National Cancer Control Plan of the Korea: Current Status and the Fourth Plan (2021-2025) / 예방의학회지

Cancer management has become a major policy goal for the government of the Korea. As such, the government introduced the National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) to reduce the individual and social burdens caused by cancer and to promote national health. During the past 25 years, 3 phases of the NCCP have been completed. During this time, the NCCP has changed significantly in all aspects of cancer control from prevention to survival. The targets for cancer control are increasing, and although some blind spots remain, new demands are emerging. The government initiated the fourth NCCP in March 2021, with the vision of “A Healthy Country with No Concerns about Cancer Anywhere at Any Time,” which aims to build and disseminate high-quality cancer data, reduce preventable cancer cases, and reduce gaps in cancer control. Its main strategies include (1) activation of cancer big data, (2) advancement of cancer prevention and screening, (3) improvement in cancer treatment and response, and (4) establishment of a foundation for balanced cancer control. The fourth NCCP has many positive expectations, similar to the last 3 plans; however, cross-domain support and participation are required to achieve positive results in cancer control. Notably, cancer remains the leading cause of death despite decades of management efforts and should continue to be managed carefully from a national perspective.

The Impact of Time-to-Treatment for Outcome in Cancer Patients, and Its Differences by Region and Time Trend / 보건행정학회지

Background@#The Korean government introduced National Cancer Control Program and strengthening national health insurance coverage for cancer patients. Although many positive effects have been observed, there are also many concerns about cancer management such as patient concentration or time-to-treatment. Thus, we investigated the association between the time-to-treatment and survival of cancer patients, and compared regional differences by time trend. @*Methods@#The data used in this study were national health insurance claims data that included patients diagnosed with lung cancer and received surgical treatment between 2005 and 2015. We conducted survival analysis with Cox proportional hazard model for the association between time-to-treatment and survival in lung cancer. Additionally, we compared the regional differences for time-to-treatment by time trend. @*Results@#A total of 842 lung cancer patients were included, and 52.3% of lung cancer patients received surgical treatment within 30 days. Patients who received surgical treatment after 31 days had higher 5-year or 1-year mortality compared to treatment within 30 days (5-year: hazard ratio [HR], 1.566; 1-year: HR, 1.555; p<0.05). There were some regional differences for time-to-treatment, but it was generally reduced after 2010. @*Conclusion@#Delayed surgical treatment after diagnosis can negatively affect patient outcomes in cancer treatment. To improve cancer control strategies, there are needed to analyze the healthcare delivery system for cancer care considering the severity and types of cancer.

The Impact of Time-to-Treatment for Outcome in Cancer Patients, and Its Differences by Region and Time Trend / 보건행정학회지

Background@#The Korean government introduced National Cancer Control Program and strengthening national health insurance coverage for cancer patients. Although many positive effects have been observed, there are also many concerns about cancer management such as patient concentration or time-to-treatment. Thus, we investigated the association between the time-to-treatment and survival of cancer patients, and compared regional differences by time trend. @*Methods@#The data used in this study were national health insurance claims data that included patients diagnosed with lung cancer and received surgical treatment between 2005 and 2015. We conducted survival analysis with Cox proportional hazard model for the association between time-to-treatment and survival in lung cancer. Additionally, we compared the regional differences for time-to-treatment by time trend. @*Results@#A total of 842 lung cancer patients were included, and 52.3% of lung cancer patients received surgical treatment within 30 days. Patients who received surgical treatment after 31 days had higher 5-year or 1-year mortality compared to treatment within 30 days (5-year: hazard ratio [HR], 1.566; 1-year: HR, 1.555; p<0.05). There were some regional differences for time-to-treatment, but it was generally reduced after 2010. @*Conclusion@#Delayed surgical treatment after diagnosis can negatively affect patient outcomes in cancer treatment. To improve cancer control strategies, there are needed to analyze the healthcare delivery system for cancer care considering the severity and types of cancer.

Do Fraud Investigations Impact Healthcare Expenditures of Medical Institutions?: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis of Healthcare Costs in Korea / 보건행정학회지

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to review the findings of health insurance fraud investigations and to evaluate their impacts on medical costs for target and non-target organizations. An interrupted time series study design using generalized estimation equations was used to evaluate changes in cost following fraud investigations. METHODS: We used National Health Insurance claims data from 2009 to 2015, which included 20,625 medical institutions (1,614 target organizations and 19,011 non-target organizations). Outcome variable included cost change after fraud investigation. RESULTS: Following the initiation of fraud investigations, we found statistically significant reductions in cost level for target organizations (−1.40%, p < 0.001). In addition, a reduction in cost trend change per month was found for both target organizations and non-target organizations after fraud investigation (target organizations, −0.33%; non-target organizations of same region, −0.19%; non-target organizations of other regions, −0.17%). CONCLUSION: This study suggested that fraud investigations are associated with cost reduction in target organization. We also found similar effects of fraud investigations on health expenditure for non-target organizations located in the same region and in different regions. Our finding suggests that fraud investigations are important in controlling the growth of health expenditure. To maximize the effects of fraud investigation on the growth of health expenditure, more organizations needed to be considered as target organizations.

Computed Tomography Spending and Utilization for Inpatients with Cerebral Infarction in South Korea / 보건행정학회지

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most efficient diagnostic methods for stroke patients. The number of CT scanners in South Korea, however, is higher than in other countries, and may cause the overuse of this tool in healthcare. We aim to study the relationship between using CT and various patient and hospital characteristics among patients with cerebral infarction. METHODS: We analyzed nationwide health insurance claims data for patients due to cerebral infarction during the second half of 2013 for up to 3 months. We performed multilevel analysis, including both inpatient and hospital-level variables, to determine how factors affect CT spending and utilization. RESULTS: The data used in our study consisted of 17,046 hospitalizations at 583 hospitals. Inpatients who visited more than one hospital had higher CT utilization numbers and cost (number: ≥3 hospitals: β, 2.27; p <0.05; 2 hospitals: β, 0.70; p <0.05; cost: ≥3 hospitals: β, 251,108; p <0.05; 2 hospitals: β, 77,299; p <0.05). People who visited a general hospital had higher numbers and cost of CT utilization than people who visited a smaller hospital. CONCLUSION: Increased sharing of records and improved continuity of care between hospitals are needed to help curb the overuse of CT.

Mortality in Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses: Data from the South Korea National Health Insurance Cohort, 2002–2013

Individuals with psychoses show excess mortality, which is a major public health concern. This study examined all-cause and suicide mortality rates in Korean patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, mood disorder, or mental and behavioral disorder due to psychoactive substance use and to compare this with that of the general population. Data were from the National Health Insurance cohort, 2002 to 2013. A total of 107,190 cases aged 15 years or over were included. Mortality rates per 100,000 person years (PY) were obtained. Poisson regression modelling was conducted to quantify the effect of baseline characteristics on all-cause and suicide mortality risks. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were also calculated. All-cause mortality was the highest among mental and behavioral disorder patients (1,051.0 per 100,000 PY), followed by schizophrenia (949.1 per 100,000 PY) and mood disorder patients (559.5 per 100,000 PY). Highest suicide mortality was found in schizophrenia (177.2 per 100,000 PY), mental and behavioral disorder (143.7 per 100,000 PY), and mood disorder patients (59.7 per 100,000 PY). The rate ratios (RRs) for all-cause and suicide mortality were reduced for younger populations and women. Psychoses patients had higher all-cause (schizophrenia, SMR 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.2–2.5; mood disorder, SMR 1.4; 95% CI 1.3–1.5; mental and behavioral disorder, SMR 2.6; 95% CI 2.5–2.8) and suicide (schizophrenia, SMR 8.4; 95% CI 7.2–9.6; mood disorder, SMR 2.8; 95% CI 2.1–3.5; mental and behavioral disorder, SMR 6.8; 95% CI 5.7–7.9) mortality rates than the general population. These findings infer that efforts should be made to reduce excess mortality in psychoses.

Impact of the Outpatient Prescription Incentive Program on Reduction of Pharmaceutical Costs of Clinics in South Korea / 보건행정학회지

BACKGROUND: South Korea has experienced problems with excessive pharmaceutical expenditures. In 2010, the South Korean government introduced an outpatient prescription incentive program to effectively manage pharmaceutical expenditures. Therefore, we examined the relationship between the outpatient prescription incentive program and pharmaceutical expenditures. METHODS: We used data from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database, which included medical claims filed for 22,732 clinics from 2011–2014 to evaluate associated pharmaceutical expenditures. We performed multiple regression analysis and Poisson regression analysis using generalized estimating equation models to examine the associations between outpatient prescription incentives and the outcome variables. RESULTS: The data used in this study consisted of 123,392 cases from 22,372 clinics (average 5.4 periods follow-up). Clinics that had received outpatient prescription incentives in the last period had better cost saving and Outpatient Prescribing Costliness Index (OPCI) (received: proportion of cost saving, β=6.8179; p-value <0.0001; OPCI, β=−0.0227; p-value <0.0001; reference=non-received). Moreover, these clinics had higher risk in the provision of outpatient prescription incentive (relative risk, 2.772; 95% confidence interval, 2.720 to 2.824). The associations were higher in clinics that had separate prescribing and dispensing programs, or had professional staff. CONCLUSION: The introduction of an outpatient prescription incentive program for clinics effectively managed problems with rapid increases of pharmaceutical expenditures in South Korea. However, the pharmaceutical expenditures still increased in spite of the positive impact of the outpatient prescription incentive program. Therefore, healthcare professionals and health policy makers should develop more effective alternatives (i.e., for clinics without separate prescribing and dispensing programs) based on our results.

Impact of the Outpatient Prescription Incentive Program on Reduction of Pharmaceutical Costs of Clinics in South Korea / 보건행정학회지

BACKGROUND: South Korea has experienced problems with excessive pharmaceutical expenditures. In 2010, the South Korean government introduced an outpatient prescription incentive program to effectively manage pharmaceutical expenditures. Therefore, we examined the relationship between the outpatient prescription incentive program and pharmaceutical expenditures. METHODS: We used data from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database, which included medical claims filed for 22,732 clinics from 2011–2014 to evaluate associated pharmaceutical expenditures. We performed multiple regression analysis and Poisson regression analysis using generalized estimating equation models to examine the associations between outpatient prescription incentives and the outcome variables. RESULTS: The data used in this study consisted of 123,392 cases from 22,372 clinics (average 5.4 periods follow-up). Clinics that had received outpatient prescription incentives in the last period had better cost saving and Outpatient Prescribing Costliness Index (OPCI) (received: proportion of cost saving, β=6.8179; p-value <0.0001; OPCI, β=−0.0227; p-value <0.0001; reference=non-received). Moreover, these clinics had higher risk in the provision of outpatient prescription incentive (relative risk, 2.772; 95% confidence interval, 2.720 to 2.824). The associations were higher in clinics that had separate prescribing and dispensing programs, or had professional staff. CONCLUSION: The introduction of an outpatient prescription incentive program for clinics effectively managed problems with rapid increases of pharmaceutical expenditures in South Korea. However, the pharmaceutical expenditures still increased in spite of the positive impact of the outpatient prescription incentive program. Therefore, healthcare professionals and health policy makers should develop more effective alternatives (i.e., for clinics without separate prescribing and dispensing programs) based on our results.

Nurse Staffing and 30-day Readmission of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: A 10-year Retrospective Study of Patient Hospitalization

PURPOSE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity in many countries, and it has high rate of hospital readmissions due to recurrent exacerbations of the disease. Many previous studies have suggested further examination of the factors that contribute to hospital readmissions of COPD patients. However, evidence on the effects of nurse staffing by registered nurses (RNs) on the readmission of COPD patients is lacking in Korea. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of nurse staffing on hospital readmissions of COPD patients. METHODS: We used National Health Insurance claim data from 2002 to 2012. A total of 1,070 hospitals and 339,379 hospitalization cases were included in the analysis. We divided the number of RNs per 100 beds and the proportion of RNs on staff to one of three groups (Q1: low; Q2: moderate; Q3: high). A generalized estimating equation model was used to evaluate the associations between readmission and nurse staffing. RESULTS: A higher number of RNs was associated with lower readmission rates of 8.9% (Q2) and 7.9% (Q3) respectively. A similar effect was observed as the proportion of RNs among the total nursing staff gradually increased, resulting in lower readmission rates of 7.7% (Q2) and 8.3% (Q3). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest notable positive effects of nurse staffing by RNs on patient outcomes. In addition, the magnitude of impact differed between different sizes of hospitals. Thus, human resource planning to solve staffing shortages should carefully consider the qualitative aspects of the nursing staff composition.

Impact of Job Status on Accessibility of Cancer Screening / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide with approximately 75,000 cancer deaths in Korea alone in 2013. Cancer screening is an important method of prevention; however, only 63.4% of Koreans sought cancer screening in 2012 even though it was widely offered at no cost. We focused on part time workers because they often experience job instability and relative discrimination. Therefore, we investigated the correlation between job status and cancer screening. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from the 2013 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were used for selection of individuals who participated in the national cancer screening program. A total of 1,326 wage earners were selected for our study. The association between cancer screening and part time job status was examined using logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of the 1,326 individuals selected for the study, 869 (64.5%) had participated in the cancer screening program; among these, 421 (48.4%) were part time workers and 448 (51.6%) were full time workers. Lower prevalence of cancer screening was observed for part time workers compared to full time workers (odds ratio, 0.72; confidence interval, 0.53 to 1.00; p=0.0495). Factors including age, marital status, private insurance, chronic disease, smoking, and residential area emerged as showed significant association with participation in screening programs. CONCLUSION: We found that part time workers had difficulty participating in prevention programs. Change in the workplace environment as well as development of positive social programs targeted to part time workers is necessary in order to encourage participation of part time workers in prevention programs.

Does Home Oxygen Therapy Slow Down the Progression of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases? / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

PURPOSE: As the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) began to cover home oxygen therapy (HOT) services from 2006, it is expected that the new services have contributed to overall positive outcome of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We examined whether the usage of HOT has helped slow down the progression of COPD. METHODS: We examined hospital claim data (N=10,798) of COPD inpatients who were treated in 2007~2012. We performed chi2 tests to analyze the differences in the changes to respiratory impairment grades. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that are associated with the use of HOT. Finally, a generalized linear mixed model was used to examine association between the HOT treatment and changes to respiratory impairment grades. RESULTS: A total of 2,490 patients had grade 1 respiratory impairment, and patients with grades 2 or 3 totaled 8,308. The OR for use of HOT was lower in grade 3 patients than others (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.30~0.37). The maintenance/mitigation in all grades, those who used HOT had a higher OR than non-users (OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.23~1.61). CONCLUSION: HOT was effective in maintaining or mitigating the respiratory impairment in COPD patients.

The Combined Effect of Subjective Body Image and Body Mass Index (Distorted Body Weight Perception) on Suicidal Ideation / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: Mental health disorders and suicide are an important and growing public health concern in Korea. Evidence has shown that both globally and in Korea, obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing some psychiatric disorders. Therefore, we examined the association between distorted body weight perception (BWP) and suicidal ideation. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2007-2012 Korea National Health and Nutritional Evaluation Survey (KNHANES), an annual cross-sectional nationwide survey that included 14 276 men and 19 428 women. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the associations between nine BWP categories, which combined body image (BI) and body mass index (BMI) categories, and suicidal ideation. Moreover, the fitness of our models was verified using the Akaike information criterion. RESULTS: Consistent with previous studies, suicidal ideation was associated with marital status, household income, education level, and perceived health status in both genders. Only women were significantly more likely to have distorted BWP; there was no relationship among men. In category B1 (low BMI and normal BI), women (odds ratio [OR], 2.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48 to 3.42) were more likely to express suicidal ideation than women in category B2 (normal BMI and normal BI) were. Women in overweight BWP category C2 (normal BMI and fat BI) also had an increased OR for suicidal ideation (OR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.48 to 3.42). Those in normal BWP categories were not likely to have suicidal ideation. Among women in the underweight BWP categories, only the OR for those in category A2 (normal BMI and thin BI) was significant (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.59). CONCLUSIONS: Distorted BWP should be considered an important factor in the prevention of suicide and for the improvement of mental health among Korean adults, especially Korean women with distorted BWPs.