On July 23rd, 2010 a revised medical law (Article 58) was passed to change existing evaluation system of medical institutions to an accreditation system. The new healthcare accreditation system was introduced to encourage medical institutions to work voluntarily and continuously to improve patient safety and medical service quality. Changes regarding the healthcare accreditation system included the establishment of an accreditation agency, the voluntary participation of medical institutions, accreditation standards centering on the treatment process and patient safety, tracing methodology, and the announcement of comprehensive results concerning accreditation. Despite varying views on the healthcare accreditation system, including some that are critical, it is meaningful that the voluntary nature of the system acknowledges that the medical institutions must be active agents in improving medical service quality. Healthcare quality is not improved instantaneously, but instead gradually through continuous communication within the clinical field. For this accreditation system to be successful, followings are essential: the accreditation agency becomes financially independent and is managed efficiently, the autonomy and regulation surrounding the system are balanced, the professionalism of the system is ensured, and the medical field plays an active role in the operation of the system.
Accreditation/*legislation & jurisprudence ; Delivery of Health Care/*legislation & jurisprudence ; Health Policy/legislation & jurisprudence ; Humans ; Quality Improvement ; Quality of Health Care ; Republic of Korea

Health Policy ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; ethics ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Singapore ; Tissue and Organ Procurement ; ethics ; legislation & jurisprudence

China ; Health Care Reform ; Health Policy ; Hospitals, Public ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Humans

This study examines how the decision-making process evolved in Korea during the initial phases of introduction and implementation of National Health Insurance. This study analyses the official documents and interviews views made with government officials and related personnel. We used the method of network analysis and multidimensional scaling in order to demonstrate how the major participants in the decision-making process developed and changed under the contemporary political situations. In the pre-implementation stage around 1976, major concerns were concentrated around the issues of financial support for social insurance, the fee schedule and who ought to be covered first. The total number of participants of the health or health-related organization was 61, which included the President, the Minister of Health and Social Affairs, representatives of special interest groups, etc. In the actual implementation period of 1982, different issues were brought up by the major participants. The number of participants in this period declined to 44 with the deletion of 19 and with the addition of two newly formed health insurance organizations. By 1988, as the implementation reached its final decision period, disagreements were centered on progressive premium rating and the administration of National Health Insurance. The number of participants increased to 60 after the addition of 16 participants. The analysis of this paper may provide some insight for other countries which wish to establish National Health Insurance; as reference to the policy-making process, it may provide some suggestions for when to initiate and how to formulate National Health Insurance policies.
Human ; Korea ; National Health Programs/*legislation & jurisprudence ; *Policy Making ; Statistics ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Attitude to Health ; Female ; Health Policy ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; ethics ; legislation & jurisprudence ; psychology ; Male ; Singapore ; Students ; psychology ; Tissue and Organ Procurement ; ethics ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Universities ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: The Korean government in January 2006 instigated an exemption policy for hospitalized children under the age of six years old. This study examines how this policy affected the utilization of medical care in Korea. METHODS: A total of 1,513,797 claim records from the Health Insurance Review Agency were analyzed by complete enumeration methods. The changes of medical utilization were compared from 2005 to 2006. In addition, the changes of medical utilization between 2004 and 2005 were compared as a pseudocontrol group. RESULTS: The admission rate increased 1.14-fold from 15.20% in 2004 to 17.32% in 2005, and this further increased 1.08-fold to 18.65% in 2006. The increase of patients with a common cold (1.2-fold) was higher than that of both the general patients (1.08-fold) and the patients with the top 10 fatal diseases (0.91-fold). The average length of stay per case for clinics showed the highest increase rates (1.06-fold). The rates of patients with the common cold showed a higher increase (1.05-fold) than that of the general patients. The average medical expense per case was increased by 1.10-fold from 2005 to 2006, which was higher than that from 2004 to 2005 (1.04-fold). The increase rate for patients with the common cold was higher at 1.18-fold than that of the general patients. CONCLUSIONS: The cost exemption policy has especially led to an increase in the utilization of clinics and the utilization by patients with a common cold.
Child, Preschool ; Cost Sharing/*legislation & jurisprudence ; *Health Policy ; Health Services/*utilization ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Insurance Claim Review ; Korea ; Length of Stay

This study is designed to serve as a reference for the establishment of health security systems for children’s critical diseases. Through analysis of the operation of Shanghai Children Hospital Care Aid (SCHCA), this study explored the financing model and management of a children’s critical disease healthcare system and analyzed the possibility of expanding this system to other areas. It is found that a premium as low as RMB 7 per capita per year under SCHCA can provide high-level security for children’s critical diseases. With the good experience in Shanghai and based on the current basic medical insurance system for urban residents and the new rural cooperative medical scheme (NRCMS), it is necessary and feasible to build a health security system for children’s critical diseases at the national level.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child Welfare ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Policy ; economics ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn

OBJECTIVES: The regulatory changes in Korea during the national economic crisis 10 years ago and in the current global recession were analyzed to understand the characteristics of deregulation in labor policies. METHODS: Data for this study were derived from the Korean government's official database for administrative regulations and a government document reporting deregulation. RESULTS: A great deal of business-friendly deregulation took place during both economic crises. Occupational health and safety were the main targets of deregulation in both periods, and the regulation of employment promotion and vocational training was preserved relatively intact. The sector having to do with working conditions and the on-site welfare of workers was also deregulated greatly during the former economic crisis, but not in the current global recession. CONCLUSIONS: Among the three main areas of labor policy, occupational health and safety was most vulnerable to the deregulation in economic crisis of Korea. A probable reason for this is that the impact of deregulation on the health and safety of workers would not be immediately disclosed after the policy change.
Cost Control/legislation & jurisprudence/methods ; *Economic Recession ; Employment/*economics/legislation & jurisprudence/statistics & numerical data ; Government Regulation ; Humans ; Occupational Health/*legislation & jurisprudence/statistics & numerical data ; Public Policy ; Republic of Korea ; Workplace/economics/legislation & jurisprudence/standards

In the 1950s and 1960s, Korea overcame the aftermath of the war and laid the foundations for modernization of economy and professionalization of medicine. The National Medical Services Law, enacted in 1951 was the first medical law to be legislated since the establishment of the Republic of Korea. The law provided a medical system for the traditional Korean medical practitioners, activated opening of hospitals through report-only system and prohibition of interference in medical practice, and facilitated mobilization of the doctors by the government. The Medical Law, legislated in 1962 by the Park Jong-Hee administration contained practice license system, regular practice reporting system and practice designation, thereby strengthening the government control on the medical practitioners, inducing professionalism and high-quality of medical practitioners and abolished unlicensed medical practitioners such as acupuncturists, moxa cauterists and bone setters. The Medical Assistant Law of 1963 was introduced so that medical examination and assistance could be carried out under supervision of professional doctors. To reduce areas without healthcare system, region-specified medical practitioners got licensure and a community doctor system was organized. However, due to expensive medical fees in comparison to economic status and medical needs of patients, shortage of doctors, low accessibility to hospitals led to the prevalence of illegal medical practice by unlicensed practitioners. Absence of national budget or policy on the health care system and the American-style noninterference medical system were other factors causing the situation. Government, Korean Medical Associations and Korean Dental Association tried, without success, to exercise control over the unlicensed medical practice. President Park Jong-Hee had to introduce a special law concerning the health-care related crimes with life sentence as the highest penalty. While the government put modernization before social welfare, operated on a policy of state-controlled medical care system, and doctors achieved specialization system similar to that of the United States, the public had to suffer, being treated by unlicensed medical practitioners. Inevitably, the need for a national medical practitioner supply plan and a policy to support health service was raised.
Health Policy/history ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Legislation, Medical/*history ; Licensure/*history ; Private Sector/history ; Public Health/history ; Republic of Korea ; State Medicine/*history

The purpose of this study was to compare smoking control strategies between Korea and the United States. Korea and other developing countries may learn from the experience of the United States in dealing with the growing epidemic of cigarettes. In particular, smoking control objectives, structures, laws and regulations, funds, programs and activities, research, and surveillance systems were compared. The comparison was conducted at the federal, states/provincial, and county levels of the two countries. The data were collected through various governmental websites, contact with people directly, and a literature review. Based on the comparison, seven recommendations for smoking control strategies were made primarily for Korea.
Cross-Cultural Comparison ; Federal Government ; Financing, Government/organization & administration ; Government Programs/*organization & administration ; Government Regulation ; Health Education/organization & administration ; Health Policy/legislation & jurisprudence ; Health Priorities/organization & administration ; Health Promotion/*organization & administration ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Local Government ; Population Surveillance ; *Public Health Practice/economics/legislation & jurisprudence ; Research Support as Topic/organization & administration ; Smoking/epidemiology/*legislation & jurisprudence/*prevention & control ; Smoking Cessation/legislation & jurisprudence/methods ; State Government ; United States/epidemiology