As the use of smart medical devices such as telemedicine and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) is being mentioned as an alternative to improve access to care for people with Type 1 diabetes, a forum to discuss the need to improve related systems was held at the National Assembly.
The event on the 11th was hosted by the Korea Type 1 Diabetes Association and National Assembly members Kim Yun, Lee So-hee, Jeong Jin-uk, and Choi Bo-yun; members of the parliamentary research group "Eyes of the Weak," Kang Gyeong-suk, Kang Deuk-gu, Kim Ye-ji, and Seo Mi-hwa; and organized by the telemedicine platform Soldoc.
At the event, the film "Sugar," which tells the story of Kim Mi-yeong, head of the Korea Type 1 Diabetes Association, was screened first.
Kim said, "Type 1 diabetes is a condition that requires lifelong management, but it is not recognized as a severe intractable disease on the grounds that annual out-of-pocket medical expenses do not exceed 1 million won," adding, "CGM and insulin pump consumables are essential medical expenses for patients, but support is limited by the current standards that recognize only expenses incurred at care institutions such as hospitals and pharmacies as medical expenses."
The need to expand support for adult patients was also raised. Currently, children and adolescents age 19 and under receive support for 90% of related consumable expenses, but adults receive only 70%. Kim said, "When people become adults, they may delay treatment due to the economic burden," adding, "There is a need to raise the adult support rate to the same level as for children and adolescents."
The need to improve the telemedicine system was also mentioned. Lee Ho-ik, head of Soldoc, said, "Because Type 1 diabetes is a condition that requires ongoing prescriptions and management, the stable institutionalization of telemedicine is important," noting, "For treatment based on CGM data to become routine, related protocols and reading systems must be established in primary care settings as well."
Meanwhile, Soldoc operates the "Soldoc Concierge" service, which provides integrated support for telemedicine, insulin and CGM prescriptions, consumable purchases, and delegated claims for care expenses for people with Type 1 diabetes.
Soldoc Concierge integrates into a single service functions needed by people with Type 1 diabetes, including: ▲ telemedicine ▲ prescriptions and purchases of insulin, CGMs, and consumable materials ▲ product delivery ▲ delegated claims for care expenses ▲ guidance on pharmacies that handle insulin and on telemedicine prescriptions for Baqsimi (glucagon) ▲ automatic issuance of year-end tax settlement documents ▲ issuance of tax-law disability certificates ▲ provision of Type 1 diabetes emergency cards and medical device cards for passing through airport security checkpoints.