The government has systematized the naming and procedures for diseases and treatment items concerning pets. With the standardization of treatment criteria, it is assessed that a practical foundation will be established for the development of pet insurance products and the simplification of insurance claim reviews.
On the 24th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that it has newly organized the names and codes for diseases and treatment activities used in veterinary hospitals through a revised notice on the 'recommended standards for animal treatment.'
The revision includes a total of 3,511 disease names, including common conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, as well as otitis externa and conjunctivitis, and 4,930 treatment activity names, including initial visits, hospitalization, and vaccinations.
In addition, for 40 major diseases with high visit frequencies, such as diarrhea and diabetes, separate procedures for each stage of treatment were also established. From the perspective of pet owners, the predictability of the treatment process is expected to increase, and it is said to help alleviate discrepancies in treatment costs between hospitals, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs noted that this measure is also significant in terms of revitalizing pet insurance. The standardized disease code system could be utilized for designing customized insurance products and serve as foundational data for simplifying the processes of insurance claims and reviews. Currently, there have been significant challenges in establishing insurance payout standards due to differing terminologies and classification methods at each veterinary hospital.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, 'The current measure to organize disease names and treatment items could serve as a useful foundation for future veterinary big data construction and policy design.'
However, the revised notification this time is in the form of 'recommended standards' and does not have mandatory force. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to encourage voluntary application in the field through cooperation with the animal medical community and the insurance industry in the private sector.
Park Jeong-hoon, director of animal welfare and environmental policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, 'The standardization of treatment is an institutional advancement that contributes to the sophistication of the animal medical system and the establishment of a foundation for pet insurance,' and added, 'We will continue to pursue policies that benefit both the animal medical community and consumers in the future.'