"If You're Over 50, 'Register' With a Neighborhood Clinic" Korean-Style Primary Care Model Takes Its First Step

[Financial News] A Korean-style primary care pilot project will begin on the 29th, allowing residents aged 50 and older to register with a neighborhood clinic. A team of experts—including doctors, nurses, dietitians, physical therapists and social workers—will provide services ranging from treatment and health management to care coordination.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) announced on the 28th that it will launch the Community Primary Care Innovation Pilot Project. The initiative aims to establish a place-based primary care system and develop a prevention-focused health management model in response to an increasingly super-aged society and the growing prevalence of chronic diseases.
MOHW solicited applications from July 9 to August 5, a period of four weeks. After comprehensively assessing the capabilities of 674 applicant institutions and the feasibility of their plans to operate multidisciplinary teams, it selected 120 clinics. The group includes 20 clinics operating their own multidisciplinary teams under the standalone model and 100 providing team-based services in cooperation with hub support institutions under the collaborative model.

The program is intended for local residents aged 50 and older who have a high demand for integrated care. They can register with a participating neighborhood clinic. Registered patients will pay the same level of out-of-pocket costs as they do for regular care, with no additional fees for taking part in the program.
In addition to treatment, registered patients will receive personalized care, either in person or remotely, based on their health status. Services include counseling and management based on health screening results; education and counseling on exercise, diet and medication; and, when necessary, consultations about and referrals for using specialist clinics or hospitals.
Starting today, participating institutions will register and assess patients who wish to take part, develop individualized care plans, and provide comprehensive primary care services. These include disease treatment, medication management, education and counseling, home-visit medical care and nursing, and connections to community care resources. The pilot project will run for approximately three years, and the number of participating institutions may increase depending on its progress.

The program will pilot an integrated payment system that provides annual management fees based on patients' health and demographic characteristics. The system will apply to primary care services such as education and counseling. Participating institutions may also choose the integrated payment system instead of the fee-for-service system for medical services such as consultations, examinations and procedures. In addition, they will receive operational support for forming and running multidisciplinary teams, as well as performance-based incentives tied to patient management and service delivery.
MOHW expects residents' health to improve as they receive health management services suited to their individual conditions at nearby neighborhood clinics. It also anticipates that the introduction of the integrated payment system will help shift primary care from a treatment-centered model to one focused on prevention and management.
Go Hyeong-woo, Director General for Regional Essential Healthcare Policy at MOHW, said, "Through this pilot project, we will successfully establish a Korean-style primary care doctor model that both the public and medical institutions can trust, laying the foundation for its institutionalization." He added, "We ask for the public's keen interest in and participation in the pilot project."

[email protected] Jeong Myeong-jin, medical specialist Reporter