The participation rate of the medical community in the digitalization of the process to claim actual loss insurance benefits online, without needing to visit hospitals and prepare complicated documents, has been low.
On the 5th, the Financial Services Commission held a meeting of the Actual Loss System Operation Committee with joint participation from the medical and insurance sectors at the Government Seoul building, and requested the active cooperation of the medical community to ensure the public's right to insurance claims.
As of the 1st, 1,085 hospitals, 3,564 public health centers, 1,862 clinics, and 1,290 pharmacies, totaling 7,801 medical institutions, are participating in the digitalization of actual loss insurance claims. The participation rate for stage one, based on the number of participating institutions, is at a level of 59.4%, but the participation rate for stage two clinics and pharmacies is only 3.3%. There are concerns that the low participation rate for stage two, even considering that the revised Insurance Business Act has not yet been implemented.
The issue is the economic burden for the medical institutions participating in the digitalization and electronic medical record (EMR) processing companies. The financial authorities are supporting various server regulations fees, system development costs, and dissemination costs to alleviate the economic burden, but medical institutions are showing a lukewarm attitude, citing a lack of economic incentives.
In response, the financial authorities have decided to reduce the guarantee fee for loans backed by the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (KODIT) by 0.2 percentage points for hospitals and pharmacies participating in the digitalization of claims until the end of next year. From November, a 3-5% discount on general insurance premiums will also be provided to medical institutions participating in the digitalization.
The financial authorities also proposed a plan to enhance consumer utility by providing a point cashback (1,000 won) when insurance claims are made through the Actual Loss 24 system. Additionally, a public awareness campaign will be conducted through major online and offline channels, insurance company-specific notification messages, and the provision of promotional materials to medical institutions.