| Effect of the New Emergency Fee Schedule on the Pattern of Emergency Patients |
| Dong Woo Seo, Kyoung Soo Lim, Yi Sang Moon, You Dong Shon, Min Woo Jo, Won Kim, Sang Il Lee |
1Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.kslim@amc.seoul.kr
2Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. |
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| 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. |
| Key words:
Emergency, Crowding, Korea |
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