BACKGROUND: Rapid progress in medical science and technology has lengthened the average span of life in general population and accelerated the increase in the elderly. This gave rise to the expansion of chronic degenerative disease in the elderly, and then led to an increase in the utilization rate of health care facility and medical fee in sequence. METHODS: In order to grope for an effective control program of chronic degenerative disease and to find out the characteristics of disease structure and utilization patterns of health care facility in the elderly, the author analysed the 6,072,196 cases of insured medical record of Federation of Korean Medical Insurance Societies from January 1st to December 31st of the year 1991. RESULTS: Essential hypertension(5.94%) is the most common disease in the elderly. And what follows are gastritis and duodenitis(4.29%), acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis(3.68%), acute upper respiratory infection of multiple or unspecified site(3.47%) and diabetes mellitus(3.21%). Twenty most frequent diseases constitute the top 50.27% and one hundred constitute over 85% of all frequency of health care facility utilization. There are different patterns of diseases between two sexes. Pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, malignant neoplasm of stomach, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, occlusion of cerebral arteries, sprains and strains of knee and leg, malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung, other open wound of head, erythematosquamous dermatosis are more than 1.5 times higher in male by the standardized frequency ratio. There is a significant dissimilarity of disease structure between primary and other types of health care facility, which presents the point of reinforcement in primary care. The author has also noted elderly patients prefer secondary or tertiary health care facility in case of essential hypertension, diabetes mellitus, pulmonary tuberculosis, heart failure, duodenal ulcer, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, funtional gastrointestinal disorder, hypertensive heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which seems to be not so critical in most cases. CONCLUSIONS: Patients of chronic degenerative disease tend to pursue the high quality of medical care and irregularly utilize health care delivery system.
Aged* ; Bronchi ; Bronchitis ; Cerebral Arteries ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Fees, Medical ; Fibrosis ; Gastritis ; Head ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Insurance ; Knee ; Leg ; Liver Diseases ; Lung ; Male ; Medical Records ; Primary Health Care ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Skin Diseases ; Sprains and Strains ; Stomach ; Trachea ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; Wounds and Injuries

BACKGROUND: This study intends to clear that the current cost reimbursement system of Korean medical insurance of health care. METHODS: By using insured medical record of Federation of Korean Medical Insurance Societies used in the demand tendency research of the type of services from feburary 1st to 28th of the year 1990, authors analyze the characterist,ic of components of charges per case in the type of health care facilities. RESULTS: The charge per case in the out-patient care of primary health care facility is 13,498 won, which is 54.6% by comparison with the secondary health care facility and 30.7 % by comparison wit,h the tertiary health care facility. Among these charges the amount of the cost for medical examinations and oral drugs are 73.9% in the primary health care facility and 71.8% in the secondary and 67.5% in the tertiary. Consequently, the services in the primary care are chiefly composed with the medical examinations and oral drugs. In addition to this point the author also finds that the charge per case is 3.5 times, the cost for oral drugs is 5.6 times larger than those of primary care, and therefore tertiary health care facility conduct various diagnostic examinations and prescript more expensive. CONCLUSIONS: There is a difference of basic medical cost ratio between primary, secondary and tertiary health care facility. These points can be lead to the presumption that the diseases under the structure of current medical insurance are overlapped irrespective of the charact.erisitcs of the type of health care facilites, and this is profitable to the tertiary health care facilities which can conduct various types of services. In conclusion, the frame a policy is needed to encourage primary care which are nothing but simple structure of charges.
Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Insurance* ; Medical Records ; Outpatients ; Primary Health Care

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Abortion, Induced* ; Contraception* ; Female

In the treatment of elderly hip fracture, early mobilization as a means of reducing early postoperative morbiyt and morbidity is mandatory. Even though Ender nailing have many advantages, most serious problems with use of Ender nailing method are distal migration of nails, subsequent loss of fixation and limited knee joint motion. To prevent these difficult problems, we have used distal wiring technique with Ender nailing since 1988. In operation, we performed Ender nailing as usual manner under image intensifier and for the prevention of the nail migration, we performed circumferential wiring through the each Ender nail eye and above the adducter tubercle of the distal femur. Forty six cases were available with minimum follow-up of six months which were healed radiologically and clinically (Mean follow up: 21 months). The mean age was 74 years (Range: 52 years-88 years)and showed 26 cases of famale and 20 cases of male. The radiological morphometry using Singh index showed poor bone quality: 36 cases were below Grade III and the fracture type was classified by Tronzo criteria. In results, patients who had Ender nailing with distal wiring showed no distal migration, however one case of proximal migration was observed at the beginning stage of this technique. So, in elderly trochanteric fracture, to reduce the complication of the Ender nailing, especially nail migration, the authors recommend the Ender Nailing with distal wiring technique.
Aged ; Early Ambulation ; Femoral Fractures ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Male ; Methods

No abstract available.
Blood Pressure* ; Body Mass Index*

No abstract available.
Failed Back Surgery Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Atherosclerosis* ; Cholesterol* ; Humans ; Korea*

No abstract available.
Health Promotion*