• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2023

Due to COVID-19, the non-face-to-face era has arrived, and telemedicine has become a demand of the times in the medical community. Accordingly, this study aims to present a way to supplement Korea's telemedicine policy by comparing and analyzing domestic telemedicine policy and China's telemedicine policy, and analyzing the success factors of Chinese telemedicine. Domestic and foreign literature was explored to compare and analyze telemedicine policy cases of Korean, Chinese. Domestic and foreign national legal databases and web DBs were used, and literature were restricted between 2009 and 2022. Prior to COVID-19, the scope of telemedicine was very narrow in Korea, and only some pilot projects were operated. After COVID-19, the scope of telemedicine temporarily expanded, but no specific policies or systems were prepared. On the other hand, in the case of China, related policy institutional discussions on telemedicine have been actively conducted since the past, and accordingly, specific scope of application and related management norms and systems have been prepared. For the development of telemedicine in Korea, it is necessary to supplement the definition of telemedicine, ensure the accuracy and safety of non-face-to-face care through telemedicine, and solve the concentration phenomenon of large hospitals through limited conditions for hospital-level medical institutions.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.323-386
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• 2006

A combination of information technology and medical care has given rise to a new type of medicine, i.e., telemedicine. Broadly defined, telemedicine is the transfer of electronic medical data from one location to another. Both at home and abroad, telemedicine has come to success in establishing appropriate equipment and solutions for such non-conventional medicine. Sooner or later, telemedicine is believed to find itself as one of the universal treatments. In order to facilitate the full-fledged development of telemedicine, a number of legal and institutional problems have to be settled. In Korea, the Medical Act was amended to include such provisions as telemedicine, electronic medical records, electronic prescriptions, etc. and the Act came into force on March 31, 2002. Telemedicine is in common with the conventional medicine in that a physician treats a patient. However, telemedicine is basically differentiated in the followings: - The offer and acceptance of treatment and medication are usually made on-line; - Telemedicine is inherently dangerous because a physician cannot meet face-to-face with a patient; and - Joint and several liability is borne by all the physicians involved in a telemedical consultation. As a result, telemedicine is vulnerable in nature to medical malpractice. Accordingly, there must be some new theories and arguments in the formation of contract and torts. The discussion on the civil liability covers the above-mentioned issues, and would give an insight or guidelines in the concerted operation of provisions with respect to telemedicine. This study delves into the civil liability of physicians involved in telemedical consultations and treatments based upon the conventional malpractice theory.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.141-169
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• 2022

Article 34 of 'Medical Service Act' of Korea provides telemedicine service between medical personnel. Telemedicine between medical personnel and patients, therefor, in principle, is not recongnized. Increasing demand for telemedicine fueled by COVID-19 pandemic and accumulation of telemedicine experience lead a change in stubborn opposition of the medical community, tenuous though it may be. This article focuses on the telemedicine legislation in France, which can be used as a reference for the telemedicine legislation premised on telemedicine between medical personnel and patients. The legislation stipulates the concept, types, and conditions of telemedicine performance through 'Code de la santé publique'. The principle that telemedicine shall be performed alternately with direct medical treatment to a patient and details relating to such telemedicine performance as telemedicine costs, medical fees, and telemedicine equipment support are stipulated through an agreement between the medical community and health insurance organizations. From this point, the implications for our legal system were presented.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.47-56
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• 2016

Recently many small and mid-sized hospitals are closing down or experiencing financial difficulties. As a result, in order to provide exceptional service that would increase their competitiveness, they implemented telemedicine service for the prescription of medicine necessary before a colonoscopy. This study is an analysis of how telemedicine service affects patient satisfaction. Through the focus group interview (FGI) of medical service providers, regarding telemedicine service and face-to-face service, it was appraised that telemedicine service was more effective than face-to-face service. Afterward, a second survey aimed at endoscopy patients was conducted in order to find out the value of telemedicine service. First, through the analysis of the three main factors of telemedicine service, conclusions were drawn(safety/reliability, convenience/rapidity, and economics). A follow-up analysis showed that convenience/rapidity had the greatest effect on telemedicine service satisfaction. Next the factors of the quality of medical service were analyzed and 3 main factors were deduced (the superiority of the external and internal environments/appropriateness, superiority of the medical team, telemedicine service). A follow-up analysis found that telemedicine service had the greatest effect on patient satisfaction. This study found that providing exceptional medical service that utilizes telemedicine service would improve patient satisfaction. Therefore, we would be able to form a strategic plan that would strengthen the competitiveness of small and mid-sized hospitals.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.65-88
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• 1997

In Korea, telemedicine is still under the beginning stage, but we expect that the developing 'Information Highway' will make this technology more common place and more easily used in coming soon. Currently, three hospitals are providing telemedicine services with their subsidiary hospitals which are far away from their remote place. However, the fee schedule of telemedicine services are not well-settled down, of course not reimbursed through current health insurance system. This study aims to develop new payment system for medical services provided through telemedicaine system. To design appropriate fee schedule for telemedicine services, we, first, review the current insurance payment system and telemedicine system both in domestic and foreign countries focusing on its payment system. A framework of telemedicine payment system is proposed in following steps based on information we acquired from this stage. Second. We decide the span of cost items which should be covered by telemedicine payment scheme. In hear, we suggest payment method for telemedicine services should be designed as dual structure which are telemedicine fee that should be reimbursed through payment scheme and any costs related to capital investment that should not be covered by payment system. Which is, payment system for telemedicine services should cover only service-related costs and any costs related to capital investment should be generated through third party such as government, health insurance association, etc. Finally, we suggest new fee schedules for telemedicine services. The key issues on developing telemedicine fee schedules are related with the determination of appropriate additional rate($\alpha$). The reasonable additional rate($\alpha$) must determine through careful evaluation of any additional efforts(e. g. : additional work hours which are related to providing telemedicine services). This study shows the process of how to determine appropriate additional rate($\alpha$).

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.151-156
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• 2015

Recently, the government tends to address the health policy as an economic logic. However, health policy must be priority to national health right than economic logic. Thus, in this paper analyzes the problems of telemedicine for telemedicine that are at issue in South Korea, based on this, and presents reasonable health policy directions for telemedicine. To amend the law and legislation the health policy and law, analyze the rationality, feasibility of law and sufficient review should be implemented. Comparing to the foreign which introduced telemedicine earlier, discussion on telemedicine in South Korea remains a long way to go and it is now beginning step. Therefore, it should not forget that the health policy of the government with crass insensitivity can bring great disaster. Above all, to the health care, the sufficient review and social consensus which can reduce the side-effects are priority.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.198-217
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• 2013

This research aims to examine the behavior changes of telemedicine participants with regard to time-space reconfiguration and to address the implications of telemedicine in terms of extensibility and restrictions (ambilaterality). According to the results of this research, telemedicine can lead to behavior changes in telemedicine participants, particularly patients. However, it is difficult to anticipate the time-space reconfiguration of telemedicine participants drastically. In other words, although telemedicine minimizes patients' burden of accessibility to and utilization of medical institutions, it requires the patients to visit medical institutions at least once due to the restricted application of telemedicine related to technological problems, the characteristics of medical practice and mutual stakes among the medical institutions involved in telemedicine. And physicians (telemedicine providers as mediators between medical specialists and patients) and medical specialists (as the ultimate telemedicine providers) do not evidence considerable changes in their behaviors, except for offline meetings for information sharing and medical training. Because the present telemedicine system does not require simultaneity between physicians, patients and medical specialists. Furthermore, present telemedicine operation is absorbed into existing medical activities as a health care delivery method. These phenomena are due to 1) the interests among medical institutions and the limitation or generalization of telemedicine technologies to stimulate regional-based telemedicine operation and 2) the goal of face-to-face interactions between patients and doctors, which is to avoid misdiagnosis and side effects. Finally, medical activities related to telemedicine do not differ from general medical activities. The ambilaterality of telemedicine in terms of extensibility and the restriction of time-space reconfiguration is an unsettled problem in the ICT technologies of medical services.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.325-338
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• 2015

Telemedicine, which gives or receives medical information via ICT (information and communication technology), is regarded as innovation in a medical field and its application is various according to offline conditions. For example, the utilization of telemedicine in Korea is unfair because of the administrative discretion, which is the basic unit of telemedicine for its practical operation, in spite of the same diagnostic area. With this mind, this study investigates the cause of regional differences of telemedicine through a case of Kangwon province. Furthermore, the crucial matter is that regional differences of telemedicine are associated with digital divide; therefore, this research considers digital divide triggered by telemedicine. The core results are as follows. First, there are little measures such as increase of the staff, economic compensation for public officials, education of telemedicine facilities; accordingly, only regions, where can accept these insufficient conditions, manage the telemedicine system. Second, the interesting of a mayor or a governor and a head of a health center as a highest decision maker has something to do with different utilization of telemedicine. Third, public health doctors play a role as practical operators in telemedicine, but their stance is skeptic about telemedicine somewhat because of the relationship with the medical association opposing the implementation of telemedicine, unimproved regional health care condition, etc. Forth, it seems that the digital divide caused by the regional differences of the present telemedicine utilization does not led to tangible results and is not turned to another disparity so far, the proper measures are required considering that various health care services based on telemedicine will be extended.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.23-39
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate practical experiences of telemedicine of community health practitioners(CHPs). Methods: Qualitative data were collected by in-depth interviews from 10 CHPs who have experiences in managing telemedicine system. All interviews were recorded and transcribed according to qualitative conventional content analysis processes. Results: As a result, 32 themes were deduced and 11 theme clusters and 3 categories were formed and each coding categories were derived directly from the text data. 11 theme clusters derived from the 32 meaningful themes were as follows: Human resources, equipments and systems, computer program (Input resources), human resource management, patient registration and management, medication, laboratory test (Progress), benefits in telemedicine system managing, difficulties in telemedicine system managing, complains in telemedicine system managing, client responses to telemedicine system (Outcome evaluation). 3 categories derived 11 theme clusters were 'input', 'progress', and 'outcome evaluation'. Conclusions: This study has contributed to the understanding of operation of telemedicine by CHPs in community health posts. For more systematic and comprehensive management, further study should be conducted to reflect experience and positions of public health center physicians, collaborative hospital physician and patients.

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.151-155
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• 2005

Telemedicine uses common technologies that provide a conduit for information exchange between physicians nurses and patients. In addition to patient records, medical professionals can obtain vital signs and other reference data through telemedicine applications. also, recent advancement in RF technology and wireless communications has enabled the development of Ubiquitous networks. Mobile telemedicine involves more than just communicating via mobile phone of PDA that sends and receives medical data on Portable Internet. this paper describes the design of a mobile telemedicine PDA prototype based on Embedded Linux that can be used to monitor the medical information using a single board computer(SBC). This system would be very useful for patients with chronic illness, especially in an emergent environment, and for containing medical cost in the aged society.