A Plan to Reorganize the health care system in accordance with the 4th Industrial Revolution

Abstract

Over the past 40 years, Korea’s medical care system has made remarkable progress in comparison with any other country in the world. Every time President OBama expressed his commitment to expand US public health insurance, he would refer to Korea’s health care system as a best practice. Nonetheless, today’s health care system in Korea has a lot of pending issues such as low fertility rates, aging and low growth rates, complexity and chronicity of diseases, and the fastest increase in medical expenses among OECD countries. In light of the global trend, every country is seeking to shift the healthcare system to maximize value, such as improving the quality of medical care and optimizing costs. These countries also face difficulties in raising funds due to low growth and aging, and emphasize the importance of primary care due to the spread of chronic diseases. In the meantime, if supplier-centered treatment was the basis of policy, the decision-making structure is now shifting to consumer-centered, and the shift from segmental medical supply to an integrated medical system among suppliers is sought. Especially, along with the breakthrough of the 4th industrial revolution, the medical system is able to manage everyday life through the internet, integrate clinical information, and cope with future medical risks through genome analysis. Today, even when challenges and opportunities exist, Korea is also limited in its ability to exert such challenges in the current medical system. The reality of the increase of medical needs, the fixation of chronic diseases, the national preference for high-quality medical care, and the will of the people to expand protection is showing that the medical system needs to be reformed. In Korea, the data collection system in a single health insurance and the leading position of ICT are emerging as strengths to overcome new challenges. Therefore, this report searched for the direction of micro and macro reorganization of the health care system that can reorganize the health care system in the fourth industrial revolution era and respond to future challenges. As a microscopic plan, we tried to find a way to integrate digital health care into the current health care system, and to lay the foundations for health care to become a driving force for Korea’s growth without damaging the people’s right to health. As a macroscopic measure, we looked for ways to simultaneously address various issues such as financial sustainability, quality of medical care, and current medical supply system, payment system, delivery system, etc. The core contents of the fourth industrial revolution, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of things, and big data, will play a role in the new system.