Disclosure of Economic Benefits Provided by Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Companies to Healthcare Professionals

HIRA Launches "Expense Report Management System"
First Disclosure of Last Year's Reports Scheduled for Next Month

The Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service announced on November 17 that it has officially launched the "Expense Report Management System," an integrated platform for the public disclosure of expense report information by pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

Expense Report Management System Mobile Screen. Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service

This management system is the first integrated platform in Korea for the public disclosure of expense reports, providing details of legitimate economic benefits offered by pharmaceutical and medical device companies to healthcare professionals and others.

According to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and the Medical Devices Act, pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, and wholesalers are required to prepare and retain expense reports when providing economic benefits to healthcare professionals or pharmacists. This system, which was first introduced in 2018 to promote transparency in the sales practices of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, covers a range of activities, including: ▲ provision of samples ▲ support for academic conferences ▲ support for clinical trials ▲ product briefings ▲ post-marketing surveillance ▲ discounts based on payment terms ▲ use for performance verification prior to purchase (applicable only to medical devices).

The newly established management system, built on the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service's own digital cloud infrastructure, greatly enhances user convenience by enabling easy and convenient preparation and disclosure of expense reports. Key features include: ▲ automatic verification of expense report entries ▲ a mobile service utilizing responsive web technology ▲ notification service via KakaoTalk. System stability has also been significantly strengthened, including improved system speed, to ensure reliable operation even under unexpected conditions such as a sudden surge in usage.

The Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service plans to release the 2024 expense report information for the first time through this system next month.

So Sumi, Director of the Comprehensive Pharmaceutical Information Center at the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, stated, "We hope that the public disclosure system for expense reports will contribute to establishing transparent sales practices in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors and to creating a safe healthcare service environment for the public."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.