[SEOUL=Health/Medical News] Every sanatorium and mental hospital will be subject to compulsory assessment starting next year.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Monday that 'compulsory certification system for sanatoriums' will be implemented starting next January for the purpose of securing safety for inpatients and improving the quality of medical service.
An official from the ministry explained the background of the introduction, saying that as the number of sanatoriums exponentially increases due to ageing society and the increase of senile disorders and chronic diseases, compulsory system was introduced to cope with human rights, hygiene, and safety problems occurring in some hospitals.
Under the certification system, the number of sanatoriums and mental hospitals subject to compulsory assessment reaches slighlty more than 1,300.
The number asseessment items is 203 for sanatoriums, including patient safety, diagnostics and appropriateness of drug management. For menatal hospitals, the number is 198. The items reflect the characteristics of inpatients of sanatoriums and mental hospitals such as medical service for terminal patients and stayout management.
Sanatoriums are subject to review for certification within three years(2013~2015), mental hospitals four years(2013~2016). Newly established sanatoriums should apply for certification within three months since the date of establishment approval and take certification review within one year since approval.
The corresponding medical institutions subject to year 2013 should apply from 2 Jan to 28 Feb 2013. The institutions subject after 2014 should apply from 2 Jan to 29 Mar at Korea Institute for Health Care Accreditation website.
For the sanatoriums wanting to be certified within the former half of next year can apply in advance from 10 Dec to 28 Dec, 2012, regarless of the number of beds.
Since the certification is compulsory, the ministry supports the cost for application and also administrative measures will be taken.
Current governt budget includes certification budget for 100 sanatoriums and 60 mental hospitals, 820 million won and 700 won, respectively. For sanatoriums, additional support for 150 institutions, costing 1.9 billion won is being discussed.
When sanatoriums do not apply for certification, administrative measures such as correction order, 15-day suspension of operation, and fine less than 50 million won, are taken.
The ministry is planning to adjusting insurance payment for nursing, linking certification results and appropriateness review. The results such as approval, conditional approval and disapproval, will be shown at Korea Institute for Health Care Accreditation website. The ministry will also induce the improvement of sustaining service quality through arranging corroborated certification standards in the second certification term.
An official from the ministry said, "In order to improve the service quality of medical welfare for the aged, the ministry is arranging various link models to specialize the functions of sanatoriums and to improve long-term nursing insurance system that lacks medical service linkage after fast growth period through preparing 'health and welfare task force for the aged'."
-대한민국 의학전문지 헬스코리아뉴스-
