• Informatization Policy
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.60-81
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• 2018

Healthcare is on the verge of a paradigm shift towards an emphasis on wellbeing, integrative health, and prevention of disease, while the traditional medical model focuses solely on end-point treatment. The development of digital technologies has played a major role in this change as digital technology and health have converged. Therefore, many developed countries promote the digital healthcare industry as a new economic growth engine, and Korea is no exception. To promote the digital healthcare industry, the Korean government provides institutional support by improving the legal and regulatory system for medical devices and health data. However, Korea still has an underdeveloped legal and regulatory framework for digital healthcare compared with other countries. In this study, we review the relevant regulatory systems in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. We then explore newspaper articles and conduct expert interviews to analyze the regulatory situation in Korea and the problems the digital healthcare industry faces. In conclusion, we discuss a regulatory reform plan for development of the digital healthcare industry in Korea.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.52-70
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• 2003

The rate of conversion to Medical-juridical-persons' ownership of medical institutions has increased rapidly since its start in 1970s in Korea. The most sensitive issue to introduce for-profit medical institutions, ignited particularly by the WTO/DDA negotiations, has sparked considerable debate, stemming largely from conflicting views on the theoretical effects of ownership status on organizational behavior. This study surveyed health-related experts' opinions on allowing for for-profit-firms-owned medical institutions. Some fear that the obligation to maximize the share-holders' return on their investment will cause the medical institutions to eliminate necessary but less lucrative services. They may easily fall under more pressure to generate income, and respond more aggressively than not-for-profit medical institutions to financial pressures. Advocates of for-profit ownership of medical institutions argue that greater responsiveness to the demands of the marketplace will lead to larger investment, higher quality and lower costs to consumers. Referring to both foreign countries' experience and domestic experts' opinions, this study suggests for reform of the current Korean Medical-Juridical-Person(MJP) System. Introduction of so-called “Capital-investment” MJPs is recommended where the properties left in case of their dissolution can be distributed to original investors according to the procedures stipulated in their statutes. However, their annual profits are not allowed to be allocated to investors, but should be reinvested for their medical institutions, as is the case in current MJPs. Their legal aspects are also reviewed in this study.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.97-111
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• 1998

Do managers in health center perceive red tape in their organizations\ulcorner Most people would think so, but researchers have often found that health center organizations do not necessarily have higher levels of rule intensity than private hospitals. It there are higher levels in health center organizations, what explains their existence\ulcorner In this article, I discuss the results of a survey of health center managers that explored their perceptions of red tape in their organizations. Red Tape can be defined as rule and procedures that occured a excessive regulation. The survey included two dimensions and two hypotheses of red tape in health center managers. The hypotheses included health center and size that claims cause managers to create red tape. 119 managers who working in health center and private hospitals in Chonbuk area, participated in this study which was conducted by direct interview. The results show some support for two hypothses. The results showed some differences between health center and private hospital managers' perceptions about certain aspects of red tape. I also found differences between large size and small size managers' perceptions. The study call for more systematic analysis of red tape, including the use of methods, in support of current reform efforts aimed at reducing red tape.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.246-257
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the factors related to physical and affective well-being of taxi drivers. The main factors of interests were workplace hazards and work environment. Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. A convenience sampling method was utilized. 181 taxi drivers in Seoul metropolitan area completed survey questionnaires. Result: In bivariate analysis, payment system, workplace hazards, and work environment were associated with physical health of taxi drivers. Multiple regression analysis revealed payment system and workplace hazards were significant predictors of physical health. On the other hand, age and workplace hazards, and work environment were significantly associated with affective health in the bivariate analysis. Moreover, workplace hazards and environment were significant predictors of affective health in the multiple regression analysis. Conclusion: To improve taxi drivers' health status, it is critical to reform payment system to monthly payment, establish prevention policies of workplace hazards, and encourage employers and taxi drivers to make efforts for better work environment.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.303-313
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• 2013

During last 65 years, Korea has achieved very rapid economic growth and social reformation including healthcare system. Many foreigners have praised that Korea healthcare system is very good in the respect of ease accessibility to healthcare under the lowest cost among the industrialized countries. Whole population are covered by the National Health Insurance. Also utilizations of healthcare among different income classes are even. However Korea healthcare system faced with several challenges, in terms of the an aging population and a rise in chronic disease problem, new threats of communicable disease due to globalization, the rapid increase of healthcare expenditure and high financial burden of patients even though they are insured. To cope with these challenges, we need reconsider the healthcare system as followings; to set up ideology of healthcare as normative public goods, to rebuild paradigm of healthcare for 21 century, to reform public health for strengthening health promotion, to develop new method for healthcare management including quality improvement and consumer responsiveness, to build new governance for health and to view new perspective on healthcare as a kind of industry.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.17-33
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• 2004

The present study attempts to examine the progressivity of health care financial sources based on the income approach, for which it decomposes redistributive effects into vertical, horizontal, and re-ranking components. The study data include Korean Household Expenditure Survey (2000) conducted every 5 year by Korea National Statistical Office. The data were sampled from the national population by the multistage probabilistic sampling method, and amounts to 23,270 households. For the better application of the income approach, the study employs household total expenditure in Korea instead of total income, because the former data source is more reliable and less fluctuated over time. Progressivity of health care financing was measured by Kakwani index. Aronson's decomposition equation was used in case of the analysis where differential treatment of health care expenditure needs to be considered. Despite the progressivity of Korea's governmental contributions, total expenditure of health care showed regressive pattern, which may largely be attributable to the higher regressivity in out-of-pocket money. With the result of negative Kakwani index, differential treatment increased income redistribution biased for better-off. It is worth to note that social insurance displays not only negative Kakwani index, but also horizontal inequality, suggesting that the first step of health care financing reform should be the revision of social insurance premium rates toward effective and equable way.

• Proceedings of the CALSEC Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.125-129
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• 2005

The recent push for healthcare reform has caused healthcare organizations to focus on ways to streamlined processes in order to secure high quality care as well as reducing costs. Healthcare enterprises involve complex processes that span diverse groups and organizations. These processes involve clinical and administrative tasks, large quantities of data, and large number of patients and personnel. We propose the mobile-based workflow system of passable communication as an important factor in the B2B healthcare. Based on the above proposal the workflow system of business process was designed and implemented on the basis of Java, UML and XPDL.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.21-47
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• 2004

There is general agreement that the Korean health care delivery system has two basic structural problems. One is the limited capacity and role of public hospitals, and the other is the absence of functional differentiation and referral arrangement between the clinics and hospitals of various technological sophistication levels. This study is intended to make an empirical observation of the system's growth process from the viewpoint of the population ecology model of organizations so as to understand the background of these problems and to find out ways of approaching them. As predicted from the population ecology model of organizations, all the types of medical care facilities have expanded in response to the environmental changes for the past three decades or so, and the differences in the extent and pattern of expansion among the types are related to what have taken place in the environment. These findings suggest that the efforts for reforming the health care delivery system should be directed not only to medical care institutions but also to the environmental context under which they function. It is believed that the usefulness of the population ecology perspective on organizations for studying the health care delivery system has been demonstrated. Thus further studies along this line based upon more strict design would improve systematic understanding of the system that is needed for developing policy approaches needed to increase its effectiveness.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.265-270
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• 2015

The recent Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak has originated from a failure in the national quarantine system in the Republic of Korea as most basic role of protecting the safety and lives of its citizens. Furthermore, a number of the Korean healthcare system's weaknesses seem to have been completely exposed. The MERS-CoV outbreak can be considered a typical public health crisis in that the public was not only greatly terrorized by the actual fear of the disease, but also experienced a great impact to their daily lives, all in a short period of time. Preparedness for and an appropriate response to a public health crisis require comprehensive systematic public healthcare measures to address risks comprehensively with an all-hazards approach. Consequently, discussion regarding establishment of post-MERS-CoV improvement measures must focus on the total reform of the national quarantine system and strengthening of the public health infrastructure. In addition, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must implement specific strategies of action including taking on the role of "control tower" in a public health emergency, training of Field Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, establishment of collaborative governance between central and local governments for infection prevention and control, strengthening the roles and capabilities of community-based public hospitals, and development of nationwide crisis communication methods.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.147-157
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was done to investigate factors affecting perceived financial burden of medical expenditures. Method: The participants were 2,024 inpatients who were enrolled in a survey on the benefit coverage rate of the National Health Insurance in 2006. The collected data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA-test, Mann-Whitney-test, Kruskal-Wallis-test, Chi-square test and logistic regression. Results: The crucial factors for perceived financial burden were age, job, equivalence scale, ratio of annual family income vs medical expenditure, and private health insurance. Perceived financial burden was higher for people who were older, who were unemployed, whose medical expenditures were high compared to annual family income, whose index of family equalization was low and for those who had no private health insurance. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate a demand for system reform that will enable management of no-pay hospital bills in the National Health Insurance to decrease the medical expense of people in the low-income bracket.