Health policy for 20th National Assembly

The 20th National Assembly of Korea was called to order on April 13, 2016. The National Assembly is invested with the authority to play a significant role in influencing healthcare policy. There are many pending issues in healthcare policy that the Assembly needs to address in this term. The low fertility rate and population aging that Korea faces can exert a major impact on the healthcare system, as aging will lead to an expansion of non-communicable diseases, which can place a high burden on society. This requires strengthening the social security system, including National Health Insurance. A paradigm shift is necessary, in which healthcare providers are organized in the National Health Insurance using approaches such as the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and Patient_Centered Medical Home (PCMH), and people are offered choices similar to the US Medicare Advantage Program. Additionally, it is essential that healthcare accessibility is enhanced by covering catastrophic medical costs and guaranteeing patient safety through quality improvement so that healthcare costs are kept within an affordable range. Therefore, the 20th National Assembly must overcome differences in ideology to improve the healthcare system with the aim of promoting national health.

Analysis of qualifications of medical and health institutions and certified doctors for providing occupational disease diagnosis in China / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the qualifications and current situations of the medical and health institutions and certified doctors for providing occupational disease diagnosis in China and to provide a reference for developing relevant policies.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Work reports and questionnaires survey were used to investigate the qualifications of all medical and health institutions and certified doctors for providing occupational disease diagnosis in China and their acceptance and diagnosis of occupational disease cases from 2006 to 2010. The rate for the work reports was 100%, and the response rate for the questionnaires was 71.0%.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>By the end of 2010, in the 31 provincial-level regions (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) in China, there had been 503 medical and health institutions which were qualified for providing occupational disease diagnosis, including 207 centers for disease control and prevention, accounting for 41.2%, 145 general hospitals, accounting for 28.8%, 69 enterprise-owned hospitals, accounting for 13.7%, and 64 institutes or centers for occupational disease prevention and control, accounting for 12.7%; 4986 certified doctors got the qualification for providing occupational disease diagnosis, with 9.4 certified doctors on average in each institution, and there was 0.65 certified doctor per 100 000 employees. In addition, 16.5% of the institutions got all the qualifications for diagnosing 9 occupational diseases, and 17.1% of the institutions got the qualification for diagnosing one occupational disease. Each certified doctor accepted diagnosis of 16.8 cases of occupational diseases on average every year.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A national occupational disease diagnosis network has been established in China, but the imbalance in regional distribution and specialty programs still exists among the qualified medical and health institutions and certified doctors. It is essential to further strengthen the development of regional qualified medical and health institutions and training of qualified doctors.</p>

Uso prudente de antimicrobianos basado en el Plan Obligatorio de Salud / Prudent use of antimicrobials based on the Obligatory Health Plan

Recientemente se oficializó el nuevo plan de beneficios (Plan Obligatorio de Salud, POS), el cual se encuentra vigente desde el 1° de enero de 2012 (1). En este plan se incluyeron nuevos medicamentos antimicrobianos, a saber: amoxicilina- ácido clavulánico, artemeter más lumenfantrina, artesunato, azitromicina, caspofungina, cefepima, cefuroxima, claritromicina, rifabutina, la combinación de isoniazida y rifampicina, pirazinaida con etambutol o sin él, tenofovir-emtricitabina y valaciclovir. Asimismo, se incluyeron nuevas presentaciones de atazanavir, primaquina y de la asociación rifampicina más isoniacida.

The new benefit plan (Plan Obligatorio de Salud, POS) was recently made official and has been in effect since 1 January 2012 (1). New antimicrobial medicines were included in this plan: amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, artemether plus lumenfantrin, artesunate, azithromycin, caspofungin, cefepime, cefuroxime, clarithromycin, rifabutin, the combination of isoniazid and rifampicin, pyrazinamide with or without ethambutol, tenofovir-emtricitabine and valacyclovir. New presentations of atazanavir, primaquine and the combination of rifampicin plus isoniazid were also included.

Financial health and customer satisfaction in private health care providers in Brazil / Desempenho financeiro e satisfação do consumidor das operadoras de saúde suplementar no Brasil

This paper analyzes the relationship between the financial health and organizational form of private health care providers in Brazil. It also examines the major determinants of customer satisfaction associated with the provider's organ-izational form. An adjusted Altman's z-score is used as an indicator of financial health. A proxy variable based on customer complaints filed at the Brazilian National Agency for Supplementary Health is used as an indicator for customer satisfaction. The study uses a sample of 270 private health care providers and their operations over the period 2003-2005. Panel data analysis includes control variables related to market, operations, and management. Principal results indicate that: (1) private health care providers benefit from economies of scale; (2) self-funded health plans have better financial health; (3) spending on marketing does not have a signif-icant impact on customer satisfaction in Brazil; (4) weak empirical evidence exists showing that good financial performance enhances customer's satisfaction.

Este artigo analisa a situação financeira das operadoras de saúde suplementar no Brasil, de acordo com a modalidade de gestão. Adicionalmente, examina os principais determinantes para a satisfação do consumidor desses serviços. Como indicador principal de saúde financeira, utiliza-se uma versão adaptada do z-score de Altman. A proxy para satisfação do consumidor é o nível de reclamações fundamentadas registradas junto à Agência Nacional de Saúde Suplementar. Utilizamos uma amostra de 270 operadoras de saúde suplementar para o período 2003-2005, e regressões de dados em painel, com variáveis de controle de mercado, operacionais e de gestão. Os resultados principais indicam que (1) as operadoras de saúde se beneficiam de economias de escala; (2) as empresas que operam no modelo de autogestão têm situação financeira melhor que as demais; (3) as despesas com marketing não impactam a satisfação dos consumidores dos planos de saúde; (4) finalmente, encontra-se também alguma evidência empírica indicando que a boa situação financeira implica maior satisfação do consumidor.