The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) announced on the 17th that it will hold a "Health Insurance Data Provision Guideline Forum" jointly with the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) at the NHIS Seoul Gangwon Regional Headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
NHIS data is evaluated as big data containing vast and detailed information unprecedented worldwide. It encompasses comprehensive data including subscriber and dependent qualifications directly related to health insurance, insurance premium imposition details, medical histories from hospitals and clinics, health checkups, long-term care insurance, automobile insurance contents, socioeconomic information, and citizens' medical treatment information.
NHIS and HIRA explained that since the implementation of the Data 3 Act in 2020, related public data has become available for use by the private sector, and they have been actively supporting basic research in government and academia, as well as health care policies, by providing some of this data to the public in the form of public data and statistical materials. The data is used as evidence for responding to major infectious diseases such as COVID-19, addressing various social issues like child abuse and humidifier-related damage, and improving healthcare systems such as securing the golden time for severe emergency patients.
In this regard, private insurance companies have been requesting the provision of public medical data secured by NHIS since 2021. However, there is a sharp division of opinions among stakeholders regarding concerns that the use of related data by private insurers could lead to the exclusion of vulnerable groups from insurance enrollment, thereby infringing on the interests of the data subjects.
To narrow the differences in views on whether to open the data, NHIS and HIRA have been continuously discussing with stakeholders since last year. Since the 'deferment of review' decision by the Data Provision Review Committee, NHIS has been exchanging opinions with subscribers, providers, and expert groups to prepare the direction of the mediation plan, which is the guideline. The main directions currently established are that data opening to private insurers should not primarily disadvantage the public, research must be conducted jointly with NHIS and others, and the consent of the providing institution must be obtained when utilizing research results.
Through this forum, stakeholders and experts will gather in one place to listen to each other's opinions and seek reasonable measures.
NHIS and HIRA stated, “We will fully collect stakeholders' opinions and specify the provision direction to prepare a 'Joint Guideline for Health Insurance Data Provision' that can contribute to the promotion of public health.”
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