- Date2025-11-18
Publication of the 2023 Evaluation Results for the Adequacy of Long-Term Care Hospitals
- A total of 233 institutions received Grade 1, and 556 institutions (42.9% of all) were eligible for quality support funding. -
□ The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA, President: Kang Jung-Gu) announces on June 19 the results of the 5th round of the 2nd-cycle (2023) adequacy evaluation for long-term care hospitals. The results will be available on the HIRA website* and the mobile app**.
* HIRA website (www.hira.or.kr) > Medical Information > Medical Evaluation Information > Hospital Evaluation Search > Long-Term Care Hospital
Korea Healthcare Quality Assessment website (https://khqa.kr) > Evaluation Information > Adequacy Evaluation of Medical Benefits > Long-Term Care > Long-Term Care Hospital
** Mobile app: “Health e-Eum” > Find Good Hospitals in My Area > Advanced Search > Long-Term Care Hospital
“Hospital Evaluation” > Evaluation Information > Long-Term Care > Long-Term Care Hospital
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< Key Details > ▪ Evaluation Target - Evaluation Period: July–December 2023 (6 months) for inpatient care - Institutions Evaluated: 1,325 long-term care hospitals billing under the per diem payment system ▪ Evaluation Results - Overall Score: The average score was 77.9 points, a 0.5-point increase from the previous round’s average of 77.4 points. - Evaluation Grades: 233 hospitals received Grade 1 and 451 hospitals received Grade 2, together accounting for 52.8% of all evaluated hospitals (1,297 institutions). ▪ Institutions Eligible for Quality Support Funding - Total: 556 hospitals (an increase of 37 from the previous round) - Top 30% in Overall Score or Below: 378 hospitals - Grade 4 or Higher with an Improvement of 5 Points or More Compared to the Previous Evaluation: 178 hospitals |
□ HIRA has conducted adequacy evaluations of inpatient care at long-term care hospitals since 2008 to prevent potential declines in medical quality resulting from the under-provision of services under the per diem payment system and to encourage voluntary quality improvement.
○ The 5th round of the 2nd cycle evaluation, now being released, was conducted on 1,325 long-term care hospitals nationwide for inpatient care provided between July and December 2023. The 13 evaluation indicators used were the same as in the previous round.
□ According to the results, the average overall score was 77.9 points, representing a 0.5-point increase from the previous round. Among all long-term care hospitals, 52.8% received either Grade 1 or Grade 2 (233 hospitals received Grade 1 and 451 hospitals received Grade 2).
○ Among the Grade 1 hospitals, 233 received the top rating, and 129 of them achieved Grade 1 for two consecutive evaluations. By region, most of these hospitals were located in the Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, and Jeolla regions, in that order.
□ The evaluation indicators are divided into the “Structure Domain,” which assesses the ratio of qualified professionals to inpatients, and the “Care Domain,” which evaluates the quality of medical services provided to patients in long-term care hospitals.
○ Most indicators in the Structure Domain remained at levels similar to the previous round, while most indicators in the Care Domain showed improvement compared to the previous evaluation.
□ The evaluation results, which are released annually, incentivize long-term care hospitals to improve the quality of medical services. Institutions with ① overall scores in the top 30% or ② Grade 4 or higher with an overall score improvement of 5 points or more compared to the previous evaluation receive additional quality support funding. Conversely, institutions with overall scores in the bottom 5% are subject to reduction measures.*
*Reduction: limits on additional payments for staffing based on the overall evaluation score.
○ This year, quality support funding will be provided to a total of 556 hospitals (42.9% of all institutions), an increase of 37 from the previous year, for one year from July 2025 to June 2026. A total of 48 institutions are subject to reduction measures and will not receive differential inpatient fee adjustments* or compensation for necessary staff for six months (July–December 2025).
*To prevent declines in care quality, hospitals with sufficient medical staff relative to patient numbers receive additional inpatient fees, while those that do not meet the standard receive reduced fees.
○ Whether an institution is eligible for quality support funding or subject to reductions is individually notified through the Evaluation Results Notification.
□ Director Jeon Mi-ju of HIRA’s Evaluation Operations Office stated, “As a result of long-term care hospitals’ continuous efforts, most evaluation indicators, including overall scores, have improved. We hope that releasing these evaluation results will help the public choose long-term care hospitals with confidence.” She added, “HIRA will continue to support activities to improve the quality of medical services to enhance both care quality and public health.”
