As a result of analyzing non-face-to-face treatment conducted from February 2020 to September 2022, the department with the lowest rate of first-time treatment was psychiatry, with 3 percent, and the highest was dermatology, with 26 percent.

Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) released the analysis of the telemedicine data at the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) on Monday.

The departments that conducted the contactless treatment also included internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, ob-gyn, and urology.

The number of noncontact treatments by internal medicine departments totaled 11.22 million, while that by surgery stood at 1.01 million. Medical institutions in Seoul accounted for 21 percent of internal medicine non-face-to-face treatments, and those in Gyeonggi Province provided 24 percent of such treatments. The institutions in Seoul and its surrounding province also accounted for about 20 percent each of surgical noncontact treatments.

By age, people in their 60s recorded the largest share of remote internal medicine treatments, with 31 percent, followed by the 70s with 16 percent, and 50s with 14 percent. The corresponding share for noncontact surgical treatments was also highest among the 60s, with 35 percent, followed by 70s, 19 percent, and 50s with 11 percent.

By the size of medical institutions, noncontact treatments were primarily made in neighborhood clinics (39 percent) and general hospitals (35 percent). Surgical non-face-to-face treatments were provided mainly by general hospitals (34 percent), hospitals (25 percent), and neighborhood clinics (21 percent).

Notably, the share of first-time treatments among internal medicine treatments was 9 percent, slightly lower than the surgical first-time treatment rate of 12 percent.

Among internal medicine noncontact treatments, the share of temporary non-face-to-face treatments, except for at-home Covid-19 treatments, was 22 percent. In comparison, the corresponding ratio for the surgical department stood at 15 percent.

The disease marking the most requests for insurance benefits among internal medicine noncontact treatments was Covid-19, with 73 percent of the total, followed by essential (or primary) hypertension, 6 percent, and diabetes, 3 percent.

The number of noncontact treatments the pediatric and adolescent department provided totaled 5.27 million. Treatments of those aged 0-19 accounted for 47 percent of the total noncontact treatments, while those of adults aged 20 and more took up the remaining 53 percent.

Major diseases treated were respiratory ailments, such as Covid-19, bronchitis, and rhinitis, and their first-time treatment ratio was 9 percent.

About 520,000 treatments were provided by the obstetrician-gynecology department. By age, teenagers to 40s accounted for 36 percent, and those aged 50 and more represented 60 percent. By region, medical institutions in the Seoul metro region accounted for 52 percent, and the ratio of first-time treatment was 13 percent.

The number of noncontact treatments in psychiatry totaled 119,766. Except for Covid-19 treatments at home, the share of temporary noncontact treatments was 53 percent, and first-time treatments accounted for only 3 percent.

Dermatological non-face-to-face treatments totaled 23,763 in number, and those for the urological department were 150,171. The shares of first-time treatments for dermatological and urological departments were 26 percent and 9 percent.

“The analysis of non-face-to-face treatments by the medical department is significant, as it can be used as important grounds for designing the telemedicine system. It is also necessary to discuss such analysis to strengthen medical access, provide continuous treatments and make the most of noncontact treatments by each department,” Rep. Shin said.