In the wake of Covid-19, many countries have adopted telemedicine for an increasing array of health care services. The legal and institutional changes related to telemedicine in these countries provide insights into how Korea should progress in this area. In Japan, for instance, the government had begun considering ways to implement telemedicine as an evidence-based policy years before the pandemic, involving various perspectives. That Japan’s adoption of telemedicine has been achieved stepwise through discussions and verifications with stakeholders, including the medical profession, holds particular significance for Korea. Australia’s case is distinct in that it involves the lifting of all telemedicine restrictions previously placed on non-remote areas and the promotion of primary care telehealth services. However, more relevant to policymaking in Korea is the detailed amendment made to Australia’s Medicare Benefits Schedule that ensures reimbursement for telehealth based on the type of service delivered and the type of medical professional providing it. With its recently announced pilot projects and supplementary measures, Korea is on track to pursue efficient telemedicine policies incorporating technology and advances in healthcare. As this does not differ in direction from the paths along which Japan and Australia have steered their telemedicine adoption with the goal of improving people’s health, these countries can offer valuable insights for Korea’s telemedicine policymaking.
Korea is a relatively late starter in the field of MyData, yet it has swiftly developed and implemented MyHealthWay, a MyData health platform, along with the My Health Record App, thanks to efforts from the government and relevant agencies. However, there are numerous challenges to work through. Finland and Australia serve as prime examples of countries with government-led health MyData systems. Finland’s Kanta, a comprehensive health service system, is an exemplary case where a MyData approach has been proactively driven to enhance the quality and efficiency of healthcare services. Australia has in place My Health Record, which, as a MyData platform for implementing national digital health strategies, has contributed to enhancing access to and improving the quality of health information. This article examines the implementation and utilization of national health MyData platforms in Finland and Australia and suggests ways for Korea to enhance health MyData utilization through ongoing initiatives like MyHealthWay and the MyHealthRecord App.
In the wake of Covid-19, many countries have adopted telemedicine for an increasing array of health care services. The legal and institutional changes related to telemedicine in these countries provide insights into how Korea should progress in this area. In Japan, for instance, the government had begun considering ways to implement telemedicine as an evidence-based policy years before the pandemic, involving various perspectives. That Japan’s adoption of telemedicine has been achieved stepwise through discussions and verifications with stakeholders, including the medical profession, holds particular significance for Korea. Australia’s case is distinct in that it involves the lifting of all telemedicine restrictions previously placed on non-remote areas and the promotion of primary care telehealth services. However, more relevant to policymaking in Korea is the detailed amendment made to Australia’s Medicare Benefits Schedule that ensures reimbursement for telehealth based on the type of service delivered and the type of medical professional providing it. With its recently announced pilot projects and supplementary measures, Korea is on track to pursue efficient telemedicine policies incorporating technology and advances in healthcare. As this does not differ in direction from the paths along which Japan and Australia have steered their telemedicine adoption with the goal of improving people’s health, these countries can offer valuable insights for Korea’s telemedicine policymaking.
Australia has started relatively early to invest in digital technology in the field of mental health. Most digital mental health services are provided free of charge with a view to promoting their use. The range of available digital mental health services is wide. In the wake of Covid-19, Australia has made added efforts to improve mental health management, exemplified by the recent renewal of Head to Health, a national digital mental health platform. This platform brings digital mental health services from the public and private sectors together, broadening user choice, to enable early detection and treatment of mental health issues. Learning from the Australian example, Korea, where demand is high for mental health services, could develop various digital mental health services and link them to better address mental health issues.
As medical technology advances, the positive list of prostheses expands. In many countries, including Korea, a lack of management has led to increased health expenditures on prosthesis items. In recent years, Australia, with its national health insurance system like Korea’s, has increased health insurance premiums and amended the list of reimbursable prosthesis items in a bid to ensure financial stability. In this article, we aim to examine the characteristics of prosthesis management in Australia and recent amendments made to its prosthesis list and explore implications for prosthesis management in Korea.
One of the main goals of France’s education policy is to reduce the social inequalities that individuals face in life due to their social backgrounds. School segregation, whether within or between schools, where students are divided based on their socioeconomic status, has long been viewed as hindering equal educational opportunities, exacerbating social inequality, and, as a result, weakening social cohesion. In response, France’s education policy came to take as its goal “social mix” as opposed to school segregation. Since 2016, the French education ministry has experimented with various projects with a view to promoting social mix across middle schools. This year, France is embarking on a 3-year Social Mix Plan, established based on the outcome of these projects and research findings. This article explores social segregation within and between schools in France, as well as the issues and implications surrounding the promotion of social mix as a proposed solution.
Social isolation and loneliness, so widespread as to be called new pandemics, have emerged not only as individual health and life-satisfaction issues but also as social problems. Older adults, in particular, their chronic conditions deepening and their social networks thinning, are more likely to become socially isolated or lonely. The US has implemented multifaceted initiatives to address social isolation and loneliness among seniors. At the community level, older adults are encouraged to participate in “Village” social activities. When it comes to housing, the senior cohousing program is there to help older adults keep themselves from loneliness and foster a sense of belonging. Additionally, senior-friendly technology platforms and robotic systems are applied to assist older adults to connect with society and keep themselves from social isolation. The health sector has introduced an early screening system for older adults and provides and connects them with various services designed to alleviate their loneliness. This article examines some of the efforts ongoing in the US to reduce social isolation and loneliness among seniors and explores the implications they might have for Korea.
This article introduces the self-sufficiency assessments implemented in the US, Australia, and the UK and compares them in terms of what each consists of―aspects assessed, methods used, and processes involved. These assessments vary in the policy context in which they are conducted. When it comes to the capacity assessment of self-sufficiency project participants transitioning to work, however, the common focus is on competencies that should matter in work. Specifically, these assessments are conducted on factors that are likely to affect one’s work activities, such as one’s psychiatric and cognitive aspects, cognitive learning abilities (arithmetic ability, writing skills, ability to memorize, etc.), and job skills (computer skills, etc.). The various versions of self-sufficiency assessment indicators used in the three countries suggest that Korea’s self-sufficiency assessment needs to be designed in detail and with precision.
The UK, one of the countries where childcare costs are among the highest in the world, recently announced plans to gradually implement a comprehensive reform of its funded childcare system over the next two years. The reform aims to alleviate the financial burden of childcare on parents and to create more employment opportunities for mothers who, unable to afford childcare services, have largely remained out of the labor market. To this announcement, however, parents and frontline childcare providers alike, so far from welcoming it, responded with a voice of concern over the potential adverse impact of the reform. This article examines the policy backdrop behind the UK government’s plan to expand its funded care and then discusses some of the debated issues surrounding the proposed reform and their implications for Korea’s free childcare, especially as regards working women who are mothers.
