Launching of the accreditation system for rehabilitation facility in Korea

ABSTRACT

Rehabilitation is one of the five vital components of the healthcare system, along with prevention, promotion, treatment, and palliation. In Korea, inpatient rehabilitation service is inadequately supplied based on the low fee system for rehabilitation services and an absence of a standard for inpatient rehabilitation facility. Consequently, the length of hospital stays increases and the rate of successful post-rehabilitation return to the community is low. To provide intensive rehabilitation, US established ‘inpatient rehabilitation facility’ system and Japan established ‘restorative rehabilitation hospital system’. In 2020, a new accreditation system has been launched in South Korea with the aim to improve the country’s intensive inpatient rehabilitation services. This new system defines the standards of workforce management, facility, diagnostic category, comprehensive functional measure, onset and duration of inpatient rehabilitation, and fees for team conferences and social services for a successful return to the community. The system aims to achieve an effective and efficient inpatient rehabilitation system in Korea.