The medical material that recorded the highest number of insurance claims was “disposable cupping cups,” while what marked the top in value terms was “devices for endoscopic procedures.”
Cupping therapy, practiced in oriental medicine clinics, involves local suctions on the skin with heated cups, mostly on shoulders or upper and lower backs to help with pain and enhance blood flow.
According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA)’s “2022 Benefits Claims Report” released on Wednesday, health insurance claims for therapeutic materials, including those for both inpatients and outpatients, totaled 380 million in number last year, reaching 4.618 trillion won ($3.51 billion).
By institution, tertiary general hospitals accounted for 31.8 percent of the total number, with 120.76 million, followed by 106.37 million for general hospitals, 54.05 million for hospitals, 40.49 million for oriental hospitals, and 30.46 million for neighborhood clinics.
Tertiary general hospitals also took the largest share of claimed amount with 1.758 trillion won. The claims amounts were proportional to their numbers.
Disposable cupping cups made the largest number of 47.56 million claims, followed by intravenous filters (IV IN LINE FILTER) used for fluids, with 37.63 million, electrocardiography materials, with 21 million, and integrated needle filters and other filters, with 12.93 million.
On the other hand, devices for endoscopic procedures accounted for the highest amount of claims, with 175.3 billion won, followed by drug-eluting coronary stent, with 161.9 billion won. Intravenous filters, which were also among the top-billed items, ranked third with 107.2 billion won.
By medical department internal medicine had the highest number and amount of claims. Last year, internal medicine made 82.07 million claims for therapeutic materials, or the amount of 1.026 trillion won.
Following the internal medicine’s lead was surgery, which recorded the second-highest number of therapeutic material claims. However, orthopedics marked a higher amount of claims. The number of surgical claims for surgical and orthopedic departments was 67.87 million and 59.78 million. Still, the amount of claims made by the two was 663.1 billion won, and 1.182 trillion won.
Inpatient diseases with high claims amount were in the order of knee osteoarthritis, angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction, cholelithiasis, and shoulder lesions, while outpatient conditions included other diseases of the intestines, other disorders of the teeth and supporting structures, knee osteoarthritis, diseases of the pulp and periapical tissues, and dislocations, sprains, and strains of joints and ligaments in the ankle and foot area.