NHIS makes national health insurance big data searchable on Naver

The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) will make its vast health insurance big data available through Naver.

The NHIS announced on Monday the launch of a new public service, “Medical Treatment Statistics,” now available in collaboration with Naver. With just a simple search, citizens can conveniently access up-to-date statistical information on diseases through the familiar platform they use every day.

This initiative aims to transparently provide reliable statistical information based on the NHIS's vast health insurance big data, guaranteeing citizens' right to know and supporting rational, information-based healthcare utilization, the state health insurance agency said.

This service initially provides data on 125 diseases, selected from the most frequently searched topics on Naver, which can be analyzed using NHIS big data.

By entering a disease name into the Naver search bar, users can easily access clinical information about that disease, along with statistical information on patient numbers and medical expenses, calculated from nationwide medical utilization data.

The patient count statistics, based on 2024 data, calculate the annual actual number of unique individuals who received treatment for the specific disease among national health insurance subscribers, excluding duplicate entries.

Treatment cost statistics provide annual treatment cost information for the most recent five-year period from 2020 to 2024, based on total treatment costs (combining out-of-pocket expenses and insurer-covered costs).

Treatment cost statistics do not reflect patient severity or comorbidities. To address institutional factors, such as billing methods, the top and bottom 5 percent were excluded before averaging the treatment costs and their ranges.

Furthermore, applying the copayment rate by service type to total medical expenses estimates the patient's copayment amount.

“This service shows how public and private sectors can work together to benefit you. By bringing together public data and private sector technology, we make health information easy to access in your daily life,” NHIS President Jung Ki-suck said. “We are committed to expanding user-centred services that use National Health Insurance big data, helping you find the information you need.”