Yonsei University Researchers Report Recent Findings in Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases (Impact of Cardiac Rehabilitation Health Insurance Coverage on Cardiac Rehabilitation Use in Korea Using an Interrupted Time Series): Health and Medicine – Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases

2024 FEB 21 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Researchers detail new data in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. According to news reporting originating from Yonsei University by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Since 2017, the cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program in Korea has been included in the coverage provided by the National Health Insurance to alleviate financial burden. Our study aimed to identify changes in the CR program use according to the implementation of CR coverage.”

Our news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Yonsei University: “We obtained data from the electronic medical records of a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea from January 2014 to February 2020. Data from 2988 patients with acute coronary syndrome who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention were included. To examine the CR use trend among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, the electronic medical records data of the patients were aggregated quarterly, resulting in a maximum of 24 repeated measures for each patient. Segmented regression is often used to estimate the effects of interventions in an interrupted time series. Policy implementation led to a prompt increase in the probability of CR use (odds ratio [OR], 3.99 [95% CI, 2.89-5.51]). After the implementation of CR coverage, no significant change in CR use (OR, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.92-1.01]) was observed. After percutaneous coronary intervention, more patients opted for CR, especially those receiving education compared with exercise (education: OR, 87.44 [95% CI, 36.79-207.83] versus exercise: OR, 1.99 [95% CI, 1.43-2.76]).”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The implementation of CR coverage resulted in a rapid increase in the probability of CR use. Use of the educational program was higher than that of the exercise program. Given the persistently low use of CR, it is imperative to stimulate its adoption by increasing its availability.”

For more information on this research see: Impact of Cardiac Rehabilitation Health Insurance Coverage on Cardiac Rehabilitation Use in Korea Using an Interrupted Time Series. Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease, 2024,13(3). (Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease - http://jaha.ahajournals.org). The publisher for Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease is Wiley.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.123.031395.

Our news journalists report that more information may be obtained by contacting Yu Shin Park, Department of Public Health Graduate School, Yonsei University Seoul Republic of Korea. Additional authors for this research include In Sun Song, Suk-Yong Jang, Chung Mo Nam, Eun-Cheol Park.

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