Ward cap lifted, service capacity up to five times larger; daily patient cost cut to 22,000 won (about $15)
Starting this month, tertiary hospitals outside Greater Seoul may operate nurse-led integrated care wards without restriction.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Sunday that the cap limiting participation in the nurse-led integrated care service — previously set at four wards for all hospitals nationwide — has been fully lifted for tertiary hospitals outside Greater Seoul, effective Sunday. The change could allow those hospitals to expand their nurse-led care capacity by up to five times, easing the financial burden on patients and their families.
Tertiary hospitals in Greater Seoul remain subject to the existing four-ward limit.
The nurse-led integrated care service allows hospitalized patients to receive around-the-clock care from nurses and nursing assistants without relying on private caregivers or family members.
The service significantly reduces caregiving costs and gives patients access to professional nursing care. Despite growing demand from patients and families, the rate of new hospital participation has slowed in recent years and regional disparities in availability have emerged, prompting the ministry to begin expanding the service outside Greater Seoul first.
The ministry estimates that patients using the service save 108,000 won per day in caregiving costs. Based on last year's figures, the combined daily cost of hospitalization and private caregiving stood at 130,000 won. Under the nurse-led service, patients pay only 22,000 won ($15) per day in hospital fees — roughly one-sixth of the previous out-of-pocket expense.
The ministry said it expects the removal of participation limits to meaningfully expand access to nurse-led integrated care in regions outside Greater Seoul, where the service has been in short supply.
thlee@heraldcorp.com
