ArticleBMC health services research2019
Effects of a mandatory DRG payment system in South Korea: Analysis of multi-year nationwide hospital claims data.
Article in BMC health services research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Epidemiological Trends of Hospitalized Pneumonia Patients in Taiwan in 2019 and 2020: A Population-based Nationwide Study.Journal of acute medicine · 2026Article
- Analysis of factors influencing hospitalization costs for ureteral surgery based on a DRG profit-and-loss perspective: a multicenter study.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Addressing low-value care (LVC) in Asia: a narrative review of Choosing Wisely and other initiatives across Asia.BMJ open quality · 2026Review
- Behavioral responses of healthcare providers to prospective payment systems: a systematic review using the WHO framework (2000-2024).Health economics review · 2026Review
- Impact of diagnosis-related group-based bundled payment on hospitalization costs and clinical outcomes in total hip arthroplasty: an interrupted time series analysis from Wenzhou, China.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- How does DRG reform affect length of stay and hospitalization costs in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals?-an empirical analysis using interrupted time-series model from two cities in western China.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Tackling low-value care in Singapore: progress, pitfalls, and prospects.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- An empirical study of diagnosis-related group classification for hospitalization costs in lumbar disk herniation patients treated in Chinese medicine hospitals in China.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The impact of DRG payment reform on stroke inpatient costs: a propensity score matching and difference-in-differences analysis of a large public hospital in Northeast China.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Nationwide big data analysis of inguinal hernia surgery trends in South Korea (2016-2022).Annals of surgical treatment and research · 2025Article
- Impacts of the diagnosis-intervention packet reform on costs and healthcare resource utilization: evidence from Guangzhou, China.Health economics review · 2025Article
- Impact of DRG payment reform on revenue and expenditure structure of public hospitals in China: evidence from difference-in-differences analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- The impact of diagnosis-related group payment on the hospitalization expenditure and medical quality of public hospitals in China.PloS one · 2025Article
- Unpacking the cost implications of diagnosis-related groups reform for lumbar disc herniation patients in Chinese medicine: a closer look at evidence from China.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Healthcare utilization for inpatient rehabilitation among people with traumatic brain injury before the introduction of the specialized rehabilitation hospital system: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- The effects of the diagnosis-intervention packet payment reform in China: evidence from Guangzhou.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Article
- The Impact of a New Case-Based Payment System on Quality of Care: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis in China.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2024Article
- Variations in the impact of the new case-based payment reform on medical costs, length of stay, and quality across different hospitals in China: an interrupted time series analysis.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Short-Term Outcomes of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) for Ankle Fracture Patients: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.Orthopaedic surgery · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn 2002, a voluntary diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) payment system was introduced in South Korea for seven disease groups, and participation in the DRGs was mandated for all hospitals beginning in 2013. The primary aim of this study was to compare results reflective of patient care between voluntary participation hospitals (VPHs) and mandatory participation hospitals (MPHs) governed by either the DRGs or fee-for-service (FFS) payment system.
methodsWe collected DRGs and FFS inpatient records (n=3,038,006) from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment for the period of July 2011 to July 2014 and compared length-of-stay, total medical costs, shifting services to an outpatient setting, and readmission rates according to payment system, time of DRGs implementation, and hospital type. We analyzed the effects of mandatory introduction in DRGs payment system on results for patient care and used generalized estimating equations with difference-in-difference methodology.
resultsMost notably, patients at MPHs had significantly shorter LOS and lower readmission rates than VPH patients after mandatory introduction of the DRGs. Shifting services to an outpatient setting was similar between the groups.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that the DRGs payment policy in Korea has decreased LOS and readmission rates. These findings support the continued implementation and enlargement of the DRGs payment system for other diseases in South Korea, given its potential for curbing unnecessary resource usage encouraged by FFS. If the Korean government deliberates on expansion of the DRGs to include other diseases with higher rates of complications, policymakers need to monitor deterioration of health care quality caused by fixed pricing.
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