Healthy Skepticism Library item: 7627

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Kwon S.
Pharmaceutical reform and physician strikes in Korea: separation of drug prescribing and dispensing.
Soc Sci Med 2003 Aug; 57:(3):529-38
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=GatewayURL&_origin=inwardhub&_urlversion=4&_method=citationSearch&_piikey=S0277953602003787&_referrer=www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&_version=1&md5=3d442588e1e41267042865c217491075

Abstract:

The pharmaceutical reform in Korea that mandates the separation of drug prescribing and dispensing, where physicians and pharmacists both used to prescribed and dispensed drugs is discussed. The reform attempts to change the provider’s economic incentives by eliminating the providers’ profit from drugs that have been a major source of their income. It also influences the pharmaceutical industry that has thrived on offering high margins to physicians rather than on producing high-quality drugs. However, physician strikes forced the government to modify some critical elements of the reform package and to raise medical fees substantially to compensate for the income loss of physicians. Lack of a strategic plan of implementation, failure to appreciate the change in the paradigm of health policy process, and failure to convince consumers of the benefits of the reform, are the major reasons that the historic reform of the separation of drug prescribing and dispensing has resulted in greater social cost than expected.

Keywords:
Consumer Participation Drug Industry Drug Utilization/economics Drug Utilization/legislation & jurisprudence Fees, Medical Government Regulation Health Care Reform/legislation & jurisprudence* Health Services Misuse/economics Health Services Misuse/legislation & jurisprudence Humans Korea Legislation, Drug* Pharmacists Physicians/economics* Physicians/legislation & jurisprudence* Policy Making Politics Prescriptions, Drug/economics* Sociology, Medical Strikes, Employee*