The Performance Management System of the Korean Healthcare Sector: Development, Challenges, and Future Tasks

ABSTRACT:

During the past two decades, performance management programs in Korea’s healthcare sector have become increasingly diversified in terms of the measures used and the scope of the healthcare services measured. Despite the recent growth of performance management programs in Korea’s healthcare system, few studies have evaluated performance management programs as a whole in the context of national healthcare system objectives. Drawing on Talbot’s performance regime framework, this study describes the major challenges to Korea’s performance-based healthcare management systems. We suggest that the challenges can be addressed by creating a coherent conceptual framework and a macro-level coordination body. We further suggest that relevant performance interventions be chosen based on theoretical models of performance management. Our findings have implications for future studies on performance management of healthcare systems in other countries as well as in Korea.

KEYWORDS::

• healthcare management governance
• performance intervention
• performance regime

Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2012S1A3A2033416) to Dr. Minah Kang.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yoon Kim

Yoon Kim is Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University, and at the Institute of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Kim has published in European Journal of Public Health, International Journal of Medical Informatics, Journal of Trauma, Archives of Surgery, and other internationally recognized healthcare journals. His research interests are healthcare performance improvement, medical informatics, and health services research across diverse areas, including mental health, emergency medical service systems, and disability health.

Minah Kang

Minah Kang is professor in the Department of Public Administration at Ewha Woman’s University, Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Kang has published in New England Journal of Medicine, Health Affairs, Asia Pacific Viewpoint, Medical Care, JAMA, and other internationally recognized health and public policy journals. Her research interests are global health and governance, ODA policy, and political analysis of public policy.