Regular HbA1c examination and health outcomes in adult patients with type 2 diabetes in South Korea: A retrospective cohort study.

Concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of using process-centered indicators to assess the quality of diabetes care in Korea. This study aims to examine the factors influencing the performance of regular HbA1c testing and to explore its association with health outcomes, including hospitalization and mortality. We utilized a retrospective cohort design with a 4-year follow-up period, involving 159,452 adult patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (E11 in International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition) in 2011.

Body mass index and all-cause mortality in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus in South Korea: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: The lower risk of death in overweight or obese patients, compared with normal-weight individuals, has caused confusion for patients with diabetes and healthcare providers. This study investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Comparison of Health Outcomes by Care Provider Type for Newly Diagnosed Mild Type 2 Diabetes Patients in South Korea: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

(1) Background: Although the beneficial impacts of primary care on patients' health outcomes have been reported, it is still difficult to limit patients' herd behavior in seeking tertiary or large hospital services in South Korea. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the use of primary care clinics was longitudinally beneficial for mild diabetes. (2) Methods: Using claims data from the National Health Insurance (NHI) program, this population-based retrospective cohort study compared health outcomes over a 4-year period from 2011 to 2015 by type of health care institution as a usual source of care in diabetic patients who were newly diagnosed in 2011, i.

Association between years since manufacture and utilization of computed tomography scanner in South Korea: A cross-sectional study (a STROBE-compliant article).

Health care institutions that acquire an expensive, brand-new computed tomography (CT) scanner are likely to perform excessive scanning in an attempt to recover their investment as early as possible. We examined the association between the age of CT scanners and the number of CT scans at small-sized hospitals and clinics in Korea and assessed the notable increase in scanning quantity at health care institutions with a recently manufactured CT scanner.A cross-sectional study designed to analyze whether the age of CT scanners was associated with the number of scans at small-sized hospitals and clinics that were operating a CT scanner for the full year 2008 (n = 703).

Association between costs and quality of acute myocardial infarction care hospitals under the Korea National Health Insurance program.

If cost reductions produce a cost-quality trade-off, healthcare policy makers need to be more circumspect about the use of cost-effective initiatives. Additional empirical evidence about the relationship between cost and quality is needed to design a value-based payment system. We examined the association between cost and quality performances for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) care at the hospital level.

Impact of alcohol consumption and body mass index on mortality from nonneoplastic liver diseases, upper aerodigestive tract cancers, and alcohol use disorders in Korean older middle-aged men: Prospective cohort study.

Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for the global disease burden including liver diseases. However, the combined effect of alcohol use and body mass index (BMI) on alcohol-related diseases has seldom been examined. We examined whether alcohol consumption and BMI could act together to increase mortality from nonneoplastic liver diseases, upper aero-digestive tract (UADT) cancers, and alcohol use disorders (AUD) in middle-aged Korean men.

Body Mass Index and Cancer Mortality Among Korean Older Middle-Aged Men: A Prospective Cohort Study.

The association of body mass index (BMI; kg/m) with overall and site-specific cancer mortality in Asians is not well understood. A total of 113,478 men from the Korean Veterans Health Study who returned a postal survey in 2004 were followed up until 2010. The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of cancer mortality were calculated using a Cox model.

Sex Differences in the Treatment and Outcome of Korean Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Using the Korean National Health Insurance Claims Database.

Evidence showing higher acute myocardial infarction (AMI) mortality rates among female compared with male inpatients has stimulated interest in whether this disparity is the result of biological factors or differences in the provision of healthcare services. We investigated the impact of sex on in-hospital mortality rates due to AMI, and evaluated the contribution of differences in the delivery of optimal medical services for AMI.We retrospectively constructed a dataset of 85,329 new patients admitted to Korean hospitals with AMI between 2003 and 2007 from the Korea National Health Insurance Claims Database.

Body mass index and mortality among Korean elderly in rural communities: Kangwha Cohort Study.

Background: The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality may differ by ethnicity, but its exact nature remains unclear among Koreans. The study aim was to prospectively examine the association between BMI and mortality in Korean.

Methods: 6166 residents (2636 men; 3530 women) of rural communities (Kangwha County, Republic of Korea) aged 55 and above were followed up for deaths from 1985-2008.

Seasonal variation in case fatality rate in Korean patients with acute myocardial infarction using the 1997-2006 Korean National Health Insurance Claims Database.

Objective: Seasonal and monthly variation in the occurrence and case fatality rate (CFR) of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been reported. We examined the seasonal variation in hospital admissions and CFR in Korean patients with AMI, and analysed the influence of season on fatality risk for AMI.

Methods: We used the 10-year administrative database of the Korean National Health Insurance covering the entire population of Korea.

Regional differences in treatment frequency and case-fatality rates in korean patients with acute myocardial infarction using the Korea national health insurance claims database: findings of a large retrospective cohort study.

Issues regarding healthcare disparity continue to increase in connection with access to quality care for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), even though the case-fatality rate (CFR) continues to decrease. We explored regional variation in AMI CFRs and examined whether the variation was due to disparities in access to quality medical services for AMI patients. A dataset was constructed from the Korea National Health Insurance Claims Database to conduct a retrospective cohort study of 95,616 patients who were admitted to a hospital in Korea from 2003 to 2007 with AMI.

Agent Orange exposure and risk of death in Korean Vietnam veterans: Korean Veterans Health Study.

Background: Agent Orange (AO) was a mixture of phenoxy herbicides, containing several dioxin impurities including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Various military herbicides, including AO, were sprayed by the US military and allied forces for military purposes during the Vietnam War. This study was performed to identify the associations between the AO exposure and mortality in Korean Vietnam veterans.

Agent Orange exposure and disease prevalence in Korean Vietnam veterans: the Korean veterans health study.

Between 1961 and 1971, military herbicides were used by the United States and allied forces for military purposes. Agent Orange, the most-used herbicide, was a mixture of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and contained an impurity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Many Korean Vietnam veterans were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

Relationship between continuity of ambulatory care and medication adherence in adult patients with type 2 diabetes in Korea: a longitudinal analysis.

Background: Medication adherence is the most important factor in the proper management of patients with diabetes. Considering the importance of informational continuity in a changing world, it could be meaningful to improve institution-level continuity of care and its positive relationship with medication adherence.

Objectives: We examined the relationship between institution-level continuity of ambulatory care and medication adherence in adult patients with type 2 diabetes receiving a new hypoglycemic prescription and sought to determine whether an improvement in medication adherence could be achieved through an ongoing relationship between the patient and the medical care institution.

Serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin levels and their association with age, body mass index, smoking, military record-based variables, and estimated exposure to Agent Orange in Korean Vietnam veterans.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the levels of serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and evaluate their association with age, body mass index, smoking, military record-based variables, and estimated exposure to Agent Orange in Korean Vietnam veterans.

Methods: Serum levels of TCDD were analyzed in 102 Vietnam veterans. Information on age, body mass index, and smoking status were obtained from a self-reported questionnaire.

Agent Orange exposure and prevalence of self-reported diseases in Korean Vietnam veterans.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between Agent Orange exposure and self-reported diseases in Korean Vietnam veterans.

Methods: A postal survey of 114 562 Vietnam veterans was conducted. The perceived exposure to Agent Orange was assessed by a 6-item questionnaire.

Relationship between the use of new or used computed tomography scanners and image retake rates in South Korea.

Background: The use of high-cost imaging has increased worldwide, contributing to increased healthcare expenditures. Without proper quality verification, the installation of used imaging equipment may lead to wasteful increases in cost due to ineffective and poor-quality imaging that requires repeat scans.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between the use of new or used computed tomography (CT) scanners and image retake rates to evaluate the comparative quality of used and new CT scanners.

Continuity of ambulatory care and health outcomes in adult patients with type 2 diabetes in Korea.

Objectives: Continuity of ambulatory care in chronic disease affects the quality of care and the efficiency of healthcare spending. We assessed the relationship between initial continuity of ambulatory care and subsequent health outcomes (hospitalization, mortality and healthcare costs).

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 68,469 patients enrolled in the Korean National Health Insurance Program, who were 20 years of age or older and first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2004.

Development of peer-group-classification criteria for the comparison of cost efficiency among general hospitals under the Korean NHI program.

Objectives: To classify general hospitals into homogeneous systematic-risk groups in order to compare cost efficiency and propose peer-group-classification criteria.

Data Sources: Health care institution registration data and inpatient-episode-based claims data submitted by the Korea National Health Insurance system to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service from July 2007 to December 2009.

Study Design: Cluster analysis was performed to classify general hospitals into peer groups based on similarities in hospital characteristics, case mix complexity, and service-distribution characteristics.

Do differences in profiling criteria bias performance measurements? Economic profiling of medical clinics under the Korea National Health Insurance program: an observational study using claims data.

Background: With a greater emphasis on cost containment in many health care systems, it has become common to evaluate each physician's relative resource use. This study explored the major factors that influence the economic performance rankings of medical clinics in the Korea National Health Insurance (NHI) program by assessing the consistency between cost-efficiency indices constructed using different profiling criteria.

Methods: Data on medical care benefit costs for outpatient care at medical clinics nationwide were collected from the NHI claims database.

Relationship between oral antihyperglycemic medication adherence and hospitalization, mortality, and healthcare costs in adult ambulatory care patients with type 2 diabetes in South Korea.

Background: Medication adherence has been identified as a major factor influencing health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: We assessed the relationship between initial adherence to oral antihyperglycemic medications and subsequent health outcomes.

Research Design And Subjects: This was a retrospective cohort study of 40,082 patients enrolled in Korea's national health insurance program, who were 20 years of age or older and first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2004.

Continuity of care for elderly patients with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Korea.

We sought to assess continuity of care for elderly patients in Korea and to examine any association between continuity of care and health outcomes (hospitalization, emergency department visits, health care costs). This was a retrospective cohort study using the Korea National Health Insurance Claims Database. Elderly people, 65-84 yr of age, who were first diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (n=268,220), hypertension (n=858,927), asthma (n=129,550), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, n=131,512) in 2002 were followed up for four years, until 2006.

Comparison of case fatality rates for acute myocardial infarction in weekday vs weekend admissions in South Korea.

Background: According to recent reports, reduced weekend staffing in hospitals may lead to a lower intensity of management of patients with acute conditions such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The present study evaluated differences in the case fatality rate of Korean patients admitted with AMI on weekdays vs those admitted on weekends.

Methods And Results: The dataset was constructed from the Korea National Health Insurance Claims Database.

Long-term trend in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction in Korea: 1997-2007.

Background And Objectives: Information about disease incidence is indispensable for the active prevention and control of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The purpose of this study was to provide basic information for the establishment of policy related to AMI by examining the long-term trends in incidence of AMI.

Subjects And Methods: This study identified the trend in disease incidence during between 1997 and 2007 using the Korean National Health Insurance Database that includes AMI {the 10th International Classification of Disease (ICD-10) code: I21, I22, I23, I250, I251} as a primary or secondary disease.