Home medical care and Home health care system and roles of the public health care in Korea

In the face of rapid aging in Korea, the demand for appropriate medical services for the elderly at home is increasing. This study investigates the current status of home medical care and Home health care in Korea based on the concept of Home-based primary care, and proposes strategies to implement home-care in public health centers and public hospitals that play a major role in the field of public health care.First of all, by presenting a conceptual framework for the current status of Korea’s home medical care and Home health care provision system, and described according to three financial resources: National Health Insurance(NHI), Long-Term Care Insurance(LTCI), and public health care. At the current level, the home health care systems are fragmented and they should be redesigned to improve the home care services.In order to implement home care in public health care institutions, a model centered on public health centers and public hospitals is proposed. Public health centers have various advantages, responsibility positions, and access to information, but they have working conditions and difficulties in providing incentives, and medical and nursing limitations. Public hospitals can provide a variety of services, but community access and insufficient knowledge are pointed out as disadvantages. Therefore, it is important to establish a cooperative system between the two institutions.Finally, we proposes the division and cooperation between public health centers and private medical institutions according to the level of service. Private medical institutions could be in charge of active treatment, medical services and skilled nursing cares. public health centers could perform monitoring and follow-up the patients. it is necessary to establish a coordinating system to cooperate the two parts of institutions.