Effect of the New Emergency Fee Schedule on the Pattern of Emergency Patients

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to solve the problems due to overcrowding of emergency medical centers (EMC) and to help EMCs to improve their financial status. Korean government has implemented a new emergency fee schedule into National Health Insurance (NHI). This policy is aimed at reducing non-emergent visits to EMCs. METHOD: This study was conducted to analyze the impact of the new policy by using a before-after comparison of the patterns of patients' visit to an EMC, Asan Medical Center (AMC). Data electronically recorded at the EMC of AMC were reviewed retrospectively. RESULT: The new emergency fee schedule reduced the rate of increase of non-emergent visit to EMC. CONCLUSION: However, this policy could not succeed in limiting total number of EMC visits. It means that this pricing policy made a partial success in solving the problem of overcrowding of EMCs.