Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital Receives First-Grade Rating in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment

High Quality of Care Demonstrated in Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Evaluation

Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital exterior. / Photo by External Cooperation and Public Relations Team

Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital announced on the 30th that it received a first-grade rating with a comprehensive score of 93.5 points in the 10th Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) adequacy assessment for 2024, as released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.

This assessment was conducted by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service over the past year, targeting patients aged 40 and older who received treatment for COPD at 6,466 medical institutions nationwide, including advanced general hospitals, general hospitals, hospitals, long-term care hospitals, clinics, public health centers, health sub-centers, and public medical centers.

The evaluation was carried out across a total of seven items, including three assessment indicators-pulmonary function test implementation rate, proportion of patients with continuous visits, and proportion of patients prescribed inhaled bronchodilators-and four monitoring indicators-proportion of patients hospitalized due to COPD, proportion of patients who visited the emergency room due to COPD, number of days prescribed inhaled bronchodilators (all subjects), and number of days prescribed inhaled bronchodilators (subjects assessed for treatment continuity).

COPD is a chronic respiratory disease in which long-term exposure of the airways and lungs to risk factors such as cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, fine dust, bacteria, and viruses causes chronic inflammation and airway narrowing.

It is an outpatient care-sensitive disease, meaning that effective outpatient treatment can prevent disease exacerbation and hospitalization.

Hospital Director Park Jaehyung stated, "COPD is one of the most representative respiratory diseases, and prompt diagnosis, prevention, and treatment are crucial," adding, "We will do our utmost to ensure early diagnosis, effective treatment, and safe care for COPD patients."

Meanwhile, the prevalence rate of COPD in Korea is 12.7% among those aged 40 and older, and 25.6% among those aged 65 and older. The hospitalization rate for COPD per 100,000 people aged 40 and older is 99.8 on average (as of 2023), which is lower than the OECD average.