease amongst users in all three types was cerebrovascular disease, the second was cancer based at hospitals, hypertension and arthritis at public health centers. There were more needs for those using artificial respiratory equipment, cancer patients, and puerpera. However, the needs for hospital and community based home care were very similar. Conclusions: Due to similar disease characteristics but varied severity at the three home care based settings, they should be managed with flexibility. Home care curriculum should be developed according to common disease type, and home care services should be strengthened for its expertise.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.22-31
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• 2001

Purpose of this study is to compare the cost effectiveness of home care services for the cerebrovascular accident patients by the type of institution. The method is the secondary analysis using the patients' charts. 107 subjects and 1.417 visits were sampled from each type of home care institution such as one hospital based home care center. one KNA home care center, one urban health center, one rural health center and one health care post. Result: There were differences in the functional status of patients and the service contents and frequencies provided by the type of home care institution, The cost per visit for one unit of ADL by the hospital based home care was higher than by the community-based home care. Conclusion: It was suggested that the referral system among the home care institutions would be developed to improve the cost-effectiveness.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.185-206
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• 2008

The National Health Insurance (NHI) has been the main body of health care system in Korea for the last 30 years since the NHI was founded. However, the inefficient management and strong regulations of the NHI have hindered the development of health care industry. The establishment of the MB government, whose interest lies on economic growth rather than equity, is expected to help the health care services gain a momentum. The essential measures that can step up public health care services overall are the following: the introduction of competition within NHI, the activation of private health care insurance, and the allowance of for-profit hospital. The private-public mix with market mechanism would level up the health care service for the public.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.248-261
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• 2019

Establishing a healthcare delivery system is key to building a cost-effective healthcare system that can prevent the waste of healthcare resources and increase efficiency. Recently, the rapid increase in the national medical expenditures due to the aging of the population and the increase in chronic diseases has raised the question about the sustainability of the healthcare system including the health insurance system. This is why we need to reform the medical delivery system, including the function setting of medical institutions. Accordingly, gradual and practical efforts based on the recognition of reality are needed for solving the problems and improving the medical delivery system. The first effort is to secure policy measures to establish functions and roles of medical institutions which are the basis of the healthcare delivery system, and a systematic medical use system for appropriate medical use. This approach can be achieved through a reasonable health insurance schemes. Without reasonable reform efforts, it will be difficult for Korea's health care system to develop into a system that can provide cost-effective and high-quality medical services that the people want.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.77-88
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• 2011

As same time of starting on the Korean Long-term Care Insurance System, the government developed a program to train new qualification of long-term care workers. The number of enrolled long-term care workers are 950,000 persons in 2010. Mostly they are working in home based care work places such as home visit care centers and home visit bathing centers covered insurance. The purpose of this study is to understand the difference of task performance requirement according to long-term care workers' responsibilities which divided into home visiting care and home visiting bathing. The comparison analysis was conducted to task performance requirement in basic management, safety management, administration management, practical services. Key result was found that task performance requirement of long-term care workers whose responsibilities are home visiting care were more higher than the home visiting bathing. Finally, To improve quality of home visiting care and home visiting bathing, it is necessary to provide the fields based continuing education and reflect new reimburse system.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.154-168
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• 2023

Background: Legal regulations and fees have been established in Korea to provide visiting oral health care services to individuals with long-term care insurance (LTCI). However, beneficiaries of this service are very limited. Therefore, to improve the Korean system we propose a comparative analysis with the Japanese system. Methods: This study is a descriptive analysis based on secondary data, such as statistics, laws, and service record forms from Korea and Japan. The most recent institutional documents were obtained through a Google search. The variables investigated were financial resources of LTCI, co-payment structure, monthly limit of LTCI benefits, care levels of LTCI, service providers, service costs, contents of service, and the number of cases of service. Results: In both Korea and Japan, LTCI is financed through a combination of taxes and insurance premiums. However, the monthly limit for receiving LTCI services in Japan is about 2.4 times higher than in Korea. Visiting medical and dental treatment is also possible in Japan. Furthermore, nursing staff can provide daily oral health care services according to dental hygienists' instruction unlike Korea. Oral health care services in Korea are focused on oral hygiene and prevention of oral diseases, while Japan additionally provides oral function screening, patient education for oral health management, and training for nursing staff to enhance oral function, eating, and swallowing of the patients. Conclusion: We concluded that the possibility of visiting dental treatment, differences in monthly limit of LTCI benefits, oral function assessment and guidance, as well as collaboration with other healthcare professionals contributed to the difference in the frequency of utilization of visiting oral health care services between Korea and Japan.